Trinity XI -- August 19, 2007

All Saints' Church -- Thomasville, GA

Proper 15C

Jeremiah 23:23-29

Psalm 82

Hebrews 12:1-14

Luke 12:49-56

It is never a good sign when a prophet shows up!

I cannot recall an instance from Scripture when a prophet arrives in a town or village to pat them on the back, tell them what a great job they are doing, and leaves them with the phrase, "Keep up the good work!"

No, I'm afraid prophets didn't work that way.  Prophets in Old Testament times came to an area, preaching a message of repentance, and usually the impending doom for the area unless the people changed their ways and returned to God.

I like to compare the prophets of old to Jim Cantore on The Weather Channel.

If you've ever watched The Weather Channel, especially during hurricane season, Jim Cantore is usually the one reporting from the absolute worst spot on Earth during the height of the storm.  The cameramen are doing their absolute best to keep coverage going, while being pelted with wind and rain.  Jim Cantore and the rest of his crew are bringing us reports of the damage from ground zero.

When we lived in Brunswick, the worst thought that ever ran through my mind during hurricane season was if The Weather Channel trucks started showing up on the pier at St. Simons, and Jim Cantore got out and started filming, we were in for a real bad day!

For the people of Israel, when prophets started showing up, some starting having the same exact thoughts run through their heads.

Uh Oh!  We're in for a real bad day!

From our passage from Jeremiah this morning, the prophet clearly expresses those words of woe.  The people of Israel have drifted away again, and God sends one of His messengers to direct them toward the right path.

In our passage this morning from Jeremiah, there is another problem that he was called upon to deal with.  Apparently there are false prophets running around, speaking lies, and saying that they have had wonderful dreams.  They are telling the people what they want to hear, not what God wants them to hear.  They are making claims that other gods are out there that can make their wishes come true, when in fact, they are preaching and prophesying blasphemy.  Their false prophesies make the people forget the name of God, just like in days of old when the people forsook God, and worshipped Baal instead.

It's no different today!  No, I don't think many of us call upon Baal in our everyday lives, but Baal has been replaced with modern day terms.

Fame

Fortune

Success

Busyness

I'm sure each and every one of us can come up with a similar word that becomes the Baal in our lives.  Things which get in the way of our Christian walk and over time become like gods. 

One thing to note about the items that I listed is that they are not intrinsically bad of their own doing.  They become corrupt when they become an end in themselves.  When our lives become so encompassed by achieving the benchmarks and markers of the world is when we have forsaken God for the name of Baal.

It is a hard pill to swallow, because we are inundated with this message on the television, radio, Internet.

Getting ahead,

Achieving success,

Feeling good about yourself, 

Raising perfect children,

Sustaining the perfect marriage,

Getting fit...

All of these things and more are what the world tells us we should strive for.  Are these things bad?  By all means no!

Can they become gods preached by the false prophets of the world if we are not grounded in our Christian walk?  Absolutely, YES!

This is the rub.  This is why Jeremiah says that the LORD's Word is like fire and a hammer shattering rocks.  It's because His word is going to call us to action in a manner contrary to what the world wants to hear.  Being a good parent or what the world calls a perfect spouse happens only when the Lord Jesus is at its center.  The world cannot define what this looks like because it was not ordained of this world, but rather, God ordained it.  His standards alone are the only correct judge.

Why does the Book of Common Prayer refer to the marriage service as "The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony?"  It is because God is the one at work here joining two persons together in a mystical union.  As Lou Tarsitano says regarding the sacraments, "God does all the work in a sacrament."[1]

When we achieve success in this world, who claims the glory?  Is the glory directed heavenward, or do we take credit ourselves?

God alone is the source of all good gifts.  He deserves the thanks and praise, for it is not of our doing, but by His divine Providence.  After all, what did God say about all of the things of creation?  He said they were good.  And after all of creation was complete, He said that it was very good.

Jesus said that he came to set the earth on fire.  He said that he came not to establish peach, but rather division.  The world wants us to take claim for our success, and the Gospel says something different.  Both Matthew and Luke have versions of this passage, and Matthew's version goes a step further when it states that Jesus comes not to bring peace but the sword.

Fire,

Hammers,

Swords,

Division.

As Christians, we are going to be set at odds with the world, and it isn't going to be comfortable.  It is going to cause division, perhaps even division within our own homes.  These were almost scandalous words coming from Jesus, because one of the most sacred components of Jewish life was the family.  Here we have a devout Jew saying that the family unit is going to be shaken, and there will be conflict that will divide parent against child, siblings against each other, in-laws at odds.  Jesus was saying that the family structure was going to be a place of division and conflict.

In one regard, we know that Jesus was speaking symbolically to state that the old system of family within the temple and its structures was going to look different after his work on Earth was complete.  He was certainly saying that the family system, which was Judaism would never be the same, and that there would be inevitable conflict and division.

He also was saying words that resound just as loudly today as they did when He spoke them.  We are going to be called upon to take stands for the truth, which will be unpleasant, and divisive in nature.  Our lives as disciples will make us targets.  People will view us differently.  For some, it may actually mean separation from parents and siblings.  For most, it will mean making tough decisions that will make us unpopular with the world.

The LORD asks the question, what has straw to do with wheat?  The comparison is between true prophesy and false.  The true prophesy is the wheat, which is like fire and will produce violent results.

True prophesy is going to sting

True prophesy is going to hurt

True prophesy is going to bring with it the pruning of the vinedresser.  However, the pruning brings forth new life, and new growth.  It trims away the dead branches we don't need, to make room for the fruit bearing shoots.  The mark of a true Christian is by the fruit that one bears.  The only way that we can bear fruit is for us to receive nourishment from God's Word and Holy Sacraments, and to give way to the necessary pruning that makes new growth possible.

Now, let the world see the fruit that we bear, and may all of the praise be directed to the Vinedresser Himself.