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Sunday, July 29, 2018

“THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU...”

A sermon based upon Jeremiah 29:1-14
By Rev. Dr. Charles J. Tomlin, DMin
Flat Rock-Zion Baptist Partnership
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time,  July 29,  2018 
(9-12) Sermon Series: Jeremiah: Prophet to the Nations

There is a story about a businessman who checked into a hotel late at night. He decided that he would stop in the lounge for a nightcap. Pretty soon he called the hotel desk, and asked, "What time will the lounge be opened in the morning?" The night clerk answered, "9:00 a.m." About an hour later he called again. The phone rang. The night clerk answered it. The businessman again asked, "What time will the lounge be opened in the morning?" He said, "9:00 a.m." He called a third time, and every hour throughout the night. Each time the night clerk answered, saying, "9:00 a.m."

At 7:00 a.m. the day manager arrived. The night clerk reported everything went all right, except for this crazy man who kept calling the desk every hour asking what time the lounge would open. Right then the phone rang again. The manager picked it up this time.  Sure enough it was the businessman asking what time the lounge would open. The manager said, "Look here! The night clerk tells me that you have been a nuisance all night long asking the same question. I am telling you for the last time, the lounge will be open at 9:00 a.m. You can't get in until then!" The businessman said, "Get in? I don't want to get in. I want to get out!"  (From Mark Trotter).

More and more people ‘want out’ of the world they must live in.   Life is not easy.  Relationships are not what they used to be.   Communities are not as tight-knit and the world is not as friendly.    People used to talk and look each at each other eye to eye.  People loved to come together so they could know what was going on at church, school, or in the community.  Everyone seemed to have the same values. Everyone seemed to have the same beliefs. But all that has changed now.  The world is becoming too complicated, diverse, and dangerous. 

And when you add all of that up, many people are saying, "I want out." And they find ways to get out. The voter statistics bear that out. There is an increased decline in voting.  Some move to express themselves through Facebook, or they escape into the fantasy NETFLIX, or find haven some corner of life.  They get ‘out’ and try to find more and more ways to escape the big, bad, hard to deal with world or they lock themselves into their own political, or cultural special interest groups.  People used to belong to community organizations for the good of the whole. Now they belong to special interest organizations to promote the ‘good’ that they want for themselves. The ties that held community together are weakening. Those ties once found in churches, service clubs, women's clubs, in lodges, are all on the decline. Some of them in serious decline.

In our text today, Jeremiah writes an interestingly ‘letter’ to people who ‘want out’.  They are people who are force to live in a world that was very different than the world they grew up in.  These people where God’s people, who because of the failure of their society, were having to live in a ‘far away’ land of exile.  Now, they wanted to go back home, but they couldn’t.   How where they to find meaning, hope, and promise in such a ‘god-forsaken’ place?   How were they going to ‘sing the Lord’s song’ in a strange land’?  This is the problem with physical or spiritual exile, is that you come to think you will never feel at home in the world again.

...WHOM I SENT INTO EXILE?  (4)
Many years ago, Teresa and I visited one of the darkest, coldest places on planet: The Auschwitz Concentration Camp, located in southern Poland.   We got the full effect of that tragic place because we visited in winter, when there was more than a foot of snow on the ground.   Auschwitz was a difficult place to visit, especially in winter, but it was a necessary reminder to us of just how low human behavior can go.  It symbolized for us the coldness of the human heart when it forgets God and forgets that every human deserves to be loved because we are all created in the ‘image of God’.

Amazingly, the story of Auschwitz has come to us because some people actually survived the cruelty of that God-forsaken place.   One of those survivors was Victor Frankl, who after World War II, chronicled his experiences.   The major question that remained in Frankl’s mind was how he and others were able to survive the mental, physical and emotional anguish of that experience, while others, who might have survived, weren’t able to.  He said the difference seemed come down to finding meaning and hope, even in the most difficult place.

In one of the most important books ever written about dealing with life, Frankl described how he found meaning and hope even in a strange, depressed, dark and deadly place.  Listen to his own words:
“We stumbled on in the darkness, over big stones and through large puddles, along the one road leading from the camp. The accompanying guards kept shouting at us and driving us with the butts of their rifles. Anyone with very sore feet supported himself on his neighbor's arm. Hardly a word was spoken; the icy wind did not encourage talk. Hiding his mouth behind his upturned collar, the man marching next to me whispered suddenly: "If our wives could see us now! I do hope they are better off in their camps and don't know what is happening to us."

That brought thoughts of my own wife to mind. And as we stumbled on for miles, slipping on icy spots, supporting each other time and again, dragging one another up and onward, nothing was said, but we both knew: each of us was thinking of his wife. Occasionally I looked at the sky, where the stars were fading and the pink light of the morning was beginning to spread behind a dark bank of clouds. But my mind clung to my wife's image, imagining it with an uncanny acuteness. I heard her answering me, saw her smile, her frank and encouraging look. Real or not, her look was then more luminous than the sun which was beginning to rise.

A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth—that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which a person can aspire.
Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of humanity is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. …. For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, "The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory...."[6]

How do people find meaning and imagine hope when their world falls apart and everything seems lost?   Jeremiah’s relates God’s surprising message to those who are now living in a world they never expected or have never known.  These are also words given through “through love and in love”: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope…. (NRSV, 29:11).  Instead of casting his people away, God is already making plans for them.  This is a very important message for us too when we wonder: How do we make ourselves at home when find ourselves living in the strange land of spiritual and cultural exile?  

You do realize that we also live in a kind of spiritual exile political captivity, don’t you?  Let me make this point again, but please don’t get me wrong, we live in a great country.  But, we also live in a country where we are surrounded on all sides with contrasting ways to live life.  Freedom has a cost attached to it. Part of that cost is that there is not one way to live, but that we are inundated with many values, ideas, and lifestyles that run contrary to God’s will and God’s word.

Because we live in a world that is free to reject God’s word and will, we also, like the Hebrew people of Jeremiah's time, are also faced with an uncertain future.  We live in a world where security is no longer assured.  We live in a world where we have to lock our doors, consider the dangers to our children, and face the constant pull of influences that can destroy our families and our Christian witness. 

God’s people living Babylonian exile, must have felt that way too.  They were forced to live in a world unlike their own.  How were they to respond?  How were they to live?   How would they find meaning and hope, when they found themselves ‘by the rivers of Babylon’ weeping because they ‘remembered Zion’ (how it used to be), now so far away? (Psalm 137: 1-4).
Whether we’ve ever been in a ‘strange land’, devastating things can happen that dislocate us physically, emo­tionally, spiritually from the world we know. Life can suddenly become totally out of joint because the old, familiar orientation points are gone or are at least no longer visible.  There is an unreal quality to everything. One of the names given to that experience for those who have moved from one coun­try to another is "culture shock." As a former missionary who has lived another country, I know that culture shock is all that and more, even when you prepare for the change and actually choose it, you can still feel out of sorts.

When we first moved to Germany, we were supposed to temporarily live with a German family for a couple of weeks until we got an apartment.  What was supposed to be a couple of weeks became six months.   The wife of in the home where we were staying was dying with cancer.  They were still gracious to us, allowing us to live in the main part of their home, but it was still difficult.  Our crates with all our things could not be released to us until we got an permanent residence.  We couldn’t get our permanent resident because the apartment was still under construction.  Then, right when we finally got our apartment, Teresa fell and broke her leg, requiring surgery and two weeks hospitalization.   When we finally got out of language school and moved to our work, we couldn’t sleep because of a mentally ill neighbor, who played music all night and slept all day.  We had to move again.  In addition, my mother was ill here at home.  I had to call her often to check on her and Dad.  The whole time we lived in Germany we didn’t even have a telephone.   We were on a waiting list and spent too many hours in telephone booth’s.  I didn’t’ feel like Superman, but like Clark Kent having a night mare that he couldn’t get his clothes changed.   It was crazy!  I started having eye problems.  Even thought I was enjoying my new work, I started having trouble driving at night, as all the lights came together in a blur.   The doctor who examined me said my eyes were fine, it was just the result of all the stress—moving from home, learning a new language, preaching in German, and learning to deal with a new culture.  I told him I didn’t feel stress.  He said that it was ‘good stress’, but it was still stress and when I finally adjusted, my eyes would heal. 

SEEK THE WELFARE OF THE CITY...  (7A)
As hard as our culture shock was when we moved to Europe, and as difficult as the culture shock of our changing society is today,  the emotional and psychological damage that would have resulted from a forced, violent deportation and exile in a foreign land — as the people of Judah went through — must have been extremely traumatizing.   God's word through Jeremiah to the exiles, however, turns out to be remarkably similar to what we discovered was the key to getting through the culture shock of living in Germany. God tells the people, in effect, to accept the changes, keep moving forward, learn the language, to get on with living in our new place, and to make themselves at home. The alternative was to live like traumatized zombies, to remain casualties, and allow a victim mentality to hold them back from the blessings of God and from being a blessing to others 
Changing times and changing ways of looking at the value of life have caused a rift even between Christian communities.  We can see the world as such a risky, wrong-headed, dangerous place, that we throw up our hands in disgust or like an Ostrich we stick our heads in the sand and decide to hate the world around us.   However, this is not a wise move.  In all conditions of life, whether good or bad, it wise, as it is also our Christian duty, not run away from the changes and challenges before us.   Jeremiah is telling the Hebrew people to seek the good of the country where they are being held captive.  He wants them to know that if they live peacefully, even the pagan culture will protect and give life back to them.  They must, however, demonstrate lives that reflect in goodness and honesty; being patient in allowing God to deliver them in due time.  They were told to find meaning in serving their world.

This advice was grounded not just in God’s love, but it was grounded in all practicality. 
Not long ago, statistics came out telling where the best places to live and the happiest places on earth are.  Most of Europe seems to be a happier place to live, with Finland at the top of the list.  The US is 18th.   In the United States, the best towns to live in where Austin, Texas,  Denver, with Raleigh and Charlotte not too far behind.   I find these statistics rather misleading, because right after these statistics came out, someone started leaving ‘bomb’ packages on doorsteps in Austin, Texas.  I bet Austin won’t even make the list next year. 

Now, I’m not trying to make light of what is happening in Austin, but the truth is that the only thing that can make something ‘the best place to live’ is our own mind, our own heart, our own determination.   So, what do you do if you are an avid skier happily living in the mountains and suddenly your job or family make a move the coast?   You could mope and moan and miss the mountains.  Or, you could take up waterskiing and get on with your life.   What you do with your new surroundings has much more to do with what’s inside of you than what’s happening outside.

Think about this.  There is a child’s toy made of a slimy, slippery substance called "gooze" which takes on the shape of whatever it is placed in.  When you hold gooze in your hand it doesn't stay put.  It oozes and seeps downward through your fingers, escaping containment and moving on. It doesn't dissolve or dissipate. It reshapes itself to fit into whatever it is placed.   God wanted the exiled people of Israel to become ‘gooze’ in Babylonian culture and community.  Without losing their identity as God's chosen people, they were to reconfigure themselves to fit into "the city where I have sent you."  Living, thriving, insinuating themselves into every facet of the life of this city, not rolling themselves into a miserable ball, was God's plan for his exiled people. Through practiced malleability they would ensure their continued life and faith--even if it were not a life now lived in the promised land.

So, as we apply this to living our own lives, “What is the best place or the best cultural surroundings for you and I to live a Christian life and raise a Christian family? Where is the best place for you to bring the love of Christ into this world? Is it in a neighborhood touted as the best place to raise kids? Or in a community that offers the best working conditions for your and your spouse? Or an environment that offers the best recreation for your family? Or a big city that offers the best cultural opportunities and diversities? Or is the best place to live one that is safe and remote from the troubles of terrorism and ABC (atomic/biological/chemical) attacks?   Jeremiah's advice to the exiled Israelites is advice that has not changed for twenty-first century Christians. Wherever we find ourselves, whatever the place God has placed us, there is the best place for us to do the work of God, to spread the love of Christ, to demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit.   As the people of God, we don't tread water. We swim actively in the current, sometimes against the current, guided by the inner strength of God's Spirit that guides us.  As we allow ourselves to become genuine--members of our neighborhoods, our communities, our cities, and our country, our witness expands as we make ourselves at home, even in a ‘strange’ world like ours.  Whatever situation we find ourselves in, the joy comes from what is in within, not from what is going on around us.

Len Sweet tells of a celebration in New York city for Harman Management, one of the largest KFC franchisers with over two hundred stores. The spot was the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center.  As the group was walking to Rockefeller Center, someone asked who was going to be the party's entertainment.
    "Johnny Desmond."
    "Who?" people asked.

It became apparent that the young people were hoping for Bruce Springsteen, not Johnny Desmond. Some griped, but one young manager said, "Johnny Desmond is going to be there tonight. We cannot change that. Why don't we have some fun and try to be the best audience Johnny Desmond has ever had."

That idea was contagious.   So for song after song, the audience clapped and cheered. Desmond got better and better, singing as he had not sung in years.  For the finale, he sang 'New York, New York.' The audience exploded in a standing ovation. Johnny Desmond, his face wet with tears, walked out into the audience, hugged people and said, 'This is the greatest night of my life.'" (Adapted from Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson, Soar With Your Strengths, (New York: Dell Publishing, 1992), 192-93).

How do you live when you don’t get what you want, or don’t end up where you want to end up?  The apostle Paul put it like this: “Whatever state I'm in, I’ll learn to be content (Phil. 4:11).”    In other words, wherever God has put you, whatever time you live in, whatever situation,  wherever you live,  this is best place to live.  This was the advice of Jeremiah to the exiles:  But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare (Jer. 29:7).”

TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND HOPE (11)
We find hope by living in hope.  We find good, by doing good.  We discover community and fellowship, by living in community and having fellowship with others.   We come to know God’s plan for us, by living toward the future, not running away from it.   We come to know what life is about by living, caring, forgiving ourselves, forgetting the past, and getting involved in the world around us, not by escaping, being careless, holding grudges or staying in our rooms at home.

Maxie Dunnam told of a woman at his church who had been caught stealing and sentenced to prison.  After serving time in prison, she sold everything she had, except for a few necessities, and gave it all away to the poor.  Then she moved to the mountains and, as time passed, she became an excellent painter.  When she reflected on her transformation in her life she said, “When you have been caught, you have nothing to hide.  And when you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.  And when you have nothing to fear, oh my, what you can become.”

Imagine what you could become if you give your life to God, no matter what has happened.  Imagine what our church could become or what ‘plans’ or ‘future’ God could have for us, if we truly gave our situation to God.  

David Mazel is a writer. He is really an urban storyteller. He tells a story about Mr. Hoffman, who owns a corner grocery in his neighborhood. It was the kind of store, you will remember, where the owner of the store, or the clerk behind the counter, would reach up on the shelves and get things for you and put it in your bag. He knew your name, and would ask about your family.

He said Mr. Hoffman was usually very friendly, talked to everybody and smiled. But on this particular day when David Mazel went into the grocery store, Mr. Hoffman was in a different mood. His chin was in his hands, and he was staring out into space, in an empty store. Mazel said, "How are you?" Mr. Hoffman said, "I was just thinking about the time when I was a boy, and I went to the big city for the first time. I had never seen one. I spent the whole day looking up at the tall buildings and the tall people. When I got home I cried. I told my mother that the city made me feel that I don't matter, that I am so little and it is so big. She dried my eyes, and told me, `You're wrong. Everybody matters. Everybody is a treasure.'"

Then he said this. "I am just a shopkeeper, that's all I am. Anybody can do that. I am overwhelmed, Mr. Mazel, by people like you. You are a published writer, and yet you are my friend and you pay attention to me."

Friendship exists when somebody pays attention to you. Community exists when people pay attention to each other, or when the community pays attention to individual people and we treat each other, our children, our families, and our lives, no matter small, as a treasure.   God has plans for all of us, and he leaves no one out of his plans.  

In the 17th century there was a church built in the little village of Staffordshire, in England. There is a plaque in that church that reads like this: 
“In the year 1653
When throughout the nation
All things sacred where either demolished or profaned
Sir Robert Shirley, Baronet, founded this church
Whose singular praise it is
To have done the best things in the worst times.

We are to dig in. We are to seek the welfare of the people around us. We are to do the best thing always, even in the worst times.   This is how God’s plans are discovered.  This is how the future continues to come. 


So, even when life looks like a disaster, and even when nothing looks like the will of God,  somehow, if we get on with life, with caring, and with living for the good of all,  in the mysterious providence of God, when we look back, we might be able to see that it all had a greater purpose, and that it has been the will of God.  Even in the midst of exile -- in a strange land, under oppression, God still spoke a wonderful word through his prophet: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (vs. 11)  Amen.

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