September 26, 2010

I am a naïve worshipper, knowing the Bible only through what I hear and read each Sunday. I find many of the Psalms and much of the Old Testament difficult to hear: Yahweh fighting with other gods, a vindictive God threatening ruin and damnation if we don't follow the way "our" God has laid things out for us. I am more comfortable with a universal spirit that is in us and every aspect of the natural world around us — the rocks, the air, the animals and birds, everything. In different parts of the world, we may call this universal presence by different names but whatever the name, this presence calls us to live with truth, respect and humility. As a Christian, I believe Jesus was a living example of how to live out this calling. But the other stuff of warring Gods, damnation — I am not as comfortable with. So today, I am here to talk about my thoughts and learnings as I studied today's Scripture readings and planned the service. Hopefully, you will find in this reflection, words, or ideas, or insights that are helpful to you on your spiritual journey.

I had to laugh when, after I said I would do this service, I learned that the principle reading was from the Book of Jeremiah, one of those "hell and damnation" prophets I had been resisting. But I went ahead and read different articles on today's Scripture readings — and began to learn and to appreciate the stories in the Bible much more. I also skimmed this particular Book to provide some context for today's reading. Let me begin on my little journey of discovery.

In Chapter one, verse 11, when Jeremiah received his prophetic call from God, he was commissioned to proclaim a double message: "to pluck up and pull downÉ (and)É to build and plant" His mission was to speak God's words both of judgment and of promise and hope. Surely there were times when Jeremiah wondered when — if ever — God would give him a message of hope to preach! The majority of Jeremiah's words consisted of denunciation for Judah's sins and the attendant prophecies of judgment against the people and the nation — and for this he was beaten, arrested, and labeled a traitor.

Jeremiah always seemed to be "swimming against the tide". Most of his prophecies of judgment were delivered at times when the people of Judah felt themselves secure from any adverse judgments of their God, and at many of those times there were other prophets, preaching comforting words of assurance and hopefulness. When Jeremiah's message of imminent disaster proved true with the attack of the army from Babylon, Jeremiah's words of hope began to issue forth — words from God that again clashed with all appearances.

One such example of hope is in our reading today — the buying of a plot of land even as the collapse of Jerusalem was imminent. During the biblical period, land could mean the difference between life and death. The whole episode of Jeremiah buying the field from his cousin is based on the "law of redemption" which states that, should any property or person within the family be in danger of being lost, it is the duty of the most senior family member to make sure that it stays within the family. With the Babylonian invasion, Hanamel is destitute because he is unable to farm his field at Anathoth — Jeremiah's ancestral land. God instructs Jeremiah to buy the land, and the prophet conducts the transfer of ownership in a conspicuous and detailed way and then orders his trusted companion, Baruch, to store the document in a safe place.

The land may not be redeemed in Jeremiah's lifetime — and he knows this is a real possibility in that he asks that the deeds be stored in an earthen jar that will protect them. Why does he do such a thing when he knows Jerusalem will soon fall under Babylonian rule, the state of Judah will disappear — and the contracts made under Judah's laws will be worthless? The answer is Jeremiah trusted God's word — in verse 15, God promises: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land" — thus one day Judah would be restored and the contract would be relevant again. He believed in God's promise: "Thus says the Lord" appears five times in this short passage to indicate that this transaction is indeed God's plan; it is a sign of hope of God's promise for a future even if the people in their fear could not see beyond tomorrow.

Trust in God is at the heart of our first hymn this morning and is the essence of Psalm 91. The psalmist promises that God is there in the good times and the uncertain times. He/she will not take away our fear, or pain, or sense of loss, but be with us as we work through our situations — as individuals, but also I think as families, as congregations and as communities. So in today's readings, God encourages us to hope and invites us to trust. But I believe there is one more thing he asks— doesn't he also call us to be good stewards of our responsibilities?

Look at the role of Baruch. With all the passion and pain surrounding the prophecies of Jeremiah and the drama of his personal story, it would be easy to forget or ignore the place of Baruch in all of this. This passage invites us to heed the role of those, like Baruch, who are called to "keep" the story and guard the hope. There cannot be a Jeremiah without a Baruch. But whom do we know who was named after Baruch, or for example, after Obadiah, the civil servant who kept Elijah going in more ways than one? There is an important but often unacknowledged role for the "quiet" ones who keep the church and the congregation alive.

Baruch is Jeremiah's scribe. His "calling" is to be a witness to the word and work of God. But now, equally important is that he is also called to be responsible for the deed that demonstrates God's promise — and to pass this responsibility on to his children and grandchildren for it is not known when the promise will be fulfilled! Given the situation, it is not hard to imagine that Baruch's immediate reaction was: "You want me to do what?" or "How did I ever get into this?" Make no mistake, this is not a request — it is a "charge". What Baruch is called to do is as important, as solemn, as what Jeremiah has done. His actions will guide the continuing understanding of the word of God — if he hesitates, if he is not mindful on a daily basis of his new responsibilities, the word could be lost!

And what is the vessel — the earthen jar? Is it literally just that — a physical vessel, a place of safekeeping for precious objects like the Bible? (On a normal Sunday, I might have assumed that.) Or is it the church — the entity that maintains God's word and proclaims it to the widest audience possible over time. This means that the church is also charged with converting the word of God in the language of the day so that people can understand what is being said — and this comes with all the attendant risks of translation and misinterpretation?

Or is the jar the network of people who carry God's word in their hearts and daily actions? Three weeks ago, Christine talked eloquently about us, the people, being the vessel being shaped by God, like the clay is shaped by the potter. Both Jeremiah in Chapter 18 and Paul in the second Chapter of Second Corinthians draw this analogy. At the time, I found those words comforting and enlightening. But today, in this story, I think we are Baruch — charged with being good stewards of the word so that the teachings of Jesus Christ are there for our grandchildren and their grandchildren!

What is exciting to me is that there are so many thoughtful and thought-provoking interpretations of the Bible!

What are our acts of "risk-taking / field buying", our ways of investing in the common good of the communities in which we live? In uncertain times, how do we declare hope in or invest in a future we cannot yet fathom? For example, David's announcement a couple of weeks ago initially shook us and left us uncertain of what lies ahead for Nelson United because we had entrusted so much to David. So did David, by his actions, charge us to be the keepers of the deed that is Nelson United, and if so, what do we do?

After the shock of the news had eased, my sense was that if each of us dared to move out of our comfort zone a little bit, were a little less complacent that things would get done - and tried to do things a little differently, I believed that we would see enormous change, a real uplifting of spirit — and a freeing of the expectations on Christine — and on David when he returns — so that they are able to contribute more effectively their wonderful and unique gifts.

"But those are only words and ideas, Norman", says the little mentor on my shoulder! "And you can't lay expectations on others that you are not willing to do yourself."

My first step was to volunteer to lead a service. That was probably a big step because as I mentioned at the start, I had only been a Sunday listener and reader of the Bible. But it felt right — and I assumed, I trusted, that I would get help from others. Help was abundant from Christine, Lois, Roy, Leah and others - and thus panic was avoided as the day came closer.

I would also have felt safer if I had worn the typical male suit of armour — the suit and tie. But I wore these clothes today —first, because they fit with the Children's story time, but second because they remind me I am taking a little step into the unknown so that I can demonstrate to me and to you that we can survive, and laugh, with such steps.

My hope is that each of you will try new things, new ways of contributing to the life of Nelson United. I have discovered that I can be slightly out of my comfort zone and not only have I survived but I have learned a lot, and enjoyed the process. My hope is also that you will discover similar benefits for the things you try. And together we, like Baruch, can fulfill the responsibilities we have been given as stewards of the life of this congregation.

Now is the time for that investment or recommitment to the church and all it offers — and my sincere belief, my faith is that this investment will return benefits that surprise all of us!

Let us close with prayer take from Voices United 915.

Eternal God
you call us to ventures
of which we cannot see the ending,
      by paths as yet untrodden,
      through perils unknown.
Give us faith to go out with courage,
      not knowing where we go,
but only that your hand is leading us,
      and your love supporting us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen