A Change of Heart
March 25, 2012 |
Patrick Preheim | Jeremiah 31:31-34
Opening Prayer of Sermon
Lord God, who writes on hearts and minds and souls...
We apologize.
Important words fill our lives.
Lists run sideway on the margins.
Doodling absorbs the empty areas.
Little space remains for the pen of your Holy Spirit.
We apologize.
We humbly ask you to honour the un-cluttering we attempt in this hour.
Allow the love, wisdom and peace of your Word to inscribe us anew. Amen.
In the sermon slot this morning I will do something a little bit different. I will have a chat with a child we dedicated here last May (May 15, 2011). And since the conversational skills of a one year old are non-existent this will be more of a monologue. I received permission from the parents of Solomon Peter Thiessen to walk around the sanctuary sharing with him the hope that springs from Jeremiah 31. He probably will not get my American accent, but I want to bless him with the story anyway. As I shower him with words that point to life perhaps others listening will also receive something good.
Well Solomon, we only have a few more Sundays to worship together. Following Easter I will be gone for six weeks. Shortly after I return you and your family are relocating to St. Louis so your dad can teach those Americans something about the bible they quote so fondly. Yea, he is a good teacher. My sessions with him have been great, and some of them actually pertained to the bible. Ah, but those are tales for another time. The story I really wanted to give you today starts in “the book of comfort” (Patrick Miller, “The Book of Jeremiah: Introduction, Commentary andReflection” in The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes (vl. VI), p. 797). Yes, that is what some fancy thinkers call Jeremiah chapters 30-31. It is a beautiful book which gave hope during the darkest days for Judah. Someday there may be dark times for you too. I hope you can recall this story so that you are encouraged when the situation feels impossible.
I won’t go into lengthy details, Solomon, but the Lord was frustrated. God’s people said they loved the Lord and their neighbours, but they really didn’t. Instead they trusted in the power of the military and the power of money. This broke God’s heart and the covenant (the promises) they had made to each other. God said fine, worship whatever you want but know that are consequences. The results weren’t so nice. Those other gods did not treat the people very well. The Israelites had a really long timeout. The house of Judah had lots of extra chores. This made God sad long before the people could admit their own sadness. I want you to remember, Solomon, that God has a change of heart in this story. In fact, God’s change of heart makes it possible for us to start over. Back in chapter 14 God vowed to not forget the sins of the people (14.10). But here, in the book of comfort, God promises to remember no more the sins of the people (31.34). Exact same words, Solomon. God has a change of heart. God’s heart is moved by suffering and hurt. Never forget that Solomon.
You will see many broken covenants in your lifetime and it will be painful. Marriages will fail. Families will be estranged. Politicians will make empty vows. Church members will simply walk away. You may even participate in some of this brokenness. Even if the pain you experience is of your own doing, remember that God has already started writing a new chapter for you. God’s forgiveness of you, the wrongs done to you, the sin of the world precedes our awareness of that forgiveness and our change of heart. God is there waiting for us. Perhaps knowing this will enable you to open your heart for the new covenant which God inevitably will offer you when your time of exile comes.
If your parents take you to church in the years ahead you probably will hear this term “new covenant” now and again. According to someone called Paul these are the words that Jesus used to describe his gift to his disciples the last time they ate together. Jesus said, “this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1st Cor 11.25). People like Anita and I often say these words as part of an activity we sometimes do here at church. We call it communion or the Lord’s supper. What we call it doesn’t matter all that much. What it represents, however, is really important. It is a tool Jesus gave us to remember that God is willing to suffer so that we can be healed of all our pain and truly live. The book of comfort was not enough to help the people remember. I suspect Jesus thought that an activity, an action, might help us recall that God offers us hope in our darkest hour. You see, Solomon, it is really hard for all of us to remember that God’s heart has changed and that we can live by a new covenant. Too often we remember the sins of others or our own sins rather than the new covenant. As a result a lot of us live with shame and anger. The cup we take on those special days is to help us remember the extent to which God is willing to renew our hearts and the hearts of others. And from now on when you hear those words of Jesus about a new covenant you will know that they go all the way back to the book of comfort in Jeremiah. Maybe someday you will join in this tradition of the church.
Speaking of the church, I also want to share with you a word about it. This new covenant of God is given to a people be it in the old or new testaments. The new covenant is not given to individuals, it is given to a community of faith. Jesus offers the cup of the new covenant to bunch of guys he called disciples. Paul goes through the instructions for the Lord’s Supper so that the Corinthian congregation might be strengthened to respect each other (1st Cor 12). In Jeremiah the new covenant is made with the houses of Judah and Israel. I realize that Jeremiah 31 promises an end to teaching because we all will “know the Lord”, but that promise is still being filled. At this point in my life, and yours too I would imagine, we need each other to live into the new covenant given to us. There are so many confusing messages out there about life purpose, happiness, joy, peace, etc..,.. I need a people to help make sense of all this from the Jesus perspective. We figure these things out together. Not only that, I need a people to be gracious to me when I am not gracious to myself. I need a people to gently guide me if I wander too far off the way. It is true that not every faith community is good for every person, but that doesn’t mean we are to be on our own. I hope you find a Mennonite Church in St. Louis that can celebrate your gifts and help train you. If not, I hope you find some people of the new covenant who can graciously teach you and humbly learn from you. As hard as it sometimes is, God calls us to be people.
It kind of makes me sad that soon you will be leaving, Solomon. I guess the truth of the matter is, however, that we all are wandering Aramaens. I left Minneapolis to come here. You are leaving here for St. Louis. Some of my friends will soon die and go to heaven. And too many of the children we dedicate will walk away from God and the church. We are constantly on the move. It is also true, Solomon, that God is on the move as well. It is important that you remember that there is no place you will go that God is not already present. God goes into exile before the house of Israel. God goes to Babylon before the house of Judah. Jesus goes before us into the wilderness. God goes before you to St. Louis and the desert wanderings you may have. Wherever it is you find yourself know that God’s forgiveness is stronger than God’s wrath. Know that Jesus continually seeks us out, offering us his life to help us live in the new covenant. Know that the church, at least this church, will always be there for you. Solomon, I hope you remember the book of comfort and remember the new covenant. I wish you God’s peace this day and the remainder of all your days. Amen.
