06 4th Sunday after Pentecost
My friends, I greet you today in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our lesson comes to us from the third chapter of the book of Lamentations beginning with the twenty-second verse.
Presence. It is a powerful thing isn’t it? One of the greatest fears that people face is being alone. That fear seems to be heightened when that person finds themselves in a crisis or a life and death situation. This is why the military chaplain is such an important role. For the chaplain is to the members of the armed forces a reminder of God’s presence. That is a reminder that they have not been abandoned or forsaken.
Even though I knew this, it did not hit home for me until a few years ago when I was at The United States Army Chaplain School. We had spent the previous days in various drills and training exercises. We found ourselves everywhere from the gas chamber to propelling down the side of Victory Tower. We had navigated with nothing more than a map and a compass. Of course I got lost, but that is a different illustration for a different sermon.
At the end of the week we found ourselves on the night infiltration course. Basically we were running up a hill. Explosions are going off all around us as we draw near the top. Now we knew that in reality if the only ones left to do infiltration are the chaplains, then there are bigger problems, but this was done for the sake of the experience. When you make your way to the final portion of the course you have to crawl about 200-300 yards under barbed wire with bullets whizzing by overhead. And you could tell where the bullets were because they had tracers on them and so as they flew overhead you could see red streaks, it looked like something right out of star wars.
Now most of the people in this class were seminary students. But we were placed into units and each unit had a real chaplain as our leader. Of the units that were on the course that evening, only one of the chaplains was actually there under the barbed wire with the bullets flying over his head. His presence was a great source of comfort and strength. It is an amazing moment that I will never forget.
It is no surprise that we find our thoughts here this weekend. After all, it is a holiday weekend. On Tuesday this week, there will be a celebration. Or perhaps the celebration has already begun. But grills will be fired, and hot dogs and hamburgers will be consumed. And fireworks will be displayed. And all of this is done to celebrate the freedom that our nation enjoys. And we enjoy this freedom because of the brave men and women who put on a uniform in order to ensure that we stay this way. And so we find ourselves on this 4th of July weekend not only celebrating and giving thanks for this great nation that our great God has blessed us with, but also for the great people that fight to keep things that way.
And we are here because the members of our armed forces have placed themselves in harms way, to ensure our safety, they have faced death and even given their lives so that we could enjoy the freedom that we have. So, in their lives, in the midst of the struggles that they face, presence is indeed a powerful and important thing. Of course you need not be in the military in order to understand the power of presence. For we find ourselves in situations in life where presence is very much a necessity.
Perhaps I should clarify something here. I am not speaking about presents. I am not talking about nicely wrapped packages that are given on birthdays and at Christmas. I am talking about being present, not having to be alone. So what kind of situations do you find yourself in where presence becomes important?...These are all instances where having someone else present with us, brings us comfort, gives us strength and supplies us with hope. So if the presence of another human being can prove to be this important, how much more so is the presence of our God?
This is the struggle that is dealt with in the book of Lamantations. Actually these verses are really good, but if you read the rest of the book, you will discover that it reflects on the exile that Jerusalem went into. You know the exile. 586 B.C. the Babylonians come and attack the city, destroy the temple, and relocate a portion of the people. It was awful, it was terrible, it is unlike anything we can imagine. And the questions, oh are there questions. Why did this happen? How could this happen? Where is God?
Aren’t those familiar questions? Questions we find ourselves asking in the face of sickness, and death, broken relationships, loss of a job and financial hardship. It is in the midst of these questions that the third chapter of lamentations gives this beautiful answer. “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth, to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it, to put one's mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope), to give one's cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. For the Lord will not reject forever. Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.”
Now, what we are seeing here is a common theme in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is an answer to the questions. Why did this happen? How could this happen? Where is God? It is not a direct answer. And we aren’t usually happy with anything less than a direct answer. But it is all the answer that we need. Because it is an answer that assures us that our God is a good God. He is a loving God and a gracious God. He is a forgiving God. He is a great God. The book of Lamantations tells of one of the most horrific events in history, and yet in the midst of that it gives this great declaration that can only come from faith. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” So no matter what we face in life, the trials, the turmoil, the sickness, death, brokenness, loss and hardships, those things do not last, but the steadfast love of our God will.
And there is no better place that we see this love of God than in Jesus. Because God loved this world so much, he sent Jesus to die and be raised again. And through that death and resurrection, those who believe in Jesus have forgiveness, salvation and everlasting life. They enjoy a relationship with God and his presence in their lives. So in that relationship, through that presence you and me and all who believe are able to say with Lamantations, “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him.”
God shows his presence in our lives in many ways. He is present in his word. As we read it and study it, hear it and learn it, the Holy Spirit is active through that word and strengthens our faith with it. He is present in bread and wine. When we come up to this altar we do not receive merely bread and wine, but the body and blood of our lord in with and under the bread and the wine. In that gift we receive forgiveness, life and salvation. God shows his presence in the members of this community of faith. Through you he shows his presence in my life. Through me he shows his presence in your life.
How cool is this? That through us, God is present. And this presence is not just limited to here in this place but it reaches out to all our neighbors. That is, it reaches out to the people in our families and in our communities, in our work places and schools. Through you and me, God’s presence is made known. He uses our mouths to speak words of comfort. He uses our arms to hold. He uses our hands to serve. And in these actions that we do, his love is made known. But that is the power of presence isn’t it? And this is true whether we are in church, at home, in school or in the military.
During this holiday, I pray that you would continue know the presence of God in your life, and that you would be his presence in the lives of the people in your life. Amen.