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.
“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.
No comments:
Post a Comment