Nevertheless

 

Friday, March 26, 2021

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Lord gave him this second message:  “This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord:  Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.  For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:  You have torn down the houses of this city and even the king’s palace to get materials to strengthen the walls against the siege ramps and swords of the enemy.  You expect to fight the Babylonians, but the men of this city are already as good as dead, for I have determined to destroy them in my terrible anger.  I have abandoned them because of all their wickedness.  “Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace.  I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns.  I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion.  Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth!  The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.  Jeremiah 33:1-9

Jeremiah the prophet was in jail.  This is the same guy who wrote about calling on the Lord for answers, and he’s in a pit for telling the truth about Israel’s sin, and how God would use the Babylonians, despised pagans, to destroy the Holy City. 

This was the same Jeremiah who earlier wrote[1] words of joy and good plans for hope and a future.  Now he tells the men of the city to not waste their time fighting God’s enemy, Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king…Jerusalem’s freedom fighters are already as good as dead.  I suppose it was anybody’s guess which Jeremiah would show up on a given day, optimist or pessimist!

However, after predicting the fall of Jerusalem (which did happen), Jeremiah’s prophecy turns on a dime with one word:  NEVERTHELESS!

The prophet speaks of a time when God would forgive, heal, and prosper His people.  The words are as gracious and hope-filled as the former words were frightening:  heal, prosperity, peace, restore, rebuild, cleanse, forgive, joy, glory, honor, good.

Nevertheless – what a word; what a welcome word! 

God’s promises are like that.  With a single word, even spoken from a jail cell, God’s righteous judgment can send us into waves of shock and despair over our rebellious, sinful ways.  And with another word of hope, restoration, and forgiveness, the despair becomes light and a future.

There are people, like you, like me, who have plummed the depths of despair.  We know our sins, and how much we’ve strayed from God’s pathway.  We know how dark our minds and hearts can grow.  We’ve seen the wrong side of living. 

And, yet, there is that one word…Nevertheless!

For You Today

So…what kind of voice from the pit calls to you today? 

If your Jeremiah’s words are despairing, grief, and looming destruction, own them and lay them at the foot of the cross.  The “nevertheless” still stands.  He will heal, restore, bless, and….well, you get the idea!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

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[1] See Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I Know the Plans I Have for You

[1]

As a preface to this morning’s message I want to take you back to nursery school with me and learn one of the most important lessons all of us needs.  This lesson comes from Dr. Seuss, who teaches us about having a purpose, and taking a risk to live out that purpose.  

Did I ever tell you about the young Zode,

Who came to two signs at the fork in the road?

One said to Place One, and the other, Place Two.

So the Zode had to make up his mind what to do.

Well…the Zode scratched his head, and his chin and his pants.

And he said to himself, “I’ll be taking a chance

If I go to Place One. Now, that place may be hot!

And so, how do I know if I’ll like it or not?

On the other hand though, I’ll be sort of a fool

If I go to Place Two and find it too cool.

In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue!

So, maybe Place One is the best, not Place Two,

But then again, what if Place One is too high?

I may catch a terrible earache and die!

So Place Two may be best!  On the other hand though…

What might happen to me if Place Two is too low?

I might get some very strange pain in my toe!

So Place One may be best,” and he started to go.

Then he stopped, and he said,

“On the other hand though….

On the other hand…other hand…other hand though…”

And for 36 hours and a half that poor Zode

Made starts and made stops at the fork in the road.

Saying, “Don’t take a chance. No! You may not be right.”

Then he got an idea that was wonderfully bright!

“Play safe!” cried the Zode.  “I’ll play safe. I’m no dunce!

I’ll simply start out for both places at once!”

And that’s how the Zode who would not take a chance

Got no place at all with a split in his pants.

This morning we are focusing on our mission to reach the community around us.  God had definite plans for his church to be successful; Jeremiah said God said, quite specifically, that his plans for us are good:

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11

In addition, the Great Commission Jesus gave to all disciples gets a little more specific about the where, how, and why of our mission, and where we get the resources and power to carry out the mission:

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this:  I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20

In many places throughout Scripture we are told to feed, clothe, and heal those who are the victims of hunger, homelessness, sickness, abuse, and all the ills life can throw at us.  This too is part of our mission. 

The following statement could summarize the road we are supposed to be travelling:

Mt Zion United Methodist Church, as disciples of Jesus Christ, exists to provide worship and Christian education, responding in loving action to a needy world! 

I have to say that my attempt at writing a mission statement is my attempt, not a mandate for this community of faith.  But there are 3 very compelling, simple facts here that we must admit.

     1.     Christ calls us to mission

     2.     A church that doesn’t focus on that mission is saying “no” to God.

     3.     We don’t want to be that church!

And, so the sermon this morning is just one sentence:

Let’s not be that church; let’s be the church that lives-out our mission commitment!

And toward that end I invite you to join in reaffirming our baptismal vows as people who want to follow Jesus, make disciples, and transform the world.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…Amen!

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[1] Title Image:  Katelynn Brownworth      All Scripture from The New Living Translation (unless otherwise stated) 

Change of Plans

[i]

Friday, August 19, 2016

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11^(NLT)

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In 1791 a young man was born whose driving ambition was to be a great artist.  Despite early opposition from his father, he later ended up studying for his goals in London and Paris.  After his return to America from London, he became the founding president of the National Academy of Design.  His most famous painting would, in 1982, sell for $3.25 million.  But events did not seem so bright to him in 1834.  The painting that would one day sell for millions now sold for only $1,200.  The opportunity to paint one of the four giant panels for the new U.S. Capitol building eluded him.  In disillusionment and frustration the young painter laid aside his artwork and began to experiment with a new area that, until then had been only a hobby with him.  Thus it was that Samuel F.B. Morse gave the world the telegraph.[ii]

What seems at times an agonizing detour in our lives is often God’s hand gently directing us to a greater part of His plan.  Considering the role communications plays in contemporary culture, science and world relationships, Mr. Morse was a rather considerable cog in the wheel of progress who helped make it all possible.

However, had you quoted Jeremiah 29:11 to Samuel the day he had to lay down his brushes and paints he might have laid them on top of your head like a hammer.  It’s hard to see a rainbow ahead when you’re being drenched by a downpour in the present.

But, it’s true that, sometimes detours are only a different way to the plans of blessing God has in store.  Samuel Morse was a gifted man God used to bring about wonderful changes in communication.  But he was also an artist at heart and he was able to put on canvas this loving portrait of his wife and two children.

Mr. Morse was not the next Michelangelo, or Picasso, but this family heirloom hangs in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Ga. 

At times the plans God may have for us might seem as if they’re filled with root canals and bill collectors.  But it is also a stark reality that God’s ways are much higher (and better) than any we might make for ourselves ^{(Isaiah 55:8)}. 

Despair over the way things turn out can only lead to self-pity and anger.  Think about what the world would have missed without Mr. Morse’s willingness to take up a new pathway in his life’s detour.

For You Today

A couple of good questions:

      1.     What detour has you bogged down? 

      2.     What new plan of God can you discover while you’re down there in that bog?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today…have a blessed day!

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NOTES

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[i] Title Image:  By State of Virginia ([1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons and via Wikimedia Commons

[ii] Richard Sassaman, What Hath Morse Wrought? in American History Illustrated, XXIII (April 1988), 46-47