October 23, 2016
Texts:
Psalm 84:1-7
Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22
Luke 15:9-14
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Good morning. It is good to be back here since our wedding and honeymoon. Both Matthias and I want to thank all of you for your love and support of our wedding and marriage. We feel very loved and cared for by this community.
For the teaching today I’d like to look at the lectionary scriptures individually and as a group relating to four different stages of life - that of a child, teenager, adult, and elder.
The Psalm can be interpreted as the experience of a child - marveling, and praising their parents’, or grandparents’ love and home - or the house of God. It is about the devotion of a child to someone they trust, love fully, in an innocent way. Dwelling together, fully giving and receiving love.
One can relate the Jeremiah passage to that of an adolescent, or teenager. Here the Israelites have turned away from God to other gods, come back, and left again. They’re done some really bad things. God says of them, “They greatly love to wander, they do not restrain their feet…” (Jeremiah 14:10, NIV). They are trying to convince or bargain with God not to punish them - they say if you don’t do it for us, then do it for your namesake, to save the family name. It’s like a teenager who has rebelled and done something really wrong. They know it, and they come back to their parents and say, ‘I know I was wrong and bad, but I still need you to help me, you still love me because you have to, right? - you’re my parent.’ Towards the end of the passage, it seems that the Israelites have realized that God will probably not just let them off without anything, and then there is trust in a just and powerful God. Much like a smart teenager may accept the punishment or consequences of their own behavior because they know that they deserve it.
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
For you are the one who does all this. (Jeremiah 14:22, NIV)
In the Luke passage, Jesus tells a parable that can be equated to the experience of a prideful adult. The Pharisee has upheld the religious law, they fast and give of their income, both difficult sacrifices to make, and they think they are better than others because of it. They have made the law more important than the spirit or heart of God. They have made the law their God. However, the tax collector is not so clouded in his thoughts, so off track; he is aware of his sinful nature and asks for mercy before God. It is like a successful adult who has worked hard for their place in the world: they went to the right schools, worked to find the jobs they have, gone up the ‘corporate ladder,’ followed the rules or system, and think that they deserve the place they have in life. They feel proud of what they’ve accomplished and don’t think they’ve done anything wrong. But what Jesus is telling us is that God is found in humility and the humble way. We don’t deserve any of what we have.
In 2nd Timothy Paul, at the end of his life, is writing to Timothy. He is sharing about his ministry and how God has flowed through him. He is confident that his connection with God will continue after his own death. He is encouraging a younger generation to continue the work and way of God. Paul has a wider perspective at the end of his life. He has endured a lot of hardship and God has been with him. He is able to trust confidently in the Holy Spirit and God’s faithfulness, and wants to pass that along to Timothy.
Through these passages we see people in different situations and how they respond to God. No matter what stage of life you are in now, we all experience each of these positions. I know that I’ve been the all-loving / praising child, the undeserving / guilty teenager, the prideful adult, and hopefully the wise / trusting elder. It is encouraging to know that God is still present and accessible to us in each of these postures that we may have towards him and others. The way to him is always the humble way. This is how we grow, how God helps us to break down our egos.
I think that we usually encounter these humbling experiences by being with other people - our church community, neighbors, family, life partner, etc, When we are with people who are different from us, that are maybe not likely to agree with us, our tendencies and ways of doing things are revealed to us and challenged. The system that we have followed can be re-examined. If it were not for the comparison of the Pharisee and the tax collector together in the temple the Pharisee may not have had to confront his piety.
After only being married for a month I see how forgiveness and openness to each other is essential to life in our relationship. I’ve also learned that the more we try to justify ourselves, the further we separate ourselves from each other and from God.
It is easy to lose sight of the reason for loving in the ‘business’ and tasks of trying to life a loving life. We often have good intentions, and think that we’re doing the right thing. However, we can quickly make the tasks more important than the love or spirit of life. Let us remember these different examples as we try to live a humble life with each other and God. Amen.