Sermons for the Month
The Blessings of Trusting God
DATE: February 11th, 2007
SERVICE: 6th Sunday After Epiphany
TEXT: Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Luke 6:17-26“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN I would bet that there's one topic that every single one of us discussed with someone this week, especially on Monday or Tuesday. We all talked about how cold it was. Even the winter lovers like me conceded that it was a tad chilly. I admit that I found myself thinking of spring as I looked at my seedling trays and made sure the Zennia seeds I purchased were ones with the potential to grow to six feet. I even contemplated planting some of them, but had to submit to the fact that it was too early. There's no doubt in my mind that a sprouting seed is a symbol of hope in the midst of barren times. And, for us, below zero days are equivalent to a sun baked afternoon in the desert in terms of the absence of signs of life. When I was in Egypt a year ago I gained a new perspective on all those references to the desert or wilderness in scripture. One day we drove four hours through the desert to a village of farmers who rely on the Nile River to irrigate their crops. As we looked out the van windows our eyes were confronted with mile after mile of barren whiteness, with nothing to break the view until we drew close to the River where villages had been built. It was a land of nothingness, and seeing it helps me grasp the image painted by the Prophet Jeremiah in today's first lesson. The Prophet proclaims that the one who trusts only in human sources of blessing is like a shrub in the desert. It barely survives in the parched places, in the uninhabited sale land. Or, we might say they are like a naked tree whipping in the wind on a below zero day when even the busiest of streets are empty, bus stops are abandoned and no life is in sight. In contrast, the Prophet announces, the one who trusts in the Lord is like those palm trees growing by the Nile River, flourishing and even bearing fruit, bursting with life. Even in heat, even in the midst of drought, they thrive. Or, since we are not desert people, we might say that those who trust in the Lord are toasty on even a frigid day and they warm the world with their serenity and gratitude. By the way, did you notice that the one who trust must face the heat, or cold? Challenges do not pass them by, but, they have the resources to deal with them. It's all about where we place our primary trust, in ourselves or in God. If God is our choice, then what usually is true - like the fact that deserts are barren and freezing temperatures are debilitating - is not longer true. Fruit can be born in drought and warmth can melt the deep freeze. Reversal is the word for the day, and it so happens that that's the focus of the Gospel lesson. The section that we read from Luke today is sometimes called the Sermon on the Plain; it sounds a lot like the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew with one major difference. Luke offers woes along with the blessings. In his sermon Jesus uses a descriptive tone, as if he is stating what is; it is the opposite of what one expects. The kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God are diametrically opposed. So, he says, blessed are the poor, the hungry, the grieving and those who are persecuted because of their faith. And, he continues, woe to the rich, the well fed, the laughing and those who are honored. By the way, to be blessed is to have a sense of inner security because one is right with God. And, conversely, the phrase "woe to" is a way of saying "damn you"; it literally means that one is alienated from God in life and death. (I'll pause there for a moment while we all squirm.) So, why does Jesus say that the poor, the hungry, the grieving and the persecuted are "right" with God? We can only conjecture that it's because they trust God rather than their own abilities or possessions, and therefore are like that tree thriving in the desert. In contrast, the well off are tempted to trust in themselves and what they own. I'm reminded of a story that I read this week; it's from the book The Wonder of It All by Bryan Chapell. He tells a story about Lawrence, an African student who was preaching his first sermon in preaching class. He was describing the joys that Christians will experience in God's perfect kingdom. Later when he commented on his sermon this is what he said, "I've been in the United States for several months now. I've seen the great wealth that is here - the find homes and cars and clothes. I've listened to many sermons in churches here too. But, I've yet to hear one sermon about heaven. Because everyone has so much in this country, no one preaches about heaven. People here do not seem to need it. In my country most people have very little, so we preach on heaven all the time. We know how much we need it." (1) Now wait just a minute, someone might be inclined to say, that story does not apply to everyone in the United States. And, when it comes to who does or does not trust God, we know well-to-do, respected people who are faithful and less well-to-do people who are not. We know people who have not faced loss or rejection but are, nevertheless, committed to living out their faith. Of course that's true, so the reality is that anyone who trusts God more than themselves or other people is blessed. But, the reality also is that those who must trust, because they have no other options, are more inclined to do so and they have found particular favor with God. And, the reality also is that Jesus speaks challenging words to those whose trust is in themselves and the things of this world. Dr. William Willimon translates Jesus' "woes" in this way, "You rich, damn you! You have already received your consolation. You were good at working the kingdoms of the world to your advantage. Now, in God's kingdom, you shall be cursed. "For those of you who are full, stuffed with all that can be consumed in this culture, having found so many ways to satisfy your gnawing hunger, what more can God do for you? In God's coming kingdom you shall be damned to emptiness. Wipe that smirk off your face, you self-satisfied ones. There's a new savior in town. "Damn you who are acclaimed and praised, who are asked to write articles for the Century (here he's referring to himself), called to Waco to receive a gold medal for being a top-tier preacher. You carefully weigh your words, being sure never to offend anyone with the truth. That's what the false prophets preached before you." (2) Wow …is that too harsh? Perhaps, but it certainly causes us to sit up and pay attention and to grapple with the reality that in God's kingdom what is valued as life-giving is in the realm of the eternal, not external. God knows where our trust is directed, Jeremiah reminds us that God tests the mind and searches the heart. But, remember too in the midst of these difficult words that God is for us, not against us. Just think, we have the opportunity to have a trusting relationship with God; because of Jesus nothing gets in our way. And, as we strive to trust God above all else (of course we cannot do it perfectly, but God knows our intention) we will gain an inner security that makes it possible for us to thrive in the midst of life's deserts - or deep freezes. Jesus wants us to receive a word of blessing, not woe. So, may we head the Prophet's words, "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, they are like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream…in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit", and may we be among them. AMEN
(1) SermonWriter, Epiphany 6C, Luke 6:17-28, pg. 12, www.sermonwriter.com
(2) "Damn Preacher" by William Willimon, The Christian Century, February 10, 2004, pg. 18, www.religion-online.org