Obedience To God's Plan
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle B
In a vast field that stretched as far as the eye could see, a great multitude of people milled about waiting for something to happen. Quite unexpectedly a messenger came into the midst of the people and announced, "You are to walk around this field 25 times carrying a baton." The people were a bit mystified by these words and asked, "What will happen when we finish?" "You will learn the answer when you are done," came the reply. So the crowd ambled off to make its first lap of the field. It took almost a full day at a leisurely pace to walk around the field, but they eventually made the circuit the first time. This feat called for a celebration.
As the crowd celebrated they decided, just for the heck of it, to make the next lap more interesting. They broke into teams to race against each other. The task would not be so boring and winners and losers could be determined. This would transform a mundane task into a fun-filled event. It certainly did not seem that they had to do the task exactly as they were told. So the people separated themselves into five teams, the Reds, Yellows, Blacks, Browns, and Whites. There were some in the great multitude, however, who refused to join the teams. They called themselves "The Others" because they did something different than the teams. Strangely, it was The Others who were given the baton to carry, since the teams argued amongst themselves over which group should have it. The five teams, the Reds, Yellows, Blacks, Browns, and Whites, took their marks and then took off at breakneck speed. The Yellow team won the second lap. The teams decided after the second circuit of the field, just for the heck of it, that they would station various members of each team at select sites around the field. In this way no one would have to run the whole distance but rather each would run an individual segment of the whole. Thus, the relay race was invented. As the five teams raced around the field in relays, The Others simply continued on their way around the field. The teams thought The Others were "out of it."
The competition between the teams became more and more intense. Soon the racing teams realized that slow runners were a liability to their chance to win. They decided, therefore, that only the fast runners would compete. This, however, did not seem to satisfy those who were the best on each team, so it was decided, just for the heck of it, that each team would be represented by one individual and races would be held in measured distances. In one race the representative of the Browns won and in another it was the Black team member who was victorious. Meanwhile, The Others continued to plod their way around the field, lap after lap after lap. When they completed all 25 laps, they held a celebration. When the messenger arrived in the midst of the party, The Others asked, "You told us at the beginning that we would learn our reward when we finished. We have completed the 25 laps of the field, what will be get?" "Your reward," said the messenger, "is that you made it." The Others were stunned. "Is that all there is? We have made this long journey just to say we made it." When The Others thought about their accomplishment, however, they had to agree that this was the reason they were celebrating -- because they had made it; they had done what they were asked to do. "But what about the teams?" asked one of The Others, seeing that none of them were present. "The teams," said the messenger, "as you can see they didn't make it. And that's the heck of it!"1
The teams thought themselves to be rather important. They were bored and tired of doing what they had been asked to do. Thus, just for the heck of it, they went out on their own, and "did their own thing" as people say today. But in the end they never finished the task; they didn't make it to the finish line. The Others, however, simply did what they were asked to do. Their actions and their methods were not flashy; they did not impress the teams with their accomplishment. They simply did what the messenger asked of them; they demonstrated an obedient attitude toward the instructions they were given, and through such simple obedience they met their goal, crossed the finished line, and completed the race. We must possess a similar attitude of obedience if we are to cross the finish line of eternal life with God.
Today's First lesson from the prophet Jeremiah is one of the most significant in all the prophetic books and possibly in all of the Hebrew Scriptures, what we Christians generally call the Old Testament. Scholars disagree on whether this passage comes directly from the mouth of the prophet or is part of the Deuteronomist tradition, but the message and its significance for the people to whom it was proclaimed and to Christian community is not in dispute. Jeremiah wrote to the pre-exilic nation of Judah in the seventh century B.C.E. The prophet was well aware of the nation's lack of faith in following God's commands. The fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was an historic fact; the rebellion of the people during the period of the judges, kings, and prophets was known and acknowledged by all. The Covenant written on stone, the Decalogue, had in many ways been a failure because it had been transgressed so many times by all the people. The people had repeatedly turned away from God. There was a need for some new agreement or covenant, one that would call the Hebrews to a renewed sense of their commitment and responsibility in their relationship with Yahweh.
God, through the prophet, expresses a radically new type of covenant, one that is better for Yahweh and for the people. While God most assuredly was frustrated with the people's lack of faithfulness, the people also may have asked what assurance they had. If the nation of Judah was restored to God and subsequently fell, would a fate similar to Israel befall it? Thus, the need for a new type of commitment and covenant was believed necessary. This new covenant would, as Jeremiah says, be written in the hearts and minds of the people. The prophet seems to indicate that the Spirit of God will move the hearts of the people to be more obedient to the divine law. God is thus challenging the people to obey God's law, not written strictly on stone tablets that are kept in an ark, but etched in a much more personal way on the hearts of each and every member of the community. The most important lesson to learn is that God is telling the people that they must develop an obedient attitude toward the law. One must follow what God asks in a spirit of joy, openness, and confidence that doing things as God bids will prove beneficial for the individual and the nation. It is clear that the "end-runs" and other varied paths chosen by the people over the course of many generations have all proved unsuccessful. These alternate chosen paths have led to the breaking and often disregard for the covenant time and time again. There is an absolute need for the people to be converted to an attitude of openness, allowing God to operate and to direct their lives. With a proper attitude, one guided by obedience to God's law and plan, the prophet predicts a restoration for the people of Judah and a renewal of the nation's relationship with Yahweh.
For many centuries the Christian community has understood that the fulfillment of this passage in Jeremiah is seen in the emergence of the church, those who profess Jesus as Savior and Lord. While this interpretation may bring justification to the church today and its dominance of the Western world in the common era, the more significant aspect of this prophetic utterance is that it provides a vital message for our contemporary society, namely the absolute need to cooperate with and be obedient to God's plan. We remember how the Hebrew people struggled with God's plan. This is the overriding reason why Yahweh gives the prophet Jeremiah in today's lesson a new covenant to share with the people, one that is more personal. God, despite disappointment, always provided a new path, another chance and possibility for renewal.
God has provided an opportunity for all of us, the Christian community, to enjoy the promise and privilege that the covenant gave to the Hebrews, our ancestors in the faith. When the message of salvation brought by Jesus Christ was not well received by the Jews, the privileges and the responsibilities of this special relationship with the Son of God were passed on to us. As beneficiaries of this message and promise, we have many joys and opportunities, but also several significant obligations that at times are burdens.
We have the time now, during the holy season of Lent, to take stock of our lives, and conduct a personal inventory of who we are, where we are going, what we wish to be, and what is our relationship with God. God's plan for our world and our personal lives is a mystery revealed day by day in the events we encounter. Often we struggle greatly with God's plan; we simply do not want to cooperate fully, or if we are honest, at times, even slightly cooperate. We are rebellious; we simply do not want to do what we are asked to do. We refuse to surrender our will and autonomy, for to lose personal control in today's world is viewed as weakness and problematic. We need to be in charge of our lives; we feel the absolute need to call the shots and we are willing to surrender nothing over which we can exercise control!
People today are reticent to accept advice and we generally do not like to be told what to do or how to do it. Like the teams in the story, when we are given a task, we prefer to find a way that excites us, one that provides relief from the mundane and routine duties of our human existence. We want to do things our way! While there is certainly no crime in being innovative, many times our wishes lead us toward goals and conclusions that are inconsistent with the ideas of the one who gave us the task originally. This is true not only with our day-to-day duties at home and work, but consider all the ways we have done everything we can think of to circumvent God's plan. The divine plan for us as a community and individuals is revealed in many varied ways -- through events, circumstances, and most profoundly people. In some ways God's plan is all around us. Like the light from a burning candle that emanates out in all directions and is, thus, impossible to avoid, so God's plan is ever present, if we have the eyes and ears to see and hear its manifestations. Sometimes, however, we run away from the light; we hide because we don't want to deal with what God has planned for us. At other times we recognize the light, but choose not to participate; we simply do nothing and try to ignore the plan. There are times, as well, when we intentionally frustrate the plan and do just the opposite of what we are asked.
God's plan is generally mysterious and, thus, often we cannot "see" or possibly understand what God asks of us. We diligently search through prayer but can find few answers. We call out to the Father, but we receive no clear response. In our frustration and impatience we often find ourselves "doing our own thing," for we have not received the message we so earnestly wish to receive concerning the proper road to follow.
Lent is a sacred time when we journey toward the celebration of the Paschal mystery, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Lord spent long periods in prayer with his Father so he could be faithful to God's will, the message he was to proclaim, and the mission and kingdom that he was asked to inaugurate. We know and believe that Jesus was divine, the Son of God, but he was human as well and, thus, most assuredly had doubts and was at times uncertain. But he was obedient to the end to God's plan in his life. Jesus did not take the fancy, exciting, or fun-filled route to the completion of his work. He knew that ultimately there was one and only one way to do what the Father had asked of him and that was by following God's plan. As our Lenten journey continues let us seek strength from God to stay on the correct path and to avoid obstacles and pitfalls which tempt us to another route. May we have the courage to follow God's plan faithfully, as did Jesus. May we have the courage to follow the narrow road and the one less traveled -- the only path that leads to death, resurrection, and in the end, eternal life.
____________
1. Paraphrased from "The Game," in John R. Aurelio, Colors! Stories of the Kingdom (New York: Crossroad, 1993), pp. 81-84.
As the crowd celebrated they decided, just for the heck of it, to make the next lap more interesting. They broke into teams to race against each other. The task would not be so boring and winners and losers could be determined. This would transform a mundane task into a fun-filled event. It certainly did not seem that they had to do the task exactly as they were told. So the people separated themselves into five teams, the Reds, Yellows, Blacks, Browns, and Whites. There were some in the great multitude, however, who refused to join the teams. They called themselves "The Others" because they did something different than the teams. Strangely, it was The Others who were given the baton to carry, since the teams argued amongst themselves over which group should have it. The five teams, the Reds, Yellows, Blacks, Browns, and Whites, took their marks and then took off at breakneck speed. The Yellow team won the second lap. The teams decided after the second circuit of the field, just for the heck of it, that they would station various members of each team at select sites around the field. In this way no one would have to run the whole distance but rather each would run an individual segment of the whole. Thus, the relay race was invented. As the five teams raced around the field in relays, The Others simply continued on their way around the field. The teams thought The Others were "out of it."
The competition between the teams became more and more intense. Soon the racing teams realized that slow runners were a liability to their chance to win. They decided, therefore, that only the fast runners would compete. This, however, did not seem to satisfy those who were the best on each team, so it was decided, just for the heck of it, that each team would be represented by one individual and races would be held in measured distances. In one race the representative of the Browns won and in another it was the Black team member who was victorious. Meanwhile, The Others continued to plod their way around the field, lap after lap after lap. When they completed all 25 laps, they held a celebration. When the messenger arrived in the midst of the party, The Others asked, "You told us at the beginning that we would learn our reward when we finished. We have completed the 25 laps of the field, what will be get?" "Your reward," said the messenger, "is that you made it." The Others were stunned. "Is that all there is? We have made this long journey just to say we made it." When The Others thought about their accomplishment, however, they had to agree that this was the reason they were celebrating -- because they had made it; they had done what they were asked to do. "But what about the teams?" asked one of The Others, seeing that none of them were present. "The teams," said the messenger, "as you can see they didn't make it. And that's the heck of it!"1
The teams thought themselves to be rather important. They were bored and tired of doing what they had been asked to do. Thus, just for the heck of it, they went out on their own, and "did their own thing" as people say today. But in the end they never finished the task; they didn't make it to the finish line. The Others, however, simply did what they were asked to do. Their actions and their methods were not flashy; they did not impress the teams with their accomplishment. They simply did what the messenger asked of them; they demonstrated an obedient attitude toward the instructions they were given, and through such simple obedience they met their goal, crossed the finished line, and completed the race. We must possess a similar attitude of obedience if we are to cross the finish line of eternal life with God.
Today's First lesson from the prophet Jeremiah is one of the most significant in all the prophetic books and possibly in all of the Hebrew Scriptures, what we Christians generally call the Old Testament. Scholars disagree on whether this passage comes directly from the mouth of the prophet or is part of the Deuteronomist tradition, but the message and its significance for the people to whom it was proclaimed and to Christian community is not in dispute. Jeremiah wrote to the pre-exilic nation of Judah in the seventh century B.C.E. The prophet was well aware of the nation's lack of faith in following God's commands. The fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was an historic fact; the rebellion of the people during the period of the judges, kings, and prophets was known and acknowledged by all. The Covenant written on stone, the Decalogue, had in many ways been a failure because it had been transgressed so many times by all the people. The people had repeatedly turned away from God. There was a need for some new agreement or covenant, one that would call the Hebrews to a renewed sense of their commitment and responsibility in their relationship with Yahweh.
God, through the prophet, expresses a radically new type of covenant, one that is better for Yahweh and for the people. While God most assuredly was frustrated with the people's lack of faithfulness, the people also may have asked what assurance they had. If the nation of Judah was restored to God and subsequently fell, would a fate similar to Israel befall it? Thus, the need for a new type of commitment and covenant was believed necessary. This new covenant would, as Jeremiah says, be written in the hearts and minds of the people. The prophet seems to indicate that the Spirit of God will move the hearts of the people to be more obedient to the divine law. God is thus challenging the people to obey God's law, not written strictly on stone tablets that are kept in an ark, but etched in a much more personal way on the hearts of each and every member of the community. The most important lesson to learn is that God is telling the people that they must develop an obedient attitude toward the law. One must follow what God asks in a spirit of joy, openness, and confidence that doing things as God bids will prove beneficial for the individual and the nation. It is clear that the "end-runs" and other varied paths chosen by the people over the course of many generations have all proved unsuccessful. These alternate chosen paths have led to the breaking and often disregard for the covenant time and time again. There is an absolute need for the people to be converted to an attitude of openness, allowing God to operate and to direct their lives. With a proper attitude, one guided by obedience to God's law and plan, the prophet predicts a restoration for the people of Judah and a renewal of the nation's relationship with Yahweh.
For many centuries the Christian community has understood that the fulfillment of this passage in Jeremiah is seen in the emergence of the church, those who profess Jesus as Savior and Lord. While this interpretation may bring justification to the church today and its dominance of the Western world in the common era, the more significant aspect of this prophetic utterance is that it provides a vital message for our contemporary society, namely the absolute need to cooperate with and be obedient to God's plan. We remember how the Hebrew people struggled with God's plan. This is the overriding reason why Yahweh gives the prophet Jeremiah in today's lesson a new covenant to share with the people, one that is more personal. God, despite disappointment, always provided a new path, another chance and possibility for renewal.
God has provided an opportunity for all of us, the Christian community, to enjoy the promise and privilege that the covenant gave to the Hebrews, our ancestors in the faith. When the message of salvation brought by Jesus Christ was not well received by the Jews, the privileges and the responsibilities of this special relationship with the Son of God were passed on to us. As beneficiaries of this message and promise, we have many joys and opportunities, but also several significant obligations that at times are burdens.
We have the time now, during the holy season of Lent, to take stock of our lives, and conduct a personal inventory of who we are, where we are going, what we wish to be, and what is our relationship with God. God's plan for our world and our personal lives is a mystery revealed day by day in the events we encounter. Often we struggle greatly with God's plan; we simply do not want to cooperate fully, or if we are honest, at times, even slightly cooperate. We are rebellious; we simply do not want to do what we are asked to do. We refuse to surrender our will and autonomy, for to lose personal control in today's world is viewed as weakness and problematic. We need to be in charge of our lives; we feel the absolute need to call the shots and we are willing to surrender nothing over which we can exercise control!
People today are reticent to accept advice and we generally do not like to be told what to do or how to do it. Like the teams in the story, when we are given a task, we prefer to find a way that excites us, one that provides relief from the mundane and routine duties of our human existence. We want to do things our way! While there is certainly no crime in being innovative, many times our wishes lead us toward goals and conclusions that are inconsistent with the ideas of the one who gave us the task originally. This is true not only with our day-to-day duties at home and work, but consider all the ways we have done everything we can think of to circumvent God's plan. The divine plan for us as a community and individuals is revealed in many varied ways -- through events, circumstances, and most profoundly people. In some ways God's plan is all around us. Like the light from a burning candle that emanates out in all directions and is, thus, impossible to avoid, so God's plan is ever present, if we have the eyes and ears to see and hear its manifestations. Sometimes, however, we run away from the light; we hide because we don't want to deal with what God has planned for us. At other times we recognize the light, but choose not to participate; we simply do nothing and try to ignore the plan. There are times, as well, when we intentionally frustrate the plan and do just the opposite of what we are asked.
God's plan is generally mysterious and, thus, often we cannot "see" or possibly understand what God asks of us. We diligently search through prayer but can find few answers. We call out to the Father, but we receive no clear response. In our frustration and impatience we often find ourselves "doing our own thing," for we have not received the message we so earnestly wish to receive concerning the proper road to follow.
Lent is a sacred time when we journey toward the celebration of the Paschal mystery, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Lord spent long periods in prayer with his Father so he could be faithful to God's will, the message he was to proclaim, and the mission and kingdom that he was asked to inaugurate. We know and believe that Jesus was divine, the Son of God, but he was human as well and, thus, most assuredly had doubts and was at times uncertain. But he was obedient to the end to God's plan in his life. Jesus did not take the fancy, exciting, or fun-filled route to the completion of his work. He knew that ultimately there was one and only one way to do what the Father had asked of him and that was by following God's plan. As our Lenten journey continues let us seek strength from God to stay on the correct path and to avoid obstacles and pitfalls which tempt us to another route. May we have the courage to follow God's plan faithfully, as did Jesus. May we have the courage to follow the narrow road and the one less traveled -- the only path that leads to death, resurrection, and in the end, eternal life.
____________
1. Paraphrased from "The Game," in John R. Aurelio, Colors! Stories of the Kingdom (New York: Crossroad, 1993), pp. 81-84.
