Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:8-20; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39
’m going to do a change-up today, because I’m not taking today’s Gospel as my primary text. Instead, we’re going to look at the reading from Jeremiah.
I don’t know how much you know about Jeremiah. You may have heard him described as the “Weeping Prophet.” You may know that the full title of the book we usually refer to as “Lamentations” is actually “The Lamentations of Jeremiah.” So Jeremiah gets two books, and they’re not short. He’s fairly important in the Hebrew scriptures.
Jeremiah lived during a very dangerous time in The Kingdom of Judah. Years before, the Neo-Assyrian Empire had laid waste to the Northern Kingdom, Israel, and scattered the remaining people. Judah stood alone. And while Judah was supposed to be a vassal state of Babylon, the king had been conspiring with Egypt. Not a good idea. And the Babylonians found out.
Jeremiah was called as a prophet to warn of the destruction of Jerusalem. Now, prophets of doom rarely get warm reception, and Jeremiah was no exception. He was yelled at, he was denounced to the king, he was even thrown into a pit.
So what did Jeremiah do?
He did what you or I would probably do. He complained. He complained to God about the things God has made him do and how they ruined his life.
“O Lord, you have enticed me,
and I was enticed;
you have overpowered me,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
everyone mocks me.
”For whenever I speak, I must cry out,
I must shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.
If I say, ‘I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,’
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;”
He’s afraid, but he must speak out. If he doesn’t, the words burn inside him. God gives him the words to speak and he can’t keep them in, no matter what the world may do to him.
We hear a similar sentiment the Psalm:
“Zeal for your house has eaten me up; *
the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.”
We need to understand here that complaining to God is a time-honored theme in the Hebrew scriptures. Moses did it. Elijah did it. Here, Jeremiah is complaining about what is happening to him because of what God has made him do – tell the truth.
Being a truth-teller can be dangerous. When you speak the truth, some people – maybe even a majority of people – may not want to hear it. They may refuse to listen. They may make fun of you. They may even try to shut you up. This is especially the case now, with our world so terribly divided.
This is something I think about often. In fact, every time I sit down to write a sermon. I was already a lay preacher when I applied for entrance into the Anglican Order of Preachers. One of my postulancy instructors explained to me once that my having the lay preacher’s license and becoming a Dominican gave me a platform from which to speak, yes, but it also gave me the responsibility to speak. A responsibility to speak Truth. In case you don’t know, “Truth” is a Dominican motto. We are to preach Truth. And what is that Truth?
I believe that the Truth we are called to preach is the love of God. The love that is so broad, so all-encompassing, that it reaches everywhere and everyone, even those that some believe aren’t worthy of that love. That makes some people angry.
And because I have the responsibility to speak, to tell people of God’s unfailing, indiscriminate love, I know that sometimes I will be opening myself up to anger, to ridicule, to censure.
Jesus never shrank from speaking the truth, even when the religious and political authorities threatened him. People got mad at him. People ridiculed him. People censured him.
And he wants us to join him in this. He wants us to be so fired up about God’s love that we are ready to show everyone that love, in spite pf those who would grow angry with us, ridicule us, censure us. He wants us to show God’s love, no matter what the consequences.
But what about those consequences?
Well, what does Jesus say in today’s Gospel?
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
God wants us to be out there, like Jeremiah. Speaking the truth, and trusting Him. He will take care of the consequences.
Amen.
Becoming Dominican 