Jesus Have Mercy on Us

Sermon October 13, 2013

Jesus Have Mercy on US

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the lord on its behalf for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”v.7

The Israelites were stressed  and frustrated being in exile.  They lamented last week in our text and Jeremiah is doing all that he can with the Word of the Lord to comfort them and help them accept what was their new home.

Shockingly, this prophet was telling those who moped that God says, “Your [old] life is dead. Your new life is to be found in Babylon. Deal with it. Settle down. Adjust!  Seemingly it is a harsh and provocative message to all who face the uncertainties and consequences of unintended change.

Perhaps some of you are facing a similar situation.   Relationships , Children leaving the nest.  Children coming back to live at home.  Questions about the nursing home.  Loss of Job.

The Israelites were facing a very hard time.  There was no New Testament yet  from the lips of Jesus when he said, “but I say to you. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matt. 5:44)

Today we are all living in an enormous change to our society and the way life used to be.

Emails, Cell phones, texting, New -fangled gadgets.  Many have said  I want nothing to do with a computer or any of those technological gadgets.  The problem is you are Faced with these changes and the old way of life is NO MORE> We have to deal with it even though it is unpleasant.

Neighbors down the street may not be  Lutheran, or Baptist, or Catholic.  WE are faced with those that are Hindu or Muslim or New Age.  One of the biggest pushes is the acceptance of those with same sex orientation.

Whining about it does not make things go back to the way things were.

Jeremiah challenges the Jews in Captivity, and us to embrace the place where God has us and find ways to be faithful in our living….so that others might inquire about our inspiration, our resolve, and our trust, and thereby be drawn into relationship with God.

We are going through great changes in our society.  It’s time to get over it and keep moving forward.

I am as stubborn as any about these technological changes but complaining about it does not stop it.

Yes it is uncomfortable. But think about how good we have it now.   Our comfortable homes. Our comfortable cars.  The 500 channels you can choose from to watch.  Remote controls.  Wireless internet. And on and on we could go talking about how good it is today.

Psalm 66

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.

How awesome to live and work in Montana where we can see the majesty of Gods Creation with the mountain ranges wherever we go. How awesome are your creative deeds O God!  How fortunate we are to live in such beauty. How we sing your praises for bringing us through the fire and the water and into such a spacious place.

Worship has a power to heal.  Important stories of redemption need to be remembered and celebrated.  Though a few of us may differ with the psalmist about whether God test us or tries us, intentionally laying burdens upon our backs, we can certainly celebrate with radical gratitude the spacious places in which we now find ourselves, and sing the glory of God’s name.

To God be the Glory.

2 Timothy 2:8-15

This week I heard someone say :  If you want healing pray for pain.  I thought about that statement a lot. When we have suffered chaos in our life how sweet is it when deliverance comes?  Paul has suffered greatly for the cause of Christ and rejoices in that suffering.

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;  If we endure , we will also reign with him;

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth!

There is a lot of theological emphasis on suffering and truth, BUT the passage also addresses issues related to discipleship, hope, and Christian instruction.

When believers have died to their old ways of sin in the world, they will live in the new way of discipleship with Christ.

If Paul lived today with cell phones, and text messaging, this is a message he would send us,

“Remember, remind, and be diligent for the sake of the gospel.”

An instant message on our computer screen in the cubicle at work or on our BlackBerry beeping with a text message while we sit deep in traffic on the way home could be just the thing we need to hear to lift us out of our human predicament and point us toward heavenly hope.  When we are faithless, complaining, and self- absorbed, GOD IS FAITHFUL.

Luke 17: 11-19

Jesus, Master, Have mercy on us.

In this story about the ten lepers who are healed the actual healing is almost like a sideline event.

Jesus does it without fanfare.  We do not know where the other 9 go but we do know that this one – a foreigner, and a despised one at that – comes back to bow down at the feet of Jesus, to worship and give thanks.

What is clear is that this most unlikely one, this double outcast, has been embraced by grace.

Jesus say “ Get up and go,”  “your faith has made you well.”

We can hear Jesus telling us not to be concerned with the Quantity of faith – whether we have enough, that is to make our prayers “work”….

Rather, Jesus is teaching us about the nature of faith.  In short , to “have faith” is to Live it, and to live it is to give thanks.  It is living a life of gratitude that constitutes living a life of faith…

This is the grateful sort of faith, that has made this man from Samaria truly and deeply Well.

To practice gratitude intentionally changes an individual life, to be sure.  It also changes the character of a congregation.  When Christians practice gratitude, they come to worship not just
“to get something out of it,” but to give thanks and praise to God.

Lord, Have Mercy on Us!!!

Go on your way; your faith has made you well..

This is a description of a life of blessing for the church; as we go on our way, we rejoice and give thanks; for in giving thanks in all things, we find that God, indeed is in all things. Amen.