Sermon preached by The Rev. Richard Marsden
Proper 17 C (22)
Jer 2:4-13
Lk 14: 7-14
Psalm 81:1, 10-16
We heard God’s heart this morning— in an accusation and a plea:
And yet my people did not hear my voice, and Israel would not obey me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts to follow their own devices. Oh, that my people would listen to me! That Israel would walk in my ways.
When we were stationed in Germany back in the mid-70s, one of the German cultural obsessions we enjoyed was walking. The Germans loved to walk in the woods -they had miles and miles of paved trails – and would even have special days of walking where you could earn a medal.
On this one particular Saturday, we were out walking on one of these trails with a family we were very close to. This trail wandered through the woods past the remains of an old Roman fortress that marked what was called The Limes; the barrier between the civilized Roman world and the barbarians.
As we walked along, my friend warned his children to avoid the nettles that overhung part of the trail, and he warned them again, and again. With an impish, but not quite demonic smile, young Chris—about six years old– began to stretch out his arm as he continued to look at his dad.
Dad continued to warn him what would happen, but Chris continued to stretch out his arm toward the nettles—closer and closer with each step—continuing to look at his dad with an evermore impish grin.
And then it happened—contact! Chris dragged his hand and his arm through the nettles for a couple of steps. And then he stopped.
I will never forget the look on that youngsters face as the millions of tiny microscopic needles began to inflict the burning itch—we used to call it seven minute itch—it is intensely uncomfortable for a short time. His eyes got wide—he tried to say something a couple of times—he looked at his dad with pleading eyes—and broke into a torrent of tears and howling—and ran to his father’s arms.
There was certainly no need for punishment for Chris’s disobedience—the consequence of his action was punishment enough.
I don’t remember exactly what dad said to Chris as he held him but I would imagine something like this: Chris, did I warn you this would happen,Chris, why didn’t you listen to me—did you not trust me? Chris, do you think I don’t care about you when I tell you not to do things?
Oh, that you would walk in my ways…..that you would not follow your own devices.
The sin of pride—that self righteous rebellion against authority is a dangerous thing. I think Chris learned a little lesson in humility, trust and obedience that day.
But that tendency to the sin of pride is unfortunately too common in our human species—and runs counter to the life of faith and trust that God has always called his people to.
We hear the words of Jeremiah this morning– Jeremiah –gods prophet–is speaking God’s word of warning to his rebellious children—the nation of Judah—the remnant of the people Israel—as they walk along with their hands in the nettles—worshipping other Gods, following other moral and ethical norms–yet they still don’t get the message.
God, through Jeremiah, accuses them—what wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me – to follow worthless gods becoming worthless themselves?
God appeals to the past evidence of previous generations—did he do something wrong to them that drove them away from him. did he not provide—was it something he said—or neglected to say—what did he do that drove them away from him into the nettles– to create and follow other gods –worthless gods–that led them to practice a morally and ethically debasing self serving life.
God’s people either forgot or more realistically—willfully disregarded the evidence of their history— that God was faithful to them, and provided for them—“they did not ask; where is the Lord? Who brought us up out of Egypt, and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one travels, and no one lives? I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land, and made my inheritance detestable.”
Pride grows when we forget what God has done for us – and begin to claim what God has provided or accomplished for us as our own– the result of our own abilities, work, or skills.
When we get to that point we can disregard god because he is not really necessary to our existence—he is not essential to our life—what we have is ours, what we have accomplished is due to our acumen and our skills and our efforts.
God becomes superfluous –his word becomes dispensable—we don’t need the word of God– because we think we know better – and we will be dammed if we have to trust or depend on someone else—to acknowledge a greater authority than my own desires.
And that is exactly the point— to separate oneself from God is to be damned–to cut ourselves off from God’s provision, his grace and care, to reject his authority is to damn ourselves to a world of our own creation, worshipping a god of our own making. We actually end up worshipping ourselves—attributing to our desires, God’s will; and that provides nothing but trouble.
It puts us right back in the garden with Adam and Eve in front of the serpent— and we bite the apple with them—believing the lie of the devil: you will be like God. So we shouldn’t be surprised at what happens when we stick our hands in the nettles.
In truth—in the reality that God gives us — the view that Jeremiah is proclaiming–we should acknowledge that we lay claim to nothing —it is God who has given us the skills and abilities—he who arranged the genes and chromosomes—he who put the very breath of life in us. It is he in Christ Jesus who provides salvation from damnation, deliverance from the enemy, forgiveness of sin, and life itself. There is nothing we can claim for ourselves if we are honest.
And if we remember what God has done– if we acknowledge that he is God and we are not—we will be drawn closer to him, our pride and self-dependence will be crushed, and we will come to humbly rely and trust more in him. That is the rationale behind the accusation against Judah—to bring his rebellious people back.
After pointing out the criminal negligence of those who should be leading and giving examples of faithfulness—the priests do not seek after the Lord, the lawyers do not know him from whom the law comes, the prophets—who are to speak God’s word—speak in the name of Baal—the very enemy of God.
–God summarizes his accusation—but my people have exchanged their glory, for worthless idols. Be appalled at this O heavens, and shudder with great horror declares the lord. My people have forsaken me, the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns that cannot hold water.
All creation is called to witness to the utter insanity of a people cutting themselves off from God’s grace, and love and provision.
Why would one go to the trouble and effort to dig a cistern –a hole in the ground that collects runoff from the roads and barn yards –water polluted by God only knows what –and that barely holds water, when one can freely drink fresh cool water from a spring?
It makes no sense—except for pride—if it is my water from my cistern—then I need not depend on any one else. One would rather depend on one’s own limited, imperfect, and insufficient resources than receiving freely God’s provision and having to acknowledge him and his authority.
Jesus, in the gospel, speaks to the same point; he says: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself, will be exalted.
The wedding banquet is God’s kingdom—ultimately it is all of creation. It is God’s party-he has the authority—he has the right and privilege to place people as he will. To be humble is to acknowledge that reality—that God is God-that Jesus is Lord. To assume that we have the authority is rebellion—the fruit of pride—we stick our arms into the nettles.
Where are we in our own lives today in this struggle between pride and humility, between obedience and rebellion, between worshipping God or worshipping self, the idol of our own will? This is the difference between damnation and salvation.
When we call out to Almighty God to hear our prayers and petitions, to forgive our sins—when we call Jesus Lord—do we really mean to say our lives are in your hands—we are completely and utterly dependent on you for all—or are we just putting the ace up our sleeve –just in case –an insurance policy to back up our own plans?
Do we drink freely from the spring of living water, or are we content to sip from the limited and fetid supply of our own sufficiency?
To deny God’s authority—to deny what he has given to us—to reject his love and grace—to be prideful is to stick our arms into the nettles. And we suffer the consequences—just as Jeremiah warned—just as Jesus warned—just as Chris learned.
The good news is God will still receive us back—whenever we decide we have had enough.
God pleads to his people: O that my people would listen. Oh that we would walk in his ways. May our prayer today be: O that we will.