You deceived me, LORD, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. – Jeremiah 20:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 28, 2014): Jeremiah 20

In the late 1960’s, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice penned their conception of the last week of the life of Jesus Christ. “Jesus Christ, Superstar” has proven to be an enduring image, and the songs of the Rock Opera have carried the cries of the human part of Jesus to every generation since the opera was first written and performed. And one of the most moving scenes in the Webber-Rice story takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is there that Jesus is confronted with the cross on which he will die, there that Jesus strains against the will of God wondering if all of this is worth it and there that he wonders about the goal that they are trying to reach, and there that he wrestles with everything that is about to happen. But near the end of the prayer, Jesus finally gives in to his Father’s plan. The words that Rice places in the mouth of Jesus at this moment are –

God thy will is hard but you hold every card
I will drink your cup of poison
Nail me to your cross and break me
Bleed me, beat me, Kill me, take me now
Before I change my mind.

The sentiments of the words are only partially the product of Rice’s imagination. The Gospel record does include that at the end, Jesus struggled with the path that he was to travel. But the reality is, as much as some portions of the Christian Church seems to want us to believe differently, sometimes God’s will is difficult. John the Baptist seemed to struggle at the end of his life wondering if Jesus was really the one that was to come – or whether they were waiting for someone else. And in this passage, it is Jeremiah that is questioning the will of God.

Specifically, Jeremiah’s complaint goes back to the beginning of Jeremiah’s prophetic writings. At the moment when Jeremiah was called, he had excused himself. He was too young and he did not have the words that were needed for such a task. But in that moment God’s reply to Jeremiah was “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you” (Jeremiah 1:7-8.) But in this moment, now years into the God mission that he had accepted, Jeremiah is not sure that God was true to his word. He spoke the words that God has placed in his heart – and yet it did not seem that God was with him – or that God had been at the ready to rescue him.

But the story was not over yet. God still had further places to carry Jeremiah. But sometimes it is in the midst of the story that we stop feeling him. And that is why faith is so important for all of us – because with the eyes of faith, we know that God is with us, even in the moments when we question him the most.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 35      

“Then break the jar while those who go with you are watching, and say to them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. – Jeremiah 19:10-11

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 27, 2014): Jeremiah 19

In the late 18^th Century one of the most loved Nursery Rhymes was penned. The rhyme in question is “Humpty, Dumpty,” the famous egg who sat on wall. The only problem with our understanding of Humpty as being an egg is that no where in the rhyme does the poem mention this idea. It is thought that the original intention of the rhyme was that it was supposed to be a riddle – a statement in which people would be invited to guess the identity of Humpty Dumpty. But the riddle long ago turned into a children’s rhyme and the mystery in question has long since been forgotten.

But that has not stopped some from trying to guess the answer to the riddle. Among the suggested answers are King Richard III, the last king of the House of York toppled by the upstart House of Tudor, or two possible answers from the Siege of Colchester in 1648 – a battle from the middle of the English Civil War. During the war, the Royalist army found themselves hemmed in at the walled city of Colchester.  Outside the walls were the Parliamentarians. The rhyme, some assert, is about either a sniper, a man known as One-Eyed Thompson, or a cannon that was appropriately known as Humpty Dumpty that sat on the walls of a church called Mary-at-the-walls. The story that is told is of the Parliamentarians outside of the city who were able to weaken the wall underneath either the sniper or the canon causing the fall of “Humpty Dumpty.” As a result of this fall, the city of Colchester was lost – and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men – referring of course to the Royalist Army trapped inside the city, couldn’t save either the town, or Humpty Dumpty.

God seems to have the similar illustration and story for Jeremiah to tell. Again the weeping prophet is given an illustration of what is about to happen in Jerusalem. He is to go and take a jar and break it. The imagery here is not that Jeremiah would break the jar gently, leaving large pieces that might be put back together again. The imagery is of a smashed jar that has been broken into so many pieces that it is impossible to reassemble – even with all of the king’s horses and all the king’s men at the ready to do the task.

But maybe the one thing that we miss when we read this prophecy is that while in the short term the prophecy was fulfilled and Jerusalem was left in ruins, God is still the God of the impossible – and in the long-term it would seem that God himself did put the city back together again. And Jerusalem still stands today, although admittedly once again it would seem that the Holy City is broken – divided among the People of Israel, the Followers of Christ and the Followers of Islam. But no matter how broken the city might seem to be – God remains the God who can still put the pieces back together again.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 20

They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.” – Jeremiah 18:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 26, 2014): Jeremiah 18

For generations historians have fought over the character of Richard III of England. For some, Richard III is accurately summed up by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare describes Richard III as an ambitious man who is jealous of his older brother, King Edward IV’s, success. Historians have accused Richard of being guilty of fratricide - blaming him for the death of his brother, and for the death of Edward’s sons, Edward V who was around 13 years of age and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. The young boys have been dubbed the “Princes of the Tower” by historians - but no one really knows what happened to the young princes after their admission into the Tower of London after the death of their Father.

But that is not the only picture that we have of Richard III. Other historians have seen the third King Richard as a fiercely loyal Man who would never consider killing his older brother – of whom he as deeply proud – let alone the murder of his young nephews. According to this group of historians, Richard was the victim of a propaganda campaign carried out by the House of Tudor, who wished to end the reign of the House of York – the House of which Edward and Richard belonged. These historians remind us that often history seems to be written by the victors, and in this case it was the House of Tudor that won the fight, and as a result the reign of the House of York was not only tarnished, but ended.

We may never know the truth about King Richard III, which might be proof of the effectiveness of the lies that our enemies can tell about us. It was a truth that Jeremiah knew first hand. Jeremiah was carrying an unfortunate message, one that the nation didn’t want to hear. They were hoping that the prophet was wrong. But early in Jeremiah’s career, his opponents had already chosen their offensive response. They were going to speak lies about Jeremiah and discredit him – and the hope was that if lies took hold, that his words would lose their strength – and the people would no longer listen to him. And maybe, their lies would also change the bleak future that Jeremiah was predicting. Basically, his opponents planned to accuse Jeremiah of being a false prophet, hoping that the accusation that had been thought up by the religious officials of Jerusalem would end up being true.

Jeremiah knew of their plot, and had decided that the problem was not his – it was the problem of the one who had given him his vision of the future. Jeremiah was confident in his God. If he was a false prophet, it would not because the officials of Jerusalem had labeled him as one, but because he had misread the movement of his God. But, once again, history is written by the victors, and in this case the victor was Jeremiah. His prediction ended up being true, and history has remembered his opponents as the ones who had lied.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 19

Personal Note: Happy Second Birthday to my Granddaughter - Emilina

Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. – Jeremiah 17:14

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 25, 2014): Jeremiah 17

As a kid, I loved superhero shows. I loved the “Adventures of Superman” with George Reeves (although I have to admit that I am too young to actually remember the original run of the 1950’s T.V. series, I had to be content with the reruns of the show more than a decade after the last episode of the series was shot) and I was infatuated with Adam West in “Batman.” (For those who are wondering about my “Spiderman” addiction, both Adam West and George Reeves predate my Spiderman days.) So during the day I would grab a towel and pin it around my shoulders and pretend that I was one of the heroes that I had watched on T.V.

Looking back, I still love my superheroes, although now I hope I have a much more balanced look at the role models of my youth. But one of the things that I have noticed is that the characters in the shows of my youth were fixated on the heroes of the story. In Gotham City, when trouble struck it was not marines that were called in to handle the situation – or the S.W.A.T. Team or even extra off duty police officers. The first response was to run to the roof and activate the “Batsignal” – and call the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder into the situation. No one else would do. And in the “Adventures of Superman,” Lois Lane never called for the police when she was in trouble – Lois simply whispered the name of her hero – Superman. There was no one else that could do the job – not even the pining Clark Kent that wanted nothing more but to hear Lois call his name. But as far as Lois was concerned, no one but Superman could come running at her call.

Jeremiah has fixated on his hero – his God. In the midst of the trouble of Judah, the mistrust that Jeremiah and the officials of the nation held for each other, and with the enemy about to appear on the doorstep of the city in which he lived, there really was no other authority to run to. If Jeremiah was going to be healed, there was no one else who had the ability to heal him. If Jeremiah was going to be saved, the only name that could be whispered was that of his God.

Most of us who grew up with our Superheroes have watched them tarnish over time. At some point we found out that the Batsignal only works in Gotham City and Lois is the only one that can call Superman to her side. Even George Reeves lost his race against a speeding bullet. But the God of Jeremiah still remains. He is still the only one who can heal and the only one who can save.

  Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 18

Do people make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!” – Jeremiah 16:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 24, 2014): Jeremiah 16

“The Death of God” was a book written in 1961 by French Protestant Theologian Gabriel Vahanian. Vahanian believed that God could not survive in our modern society that had lost the capacity for the sacred. At some point our society ceased to that the capacity to imagine a God big enough to be our creator. God began to be defined by the language of our culture. According to Vahanian, our reality is that God has become nothing more than a cultural artifact in our society. But he also seemed to believe that the death of God would eventually lead us back to God. “If we can no longer assume that God is, we may once again realize that he must be. God is not necessary, but he is inevitable. He is wholly other and wholly present. Faith in him, the conversion of our human reality, both culturally and existentially, is the demand he still makes upon us.” (Gabriel Vahanian, Wait Without Idols, 1964)  It would seem that the path away from God must necessarily lead us back to God

Actually, Jeremiah would seem to agree with Vahanian. The real problem with God is that we have created him in our image. Our culture would not allow for any other kind of God. But such a God is doomed from the very beginning because this god would be much too small to fit our need. Our need has never been for a God that we could understand. In fact, any God that we could understand must be a God of our creation. And according to Jeremiah, any god of our creation is not really a god.

And, eventually, the straw gods that we create will fail. But that failure will only underscore our need for a real God – one who is beyond our understanding. God is not necessary, but he is inevitable. And all roads lead back to him, once we can discard the gods of our own creation that have cluttered up our lives and have led us in wrong directions.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 17

 

I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem. – Jeremiah 15:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 23, 2014): Jeremiah 15

There is this idea in Western Culture that our politicians are elected to carry out the wishes of the people. It is the image that lies behind what we would consider to be true democracy – a political system where every citizens has a vote on every issue that nation had to face. But the problem with true democracy is that it is impractical in our modern nations. For every citizen to have a vote on every issue of our society would be both too slow and too costly. And, if we are honest, we have too little time to adequately research every issue that our nations have to face. So we elect representatives to vote for us. But the reality is that we elect our representatives, not just to vote as we would, but to do the research into the issues that we don’t have the time to do.

It has always been the role of the politicians to do the work that we don’t have time to do. In ancient times, this was the role of the king and his court. The king did not have to do the labor of the common man, so it was understood that he could do the work to understand the needs of the nation – and to act for the benefit of the people. Sometimes the kings, and our politicians, did exactly as they were supposed to do – they did what was best for the nation. But since the beginning of time our politicians have been tempted to follow the opinion polls instead of making the good – and often hard - decisions. And from the beginning of time, the people have rewarded bad decisions with their approval.

There is evidence that this is precisely what Jeremiah was upset about. Jeremiah’s time on the political stage had begun with the reign of Josiah. And Josiah was a good king who had implemented good policy on behalf of the people. But the people had resented the policies of the king. Instead, they refused to follow God and chose to follow their own desires. But as Jeremiah looked back into the history of the nation, he realizes that during the evil days of King Manasseh, the people had approved of the policies of the king. And to Jeremiah, none of this made any sense. How could a nation honor what was bad and rebel against what was good?

Yet that is exactly what had happened, and so God was going to allow the nation of Judah who had sewn dishonorable policies with her kings to reap dishonor. It was really the only thing a holy God could do. Jeremiah reminds the people that because they had chosen what was abhorrent, they would reap what was abhorrent. There was really no other alternative.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 16

We acknowledge our wickedness, LORD, and the guilt of our ancestors; we have indeed sinned against you. – Jeremiah 14:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 22, 2014): Jeremiah 14

There is maybe no sadder moment than realizing that you are too late. You could have changed the destination, but you didn’t. You could have changed a life, but you decided not to bother. Too often, our health suffers from the too late syndrome. We forget that we are stewards of something – until it is too late. We plan to make changes to our health routine, but wait too long. Financially, we plan to save for retirement, but we wait until retirement has almost arrived before we really start to save. Our reality is that we have let all of that potential simply slip through our fingers. Potential that is never taken advantage of is the tragic story that is above all other tragedies. It is the story of too late.

Jeremiah is just coming to this realization in regard to Judah. It is too late for the nation to repent. The moment of grace that Judah has been enjoying up until this point is about to pass, and there is nothing that Jeremiah can do about it. If only the nation had come to a point of repentance before now – had been willing to accept their own culpability in all that was happening. But they hadn’t – and now it is too late.

The reality is that while as Jeremiah writes these words using the idea of the nation praying to God, there is almost no evidence of any kind of a national revival taking place during the days of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is begging for God to change his mind, but Judah has consistently refused to change theirs. They are still content to chase after their idols and continue in their sins. No amount of pleading on the part of Jeremiah has changed anything. Judah persists in her sins while Jeremiah begs God for forgiveness. The needed change never came.

Too often we plan to change, but we never really do. And so we live through the tragedy of being too late. Reality does not have to be the way it is, but we don’t have the courage to change it until it is too late. But by that time reality is fixed – and the tragedy of too late has arrived on our doorstep.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 15