Oh the Places You’ll Go!

Oh the Places You’ll Go

Intro - voice of God. What is that voice? Is it only scripture? Is it our circumstance? Today, I want you graduates, and everyone here, to know this - your life is God’s voice. It speaks into this world as loud as anything. And that voice must be with you wherever you go.

Jeremiah 1:4–10 ESV

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then 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. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

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Pray

[oh the places you’ll go!]

Read portion -

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.

About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any

you'll want to go down.

In that case, of course,

you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there

in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy

and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,

don't worry. Don't stew.

Just go right along.

You'll start happening too.

OH!

THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!

You'll be seeing great sights!

You'll join the high fliers

who soar to high heights.

That is you today. If there is anything every older person in this room can tell you graduates, and are well served to remember, is that you are at the beginning of an unbelievable adventure. Who you are, where you are, what you are - all will change not once, not twice, not even several more times than that! It will consistently change for the rest of your life!

But oh the places you will go! The opportunities you will have! The people you will meet!

It can be scary. Overwhelming! But what I want you to know today, is that you were made for it

Jeremiah 1:4–5 ESV

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:4 ESV

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

[verse 1:4-5] Before time began. Before the garden, before the flood, before David, before Christ - there you were. Right on the forefront of God’s mind. Created purposefully to do something far more important than we can know!

[verse 1:4] Before time began. Before the garden, before the flood, before David, before Christ - there you were. Right on the forefront of God’s mind. Created purposefully to do something far more important than we can know!

You were created to live. To go to great places. To find new people and do new things. To step out in life ready for the adventure that God calls you to. Oh the places you’ll go!

And as you go, oh the people you will meet. The opportunities you will have. Opportunities to find you voice and speak life into this world.

V. [verse 7-10] And that starts now. You aren’t too young. And for those who aren’t graduates, lest you think you missed your shot - you aren’t too old! When Christ enters your heart and life, He becomes your voice, but for the world to hear it, sometimes we need to shut our mouths and let our life speak!

The life that have been reclaimed by Christ. A new life that we claim to live - a life that Christ calls us to live for Him by loving others and loving God! A new life that is to be lived in the world for our Savior.

We go where He tells us to go. We do what He tells us to do. And we say what He tells us to say.

So how do we know what to say? How do we know His words? Scripture reminds us of that as well. It is those same things that we should think about. Things that are good, and noble, and praiseworthy. Things that build up God’s kingdom, not things that divide or lead any to hate. We speak love and light into this world through all that we say and do.

Our text says it a different way. God gave Jeremiah the words needed to tear down. To destroy. To uproot and to overthrow. Yes, there is no doubt about that! We all have the words needed to bring destruction. James puts it this way, “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.” Jesus tells us the same in , “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

So when we view this text through that lens, the lens of Christ, we see that those words of destruction can too be given by God, by they are likely not. I think that is why Jeremiah is told at the end of that list that he doesn’t just have the power to destroy - after all we all have that power - but the life that is touched by God, the life that is lived for others and for our Lord is filled with words, and more importantly actions, that build and plant.

[planting trees] Our lives, our voices, are meant to build and to plant. To build bridges. To plant love and peace and mercy. But notice something, church, building and planting both have something in common, something we need to take to heart. They both take time.

They take effort. They take persistence. They take more than our words, they take all that we are! Church, and graduates, you have a voice - and God is that voice! Christ is that voice! It isn’t a voice of hate. It isn’t a voice of one liners and gotcha moments. It isn’t the voice of those who parade their faith while never being moved enough to emulate the Christ who sits with those who are different and need love! That isn’t God’s voice! The God who formed you, and them, and everyone you see in the womb, has called us to use His words, and live His life! To let our lives speak through all that we do, and to do so quietly and patiently enough to let His voice be heard through all that we are!

No, that’s not you. You have mountains to move, church! We have hate to overcome! Lives to reach with the love of Christ! We have a voice and a cause to live for, so we must be on our way! Oh the places you will go! The things you will do! The lives you will change! With Christ you will do so many great things - but the job is still yours to do. Your mountain is waiting. So we must be on our way.

[You will be my witnesses] How do we do that?

…[after you talk about being a witness, a voice for and of God]...

Blessed are the agnostics. Blessed are they who doubt. Blessed are those who have nothing to offer. Blessed are the preschoolers who cut in line at communion. Blessed are the poor in spirit. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.

Blessed are those whom no one else notices. The kids who sit alone at the middle-school lunch tables. The laundry guys at the hospital. The night-shift street sweepers. The closeted. THe teens who have to figure out ways to hide their arms and their struggles. Blessed are the meek. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.

Blessed are they who have loved enough to know what loss feels like. Blessed are they who can’t fall apart because they have to keep it together for everyone else. Blessed are those who “still aren’t over it yet.” Blessed are those who mourn. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.

I imagine Jesus standing here blessing us because that is our Lord’s nature. This Jesus cried at his friend’s tomb, turned the other cheek, and forgave those who hung him on a cross. He was God’s Beatitude - God’s blessing to the weak in a world that admires the strong. He was God’s voice.

And so are you.

Jesus invites us into a story bigger than ourselves and our imaginations, yet we all get to tell that story with the scandalous particularity of this time and place - our lives. We are storytelling creatures because we are fashioned in the image of a storytelling God. May we never neglect that gift. May we never lose our love for being the voice of God in our words and more importantly, in our lives.