Jeremaid
May 24, 2015 | Patrick Preheim
Last week the Star Phoenix referenced Jeremiah (Star Phoenix, Les MacPherson editorial (A section) p. 2). Biblical references in secular media always intrigue me, particularly when it is found in Les MacPherson regularly printed rant. Reading MacPherson’s column is like panning for treasure in the South Saskatchewan: a lot of muck, a good bit of fool’s gold, and the rare nugget (really not that much different than sitting through a Sunday sermon by yours truly). Anyway, McPherson used the term jeremiad. “Jeremiad”, I exclaimed, “is that even a word?” In our house the scrabble dictionary is never far away, and sure enough jeremiad was found there. It is a noun meaning such things as a tirade, sustained haranguing speech, woe filled complaint. Poor Jeremiah. In his day they banned him from the temple (Jer 36.5), they burned his scroll (36.23), they issued death threats against him (11.21ff) and eventually put him in a cistern to die (38.4-6). This is how they treated Jeremiah and things aren’t much better now. 2500 years later the practitioners of English negatively associate him with unsavory terms like diatribe, harangue, lament. Seriously religious people, people we might view as sympathetic to the likes of Jeremiah, aren’t any easier on him. Kathleen Norris spent time at a Benedictine monastery and wrote the following about reading Jeremiah in worship. (Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk, p.34)
“One day, not long after we’d begun to read Jeremiah, and it was dawning on us that we had a long rough road ahead, a monk said to me...he was glad to be reading Jeremiah in the morning, and not at evening prayer, when there are more likely to be guests. “The monks can take it,” he said, “but most people have no idea what’s in the Bible, and they come unglued.”
Coming unglued came to seem the point of listening to Jeremiah. The prophet, after all, is witness to a time in which his world, the society surrounding the temple in Jerusalem, meets a violent end, and Israel is taken captive to Babylon. Hearing Jeremiah’s words every morning, I soon felt challenged to reflect on the upheavals in our own society, and in my life. A prophet’s task is to reveal the fault lines hidden beneath the comfortable surface of the worlds we invent for ourselves, the national myths as well as the little lies and delusions of control and security that get us through the day. And Jeremiah does this better than anyone.”
Let us be clear, though, this kind of prophetic task is not easy. It takes immense courage. No one likes to be labeled a mal-content. No one likes to be told they are distorting the Word of God. No one likes to be written off as a crank. In his commissioning God told Jeremiah that he would make of him a fortified city, an iron pillar, a bronze wall—a type of divine tempering to withstand the conflicts ahead. And these spiritual battles were not easy for Jeremiah. He questioned himself; he questioned God. We, too, sometimes question ourselves and God. This is part of the story in our walk with God, particularly when we are living prophetically. We need encouragement to do what is otherwise hard, but right, to do. And so today we have reflections on courage and a reminder that God goes before us into difficult places.
Our first story emerges out of something I heard during our 50th anniversary celebration. In his sharing Saturday, April 25th, former pastor Verner Friesen made reference to the issue of divorce and remarriage. At the time it surfaced at NPMC Verner was not sure the question had been discussed here. There was a time when the divorced were stigmatized in our places of worship. As a result some remained in abusive or unhealthy marriages, others divorced and left the church, and still others divorced and continued among us under a cloud of shame. From our perspective today this appears to be legalism gone awry. Written and unwritten rules meant to bring life were driving people away from the redemptive love of God and Jesus. I knew immediately I needed a follow up conversation with Verner. Unfortunately Verner can not be here today. He has signed off, though, on my notes which form this portion of the sermon.
Lillian Rempel, mother of three, quite suddenly became a widow. The church people, this church people, accompanied her through the aftermath of this tragic loss. At some point Lil met Gene Thompson and they decide to get married. One problem, Gene had been divorced. Gene and Lil came to Verner and asked if he would officiate at the service. Knowing that divorce and remarriage was a contentious issue in the broader church, and maybe even the congregation, Verner requested time to consult with church leadership. Gene replied to him, “if you need to do that we will look elsewhere”. So Verner said, “O.K., I’ll do it.” That now left him the task of telling the Church Council and congregation. Maybe because Nutana Mennonite had a significant connection with Lil there was relatively little controversy within the congregation. Anne commented on this point. “The church people had walked with her through the death of her first husband, so the congregation had relationship and commitment to her. Relationship changes things”. From the wider Mennonite community, though, Verner did feel as if he was getting the label of one who would marry divorced persons. The label was intended to be somewhat derogatory. But this situation had an upside. It allowed him into the sacred space of a wedding day with people like Peter Dyck and Stella Pankratz, Karen Froese and Bill Lilly, Judy Epp and Rod Leavins and others. “It has been the neatest experience”, Verner said, “to be a part of second marriages that have worked out; to meet them later on in life and see their continued joy”. As part of my visit with Verner and Anne we talked a bit about courage more broadly and I share with you some of the insights that emerged in that free flowing conversation.
- One must be aware that there are potential consequences for being courageous. This does not mean one avoids a hard task. One simply must be prepared for negative feedback.
- Even as there are consequences for being courageous, there are consequences for not being courageous. For example, a lot of hurt can be caused when people feel that they are unjustly denied the service of a minister, or a place in the church.
- It is easier to be courageous if you have a community. On this point I asked Verner and Anne about the way in which NPMC had developed its collective courage muscles.
- “Operation Understanding”, he said. Willing participants of the congregation were assigned to small groups which talked about topics in homes and then came back together to share what the small groups had heard.
- “Church retreats”, he said. Out at Pike Lake there was opportunity for conversation around important topics or issues facing the congregation.
- “World cafe”, I say. What we are doing today after worship continues a tradition in this congregation of discerning together. Maybe some courageous action will emerge from this conversation, maybe not. Either way it is a good habit so that when God asks us to again act courageously we can support each other through it.
This initial case study in courage looked at matters from a congregational perspective. Each day of our lives, though, we face issues which require varying levels of courage. Some of these decisions fall in the category of prophetic. After visiting with Anna Epp several weeks ago I found part of her recent experience to this zone. Anna, too, could not be here this morning. She submitted the following at my request:
Good morning. Let me tell you a little about myself. I am a single gal who grew up on a farm near Glenbush. Being the youngest of nine siblings, there was always work to do. That was not only encouraged, but expected. So that is where I started to develop my work ethic. You always had to have a job and work hard, if not, you were not doing your part.
A little more than 4 years ago I found myself without employment.... At that time, I prayed for a job: Where I could do what was expected of me, where I was valued, be of service and give me an income...I believed my prayers were answered when I got a job cooking for students. In my past jobs I had cooked for family, children..., restaurants, challenged women, and seniors. So I thought this was [work] I was up for. Well a challenge it was, many great moments and many not so great. So what to do with the not so great I asked?... “What on earth am I here for”, “Am I where God wants me to be?” Then I would pray, if this isn’t where I’m to be, then where?
I have struggled over the past year or more, regarding my job, I often came home very exhausted and frustrated, wondering is it worth it? At times evening thinking “I want to Quit”! Quit I say—I don’t quit, that’s not in my vocabulary! I work hard and stay loyal to my work place. After all I have a job, which many people don’t have. I prayed for direction, and peace of mind “Am I to stay or look for something else?” There is always security in routine, even if it isn’t all good, so the thought of leaving was very scary. Then last fall I got a noteworthy raise, well I can’t quit now! I’m making more money, I have to stay. That’s what I work for Right? Money!! So the battle continued. What will people think if I quit my job without having another one? I am used to having funds added to my account.
After much thought and prayers thanks to family, friends, I resigned from my job in March 2015. At this point I’m not sure what my life will look like. I’ve had one of my family say “oh Auntie that’s not like you, you always have a plan, you are a planner,” another one said “way to go, step out in faith and see what God has in store for you”!
I have been asked “For all the anxiety you had before... now you are so calm and relaxed—what happened, what made the change? My initial response was “I don’t know”. I believe I should have said, “Divine intervention, I believe God gave me peace”.
I feel relieved and content with my decision. I don’t know what’s next in my life, but I know God knows. God has promised “Never will I leave you or forsake you” (Hebrew 13:5). If He knows how many hairs are on my head, and He sees a sparrow fall, I believe there is a plan for me as well. At the moment I will relax, enjoy some sunshine and be open to what God has for me. And yes I believe it took a little courage!!
- - Anna Epp
To walk away from toxic employment in this consumeristic age is, I would say, prophetic.
In addition to Jeremiah Sunday it is also Pentecost Sunday on our church calendar. These two larger narratives of Jeremiah and Pentecost place prophetic courage in perspective. God will equip the saints and prophets to do what needs to be done. Newsflash: it is not about us being courageous in as much as it is that we be open ourselves to the Spirit of Courage emanating from one greater than us. In Old and New Testament God’s Spirit equips us for the work of living and dying prophetically. God offers personal words of encouragement to Jeremiah and provides him the faithful companion Baruch. Post resurrection Jesus appeared to individual disciples and anointed the community of them so that they might preach boldly, heal confidently, live courageously even when they were dying. This descent of the Holy Spirit formed a “vital centre from which the liberation of the world [could] proceed” (Henri Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord, p. 60). “What is clear in Acts 2 is that...dreams and visions are not meant to be dreamt alone but in a diverse community united in the Spirit. This task of dreaming involves all of who we are (Theresa Cho, “Reflections on the Lectionary in Christian Century (May 13, 2015), p. 21). The story of Jeremiah and Pentecost are about God’s prophetic action in individuals and a community, and the willingness of people like us to join in. God is already doing it out there, and in here, and in us. So let us discern well and act bravely: an individuals and as a community. “The one who calls us is faithful and will keep us” (1st Thes 5.24). Let us trust in God and act with courage. Amen.