8/25/2019 But, I Don't Want To

Are scripture reading for this morning is from Jeremiah 1 verses 4 through 10, and I'm about to be a good after Carol's children's message. I'm excited to hear this scripture. She made it. Made me anxious for it, which is very cool. Now the word of the Lord came to me saying before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born. I consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the Nations. Then I said Lord God truly. I don't know how to speak from only a boy. But the Lord said to me do not say I'm only a boy for you. She'll go to all to whom I send you and you shall speak whatever I command you do not be afraid of them for I am with you to deliver. You says the Lord then the Lord put his hand and put out his hand and touched my mouth and the Lord said to me now. I have put my words in your mouth. See you today. I appoint you over Nations and over kingdoms to pluck up and a pool down to destroy and overthrow to build and a plant the word of God for the people of God.

Many of you all know. I like to walk around when I preach. The problem is that my notes are all the way up there. And I want to sit down a little bit. Oh. So let us begin with the word of Prayer.

Lord May the meditations of our hearts and the words of my lips be pleasing in your sight. our Rock and Our Redeemer amen So this morning we're going to talk about Jeremiah and Jeremiah is a unique book. It's found immediately after Isaiah and it is complex and structure. It's not a story. It's not a hundred percent narrative. It's not a hundred percent lament not a hundred percent poetry. It's like a mixture all together.

And Jeremiah is very different than the prophet that we started last week, which was Joshua. Joshua was kind of the guy that was Moses's secretary essentially and so God appoints Joshua to lead after Moses is that Jeremiah we don't really have a whole lot of info on okay, we know that he was from the Priestly family. and that's about it. We know they had a hard message to share. We know that the time in which he was sharing them was when they're being attacked from within and from without and we also know that there's this other group of prophets that's contemporaries of Jeremiah that are sharing a very different age. with the people so Jeremiah This is essentially Jeremiah's call anointing. Okay, and so it says God says doing before I formed you in the womb I knew you.

And before you were born I consecrated you. I anointed you a prophet to the Nations.

This is in response. Cuz then I said then Jeremiah said the Lord God which is the beginning of a lament. It's the beginning of Jeremiah complaining to God about why me. I know you all in the room has never asked God why me? Why me? Jeremiah wants to know because Jeremiah feels inadequate. In Jeremiah is worried about what they will do to him.

And so he says Lord God truly. I do not know how to speak for I am only a boy. He's trying to get out of it. You know Moses tried to get out of it as well, right? Oh, I can't speak and then God says what will their sarin lucky you.

Jeremiah had no mouthpiece, but Jeremiah

and so Jeremiah has this message and this message that Jeremiah has is probably not one. You would want to share.

I appoint you over Nations and over kingdoms. To pluck up and to pull down. Could destroy and overthrow? To build and to plant will get to the building to plant in a minute, but will start with this pluck up. and pull down to destroy and overthrow

the prophets They were not sent by God that were speaking out to the people. That were Jeremiah's contemporaries had a message. And it was a type of message that made people feel good about what they were doing. time now I do not know when the political season starts anymore. I'm not sure that it ever stops.

But we know what sounds good do our ears, right? Like so so to say if if I would promise you that that we can be better we can be okay if we lower taxes and increased programs and everybody will be happy. But that probably feels good to people, right? many of promise to do the same exact things will be okay will lower taxes and and everybody will be okay and will increase programs and we won't touch your Medicare store and I know

But it sounds good to the ears. in part of our part of our natural inclination is to lead into that until want to believe that and the thing is that we believe it for so long eventually the system and situation is so difficult that it almost seems insurmountable. Because so many had sold us so much bull honky for so long. But eventually it catches up. And this is Jeremiah's day in age as well was kind of this your best life now.

Would it be appropriate for me as a pastor to tell you that we can increase our programming and you're giving can go down and we'll all be okay. It's not even think of all right. So Jeremiah is called to bring light into the situation in to have this very difficult conversation. To provide this very difficult message that things have to change.

I have a friend.

That is in human resources.

LOL large corporation

and just just a random idea. Who do you think decides if layoffs have to happen? Who makes that decision?

What? Accountants. Okay, what else? Who does the end decision end up with? The CEO right and directors right and vice-presidents, right? They end up making this decision. Who announces the decision? HR Why?

Because they don't want to. Because they don't want to. They hired somebody else for that.

Sometimes having difficult conversations isn't comfortable.

I recall one.

I recall when I was at the hospital doing clinical pastoral education. I was on an oncology floor. And it was for a summer. It was kind of one of those you can work here and we won't pay you but it'll be good experience and it was really really good experience. It was eye-opening. I got called by a nurse manager to a floor to a room. and I got called there and she said you need to put on.

Does down okay first off the door was closed second off. There was a nurse outside the door, which doesn't happen. So I knew whatever was beyond that door was not something that I was prepared to see. And so I put on the gown and I went in. And it says something about leadership when a nurse manager is a person taking care of the care. When no one else would want to write I do hospice work. I have in the past on hospice work people ask me why generally because I want to guarantee that the care provided in that situation is the best care. And I know that I provide really good care. And so that's the care that I think should be provided. and there's sometimes in life where things don't necessarily go the way that they even doctors or nurses think so and so this person was experiencing death in a way that we would not want to go and they were vomiting blood and family was there and they was just horrible. Horrible to see someone passed that way. the difficult conversation was the conversation between espouse in the patient while this person was passing

we have to share in life in difficult conversations that we would rather not have.

you all have I've had these conversations as well. Maybe letting someone know that somebody had passed away.

We're having to tell a spouse that you've been laid off or let go.

we're having to share that the

the world will never be the same for whatever reason. These types of things aren't easy to do and they weren't easy in Jeremiah's time either. But God appoints us to a place and a time with a purpose and an ability.

God's love is shown through the way that we engage one another. Even in the most trying and difficult circumstances that we wouldn't wish on anybody else.

The only thing I could provide that gentleman was to hold in and to tell him how much God loved him.

The only thing the nurse manager could do would try to make him as comfortable as humanly possible. and while at the same point in time

helping your staff and me as well.

I share this because it's important to know how we respond in crisis and in difficult situations share something about who God has created us to be. and how to be involves difficult conversations conversations that don't always feel life-giving but lead to life.

in this scripture here, it talks about plucking and destroying Whenever you think of Destruction, there is a limit to the destruction, right like eventually when you tear down a building, there's only so much building you can tear down, right? Until you just the buildings torn down. I think about it from the other side. Think about it from the last little bit of the peruca Pisa the last little bit to build up and to plant. The God is continually building up. Is there a limit to God's ability to build up? Is there a limit to God's ability to plant? God continues to to help us in planting for the Harvest to come.

continual cycle and God calls us in this time and in this place to not only care for ourselves, but also for future Generations.

What will our community say about God 50 years from now? What will our church say about God fifty years from now? It's not just for our own generation, but for the generations to come.

And we live in a world that's message is much more immediate. Whose return is often more pointed towards our own selves?

As if 8% Returns on the market don't eventually have some kind of effect on the impoverished.

And it as if we don't bear responsibility for our own use of resources.

These are difficult messages to Bear but they're what God calls us to share in the work of.

God gave this message to Jeremiah not because Jeremiah was the best one for the job because Jeremiah Was whom God has chosen for the job.

That's all that mattered. It only matter that Jeremiah Was it this time in this place and God anointed it and there you go.

Jeremiah's work was important in our work is important as well, but it's not always the work to comfort. Sometimes it's the work to disturb the comforted. Sometimes it's the work to remind ourselves where God is at work. And how maybe even we in ourselves? Need to respond in ways of even change.

One of the most difficult conversations that was ever had with me to hear was I was about as probably right around. Pushing 400 lb probably over you get to a point where you don't step on the scale. I was way past that and a congregant came to me early on in my Ministry and they said Pastor Rob, I don't want to be expensive, but I really care about you. And I want to know if you maybe need some help being more healthy.

Until I put the fork that was in my Chinese food down and I was like, okay, right. It wasn't easy to hear. But it was shared in love right like love not only for me, but for my family as well. Because it was something that I needed to hear.

When were in community work were called to love one another? And support one another and encourage one another through the realities of life. And God wants us to know that God Is With Us in each of those conversations that were called to have maybe you're called to have a difficult conversation with someone that you'd rather not have but without having it God's fruit cannot come.

And how we share it is important. But sometimes God has called us to be more transparent with one another. So that love might be shown.

Because God has put us at a time and a place with a purpose.

And I think the time and the place in the purpose for our church is to create Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I was thinking about this message this morning, like what I was going to talk about and if there was a message that I didn't want to necessarily that I wasn't comfortable in sharing with the, congregation like something that we need to do. That's not necessarily comforting. Okay? the reality of ministry in our world Is it for a long time as a church? We've been come and see right. come and see Come and see how much we we love God, and we love people and come sit and worship with us and let us love you like we love Jesus and let us grow together.

Those are all great things.

But that only reaches the most probably religiously experienced people that have already experienced Church.

Ministry over the next thirty years has to change from a common C to a gowans hell

that's where God is calling the church to a go until and maybe that makes you just as uncomfortable as Jeremiah. Because you're worried that you don't have all the answers for the go until maybe because you're worried about people that just wanted to bathe and not talk about the love of God or maybe you're worried about what'll be like for others in the community if they're going to think you're crazy. You're out you're too over-the-top for them. But God calls us to go and tell. to share the love of Hope with others

and so where is God calling you to go and tell this week? Maybe it's one person. Maybe it's one person who has this difficult life experience that just needs to hear that they're loved and cared for.

maybe it's

Do telling someone that you're praying about praying for them?

Maybe it's simply something simple as a hug. a word of encouragement

encouragement that we have from this text Is the build and to plant? For that is the work that God continues to do. Ennis in our community How will God help you? To see your role in that. amen