Pastor Reinhard's Installation Service

Jeremiah’s ministry (Summary)

Now this text doesn’t completely connect to you at all: You are not called to serve as the spokesperson for God at the National level. You are not a Prophet (although time may tell)

But you are called to be a Pastor here (and that too starts with the letter P)

Well I suppose it could connect to you in that

Just as a prophets words come true because they are God’s word so your words will be true because God has sent you to proclaim Jesus

Listen to the Word of the Lord about the last Old Testament Prophet. Yes speaking of John the Baptist in John 10:41 it says

“He did no great miracles, but everything he said about Jesus was true”

So this text connects with you in that same way. You may never do any great miracles (though I think some people may hope you will) but let it be said that Everything that you say about Jesus… That will be true… because that is the call that God has placed on you and your family here

So let’s take a look at the rest of this text and see in what other ways it might connect

God Has Called You VV 4-5

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,-

You were meant to be here (well ‘’ ‘’ there too, and even somewhere else maybe later (not too soon)… But right here and right now God has called you HERE… you are meant to be right here, right now

and before you were born I consecrated you;-

this is true you have been consecrated to a HOLY office (no pressure)- Holy doesn’t mean shiny it means NOT REGULAR- Charlie’s coffee cup- You are set apart for special use and what you use is not regular water/meal/words/teaching. When you use these regular things in God’s name and for his sacred and separated purposes you are functioning inside of your Holy Office in which you are being installed today

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.-

Well I say this text connects nicely for you today. Good choice (Craig*)- Finally you are appointed by God here. let there be no doubt. This is both good and bad. The good is that your ministry will be effective because God will make it effective- What is it that St. Paul said in Philippians: God will transform you by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself Php 3:21. So that is really good. But it will be bad sometimes too- Working here won’t be easy- there’s a lot to do. There will be moments of suffering (my beard was the color of your beard when I came here 7 years ago) I know- be warned- stock up on just for men or get ready to look like a person who was so startled that their hair turned bright white- the discounts at Denny’s are nice though.

Can I just say that that might be a lot of pressure. Jeremiah likely felt the same way- thrilled but anxious. Listen you don’t have to worry about a thing. Because Christ the greater and greatest Prophet

whom God meant to send for you and for all, is the Holy and only begotten Son of God, Appointed by the Father to make your ministry here exactly as He planned it to be so that heaven will be fuller and hell would be robbed of its claim on the sinners who Christ will make Saints by his holy blood and 3rd day resurrection.

What You have been called to do VV 6-9

Well what about verses 6-8

6Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak-

You might agree- there is so much “I don’t know”- that’s true- it’s gonna take time to learn everything around here (Craig doesn’t like onions, Jon Jordening loves sports etc.) so take the time- learn the stories- transition well- you’ve got time but not enough to waste it. There’s work to do by God’s grace

for I am only a youth.” 7But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;-

Okay okay this is just too good- Because your the youth and young adult guy- You might say- hey buddy I’m just the youth and young adult guy- or you might say- oh well, I guess I’m just the youth and young adult guy- Listen to God’s prophetic word -DO NOT SAY I AM JUST- your anything but. Spirit called, blood bought, baptismal water washed, Seminary trained- ooo we could go on. but no--- you are anything but JUST somebody. You are our Pastor- We value that and thank God for that.

for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,-

Don’t doubt it- God sent you here- Can you sense the divine purpose? Can you see what God is doing here- This is where he sent you- The city of sin where God is changing lives through the forgiveness of sin- I can’t think of a better place to be- what was it that Mordecai said to Esther- “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Es 4:14.

and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

So here it is- your ministry charge. Only the Word that you receive from God. Only the Word and only the Sacraments. If it is not Word and Sacrament it doesn’t belong to you. You are not our CEO (we have a board of directors) not the CFO (that’s John Molchon’s job) not the Executive Director (leave that to Bryan Land) not facilities (Bryan Land) not the Admin Assistant (Melaney Jones) Not the worship leader (Jon Jordening) we even have a worship art and tech guy (Chase). Listen- if it’s not word and sacrament it doesn’t belong to you. These are the tools you use- Word and Sacrament- That’s all God has commanded you to use here.

Verse 8 Do not be afraid of them,

Now ministry can be rough- you need no introduction to that but listen how that verse ends-

for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.”

You have a good deliverer (Craig? He’s good but even he depends on the goodness of the deliverance of God)

9Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

Now we get to the good stuff- You are called here to deliver the goods as Jim Nestigen used to famously say

The Lord actually sent you here to deliver the goods to our Youth and Young adults and this whole Parish and Schools and valley- Oh you are gonna be as busy as an Amazon Prime delivery guy

Amazon Delivery analogy (be that guy)

But not in a transactional way. Because God is not transactional-nor is your ministry

The difference is that these people didn’t do something so well as to earn the prize. It’s all freely given by Grace

People learned that when Jesus was just a youth- at the temple- they were amazed at his prophetic understanding- If you payed attention to that Jesus he would often speak about the reason that the Father has sent Him from the Gospel of John

John 20:21 As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.

John 8:18 the Father who sent me bears witness about me.

John 12:49 the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.

John 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.

John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

John 5:37 the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me.

John 8:16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.

John 5:36 the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.

John 14:24 the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

John 5:30 I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

And Jesus knows how rough ministry can get- that mission of His sent Him to the Cross- and you will have to bear that too- but spoiler alert- you won’t have to die on it- He’ll take care of that- oh and he will rise to raise up His whole church (fed and nourished by these heavenly gifts) which you get the honor of delivering every time you serve here at Faith Community Lutheran Church and Schools.

What a gift- what gifts- think about it. God gives gifts in a way that nobody else can- we give gifts with boxes and bags and bows and cards- But God is the only one that can wrap up grace with Water- or to place forgiveness in with and under bread and wine- or to use ink on paper to speak the greatest message ever given to the world. Only God can give a gift to his church in a person like Sam and his wife and child. What a gift and for that we are grateful to Jesus Christ for giving gifts to His church through the regular call of the Holy Spirit for the times that the Father has set for His will to be done here in this place.