Sermon for November 20

The reading  Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-28, 31:31-34

In the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today.It may be that when the house of Judah hears of all the disasters that I intend to do to them, all of them may turn from their evil ways, so that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

Then Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at Jeremiah’s dictation all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am prevented from entering the house of the Lord; so you go yourself, and on a fast day in the hearing of the people in the Lord’s house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the people of Judah who come up from their towns. It may be that their plea will come before the Lord, and that all of them will turn from their evil ways, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” And Baruch son of Neriah did all that the prophet Jeremiah ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.

Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary; and Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. Now the king was sitting in his winter apartment (it was the ninth month), and there was a fire burning in the brazier before him. As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a penknife and throw them into the fire in the brazier, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. Now, after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which King Jehoiakim of Judah has burned.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

 Summary

The book of Jeremiah is heavily edited, redacted and uncertain. Things jumps from theme to theme and time to time, It can be a challenging to look at.  We do know Jeremiah served as a prophet at one of the worst times in the history of Isreal, the time when the Babylonians invade the Southern Kingdom of Judah and eventually destroy the temple in Jerusalem (586 bc).  

Recently I have noticed that a lot of people have a difficult time expressing ideas in ways that people can relate to, understand and remember.  We need more great stories to share God’s love and vision for the world with.  Jeremiah has great stories, he uses 2 metaphors to communicate with the people of Israel about their keeping of the promises made to God. First, is as an unfaithful wife and second is as a rebellious child. 

Jeremiah is not pleasant to listen to, he confronts people as things fall apart around them, declaring that this is the consequence of disobedience and calling them to repent.  

A few weeks ago, we saw that the King of Nineveh repents when confronted with God’s word. Today, we see how the leaders of Judah respond, they burn it. They pretend things are okay, that God’s promises are not real, not relevant or not powerful.

This reading challenges us to ask “What do we do with God’s word” , do we put it aside or let it direct us, keep it from others or let it bring comfort, whisper is quietly to like-minded people within these walls or go tell it on the mountain.

Today is the feast of Christ the King. It marks the end of the church year. This is a new holiday, well it started around 70 years ago (new for church).  At that time, Mussolini was starting to rise to power in Italy. The church was late or powerless to prevent this. The Pope starts Christ the King, so that people would know God, not us and not our leaders, is ultimately in control of the world.   

  

Today also marks Drew’s 5th year with us as our musician and my 7^th year here as our pastor.     As we look back at what we have done, accomplished and changed and forward to the future we must constantly ask ourselves,  “What do we do with God’s word here”.