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Jeremiah 23:23-29 When you hear someone described as being "prophetic," what do you think? Do you think that they are able to tell the future? Maybe you think that they're very wise and able to understand the mysteries of life. Or, perhaps you think of someone who claims to speak for God. You might event think of someone who's a little bit crazy. Today we consider a passage from the Hebrew prophet, Jeremiah. Jeremiah means "the Lord throws," perhaps meaning that he was thrown into a hostile world. He began his prophetic work about 626 B.C. and it ended sometime after 586. If you look closely at the book of Jeremiah, you'll notice that he reveals a lot about his character and his personality. He was prone to self-analysis and self-criticism. He was shy and timid, but God assured him that he would become strong and courageous. In Jeremiah's confessions, he shares with us the deep struggles of his inner life. He describes his mixed feelings about God, he calls out for his personal enemies to be punished, and he describes his personal anguish. Biblical scholars often describe Jeremiah as the "weeping prophet" because of his anguish. So, you can see that Jeremiah was a very human prophet. He experienced the same kind of pain and the difficulties that we face in the modern world. But Jeremiah's sense of calling, and his commitment to the Lord, made him fearless in the service of his God. Do we have any modern day prophets? Is there anyone that you would consider as someone who speaks out faithfully for God's kingdom? During my studies at the Drew Theological School in New Jersey, I studied with a Jewish political scientist who was researching the prophetic tradition in Hebrew scripture. This political scientist said that there are four characteristics of the prophetic voice: First, the prophet believes in basic rights for all people, not just a chosen few. Second, the prophet is committed to a fearless criticism of all institutions - political, religious, or social. Third, the prophet calls for creative problem solving. And finally the prophetic voice sets out possible future results. If we continue on the present course, here's what will happen. Or, if we took another route, here are other possibilities. Jeremiah fits all of these characteristics. And Jeremiah has something to say about speaking faithfully. Today's scripture passage can help us to determine who is speaking prophetically in today's world. It can also help us to speak more prophetically in our own lives. Let's take a look at the scripture passage. The first thing we notice is that: I. GOD IS PRESENT BOTH NEAR AND FAR In the first verse, God asks, "Am I only a God nearby and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" This verse tells us a great deal about Jeremiah's faith. Not only is his God powerful in Judah, in the nearby friendly hills, but God is the Lord of all the earth. Sometimes, without thinking much about it, we limit our thoughts about God's presence and power. Maybe we experience God's presence primarily in our homes, or here at church, or when we gather here in Tucson with Christian friends. Sometimes we forget about the presence and work of God all over the globe. One time I was on a camping trip in Colorado. I was a long way from family and friends, and I was feeling lonely and sad. On the way into the campground, I saw a little log cabin church with a sign that said they were meeting that night. I went into that little church as a stranger. But I found a room full of sisters and brothers in Christ. I felt silly that I was surprised. Surprised that God was at work there in the mountains of Colorado, far from my home. Once time Karen and I were traveling overseas. We were on a 747, heading out across the Atlantic Ocean from New York. I found myself sitting next to a devout Muslim who started sharing his faith with me. We had a delightful conversation, sharing our favorite scripture with each other. Hanging over the middle of the Atlantic, watching the sun come up over the horizon, I was reminded that there is no place we can go to hide from the love of God. This is an important lesson for a prophet to learn. To really understand the work of God, and importance of God's kingdom, we can't focus only on those people nearby. We need to understand that God calls us to care about, and speak to the human condition across this beautiful planet. Jeremiah also speaks here about the quality of our relationship with God. When we serve God falsely, when we speak God's name but do so for our own gain, God is very far away from us. When we serve God faithfully, when we understand and follow his word, God is infinitely near and intimate with us. So, we've learned that God is present both near and far. Next, Jeremiah teaches us that: II. A TRUE PROPHET DOESN'T CONFUSE DREAMS WITH GOD'S WORD Do you have a good dream life? Do you remember your dreams? For a while during seminary, I tried to keep track of my dreams. I kept a little journal on the night stand next to the bed. The idea was to roll over and jot a few notes about my dreams when they woke me up. Or, to write a few lines about my dreams when I got up in the morning. I'm not a morning person, so the idea of writing in a notebook right after I got up didn't work out very well. When I remembered to write something down during the middle of the night, I couldn't read the scribbles the next morning. So, I didn't get very far analyzing my dream life. But I know what it's like to have a personal dream, something that I strive for, something that I think is very important. Do you have those kind of dreams? In today's scripture, Jeremiah talks about a problem with false prophets in his day. These fake prophets substituted their own dreams for the word of God. They took their own personal understandings and led people away from what God wanted them to do. The lying prophets called for the people to worship a false God called Baal, and they even led Jeremiah's countrymen to sacrifice their children to this false God. Do we have false prophets in today's world? Sure we do. There are plenty of leaders who substitute their own dreams for the word of God. Every few years it seems that we hear about a cult leader who persuades followers down the path of death or suicide. Within the Christian church, we see and hear some television evangelists who substitute their own grand dream for the true purpose of God's word. We've seen pastors who request funds to build a Christian amusement park, or an unneeded skyscraper hospital - you name it, it's probably been done in God's name. The results are always disastrous in the long run. But Jeremiah says this: "Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully." He goes on to liken false dreams and God's word as being like straw and grain. Now, we don't often get involved with farming in our modern lives, so what's Jeremiah talking about? Jeremiah is telling us not to confuse a Snickers bar with a big chef salad. The Snickers bar is compelling, because it's sweet and chocolatey and makes our mouths really happy. But, it's empty. It's not a good food source. We couldn't sustain ourselves on Snickers bars. On the other hand, a chef salad is full of nutritious greens and vegetables and protein. It nourishes our body with true food that truly sustains us. Jeremiah warns us to resist false prophets who tempt us with Snickers bars instead of offering us true nourishment. That helps us to know what kinds of prophets to follow. But what about our own voices? How can we speak more prophetically in the world around us? Jeremiah teaches us that: III. A TRUE PROPHET SPEAKS WORDS THAT BREAK OPPRESSION Jeremiah tells us that God's word is like a hammer that breaks rock in pieces. It is, isn't it? God's word breaks the power of sin in our hearts. It smashes hopelessness and fear in our lives. In our society, God's word has the power to crush hatred and racism. It can pulverize oppression and inequality. Are we supposed to be involved in all of that? You bet. As Christians, Jesus calls us to share the good news of God's love with all those around us. Sometimes it's in a big way. Other times, it happens in small ways. Think about the life of Roberta Guaspari. In 1980, she was hired as a substitute music teacher in East Harlem. Her job was to teach violin to students that other teachers had completely given up on. In fact, they didn't think the kids even deserved the chance to learn. But Roberta persevered. With no money in the school's budget to buy instruments, Roberta offered to supply them from her own personal collection of fifty child-sized violins that she had collected over the years. Roberta soon learns that she has her work cut out for her. Faced with trying to teach undisciplined students a difficult instrument, the indifference and disdain of the other teachers, resistance from parents who don't approve of her aggressive methods, she comes close to packing it in on numerous occasions. By 1990, Roberta's fledgling string program grew to serve three schools and required a lottery system due to overwhelming demand for the program's 150 spaces. Over 1,400 inner city kids have learned to play the violin. In spite of the hard-earned success, budget cuts cancel funding for the program. So, Roberta gave up, right? Wrong. If you saw the movie, Music of the Heart, which told Roberta's true story, you know that she didn't give up the fight. Let's take a peek at the film.... [VIDEOTAPE] Showing the tenacity that has kept her going for the past ten years, Roberta brings together past and present students, friends, and the media to save the music program from cancellation. They schedule a gala fundraising concert at Carnegie Hall to raise the needed money to keep going. If you think about it, didn't Roberta show the same prophetic characteristics that we talked about earlier? First, she was committed to believing that all students could learn beautiful music, not just the rich kids in the suburbs, but the poor kids in East Harlem that everyone had given up on. Second, she was fearless in facing down the institutional powers in the school system that worked to prevent this opportunity. Third, she looked for creative ways to deal with the situation - finding new teaching methods and funding sources to keep the program alive. Fourth, she laid out alternatives for the future. If we keep going down this path, we will deny our children the opportunity to know the beauty and truth of music. If we try another path, they will learn to trust themselves and to express their inner joy.
Aren't we called to speak with the same voice as followers of Christ? Perhaps no one will make a movie about our work, but isn't Jesus preparing each of us to speak out faithfully to our world. We may feel a little bit like Jeremiah - timid and uncertain. We might even feel anguished about our own situation or the troubles of the world. But Jesus assures us of God's love and power. He meets us here today to let us know that God is the God of near and far places. He provides us with courage and strength to meet the forces that resist positive change in our world. As we prepare to go out into the new week, let us be careful about the voices that we listen to. Let us avoid the prophets who want to offer us junk food. And let us speak to our world, offering nourishment and hope.
Amen. |