Jeremiah 1:4-10
February 1, 2004
4 Epiphany C
Jeremiah 1:4-10
February 1, 2004
What is your favorite excuse for not wanting to talk to others about your faith? Come on, I know you have one. As Lutherans, we have an inborn reluctance to talk about our faith, and studies back that up. Check this out;
In a recent study of active Lutherans—that is, Lutherans who attend church three or four times a month, 90% admitted that they rarely or never spoke to others about their faith in Jesus Christ. 13% of those surveyed said that they spoke about their faith with their kids about once a month. Only 12% said that they talked with their family about Jesus on a weekly basis.
What a devastating commentary on the Lutheran Church. This study concluded that Lutherans, many with a Scandinavian or European heritage, are reluctant to talk about Jesus—even with their own children—not to mention being reluctant to talk to their unchurched friends about Jesus.
It is with this theme of reluctance that we approach today’s Old Testament Lesson from Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a teenager. He was a reluctant prophet of God who didn’t want to talk to other people about God. In other words, he was a good Lutheran. Like us, he was reluctant to speak with others.
The Bible says that Jeremiah was a prophet to the nations, and there are several things in that statement that are confusing, and that we can also use as excuses not to be prophets. Let me explain.
First of all, when most people out in the pews consider the word “prophet”, they assume it doesn’t apply to them. A lot of church-goers equate “prophet” with “preacher”—that is, the paid spokesperson of the Lord. You guys pay me to talk about God for you. I had to go to seminary in order to learn how to be a prophet. So as long as I’m here, you’re off the hook. After all, you’re not trained to speak for God.
It’s interesting to note that there were paid prophets in Old Testament times, too. They were called “court prophets”, and they were paid by the king to tell him and his court what they wanted to hear. It was the court prophet’s job to tell the king that he was alright with God—that his actions, whether they were just or not, were pleasing to God. That’s why God called prophets like Jeremiah and the other Biblical prophets. They were outsiders, who spoke for God, not for the king. They were called to speak an often harsh and unpopular word, telling the king and the people that what they were doing was not alright.
As a parish pastor, I walk a line somewhere in-between. I am here to reassure you of God’s love for you, to tell you what you want and need to hear on a weekly basis. But I’m also here to speak a prophetic word from time to time, and call you to righteousness. Today, it is God’s call that I want you to hear. God is calling all of you to be prophets. It doesn’t matter whether you were educated for the job or not. God calls each of you, just as he called the reluctant Jeremiah, to speak on God’s behalf.
Let me address a second confusion about the word “prophet.” Do you realize that the word “prophet” refers to a specific part of the body? That’s right, it does. It doesn’t refer to the hands, and it doesn’t refer to the feet. A prophet serves not as God’s hands and feet, but as God’s mouthpiece. Being a prophet requires a mouth. Most of us would rather do our witnessing for God with our hands and feet—caring for others, and going the extra mile. Hands and feet that serve others in love are vital to the church, and they do say much about God’s presence. But hands and feet are silent, and God calls us to speak as well. Prophets are the mouthpiece of God. Most of us would prefer to let our hands and feet do the talking. We’d like our example to speak for us. But that is not enough. In order to be prophets, we need to open our mouths.
A third and final confusion and excuse regarding being a prophet comes from the statement that Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to “the nations.” When we hear the word “nations”, we think of far away lands like China or Mexico or Africa. We think that to be a prophet “to the nations” means to become a foreign missionary, and take the word of God to far-off places. Few of us will do that, so once again, we are off the hook. If a prophet is one who goes to other nations of the world, I can escape being a prophet, and as a Lutheran, I want to escape being a prophet if at all possible.
Well, I’m sorry, you’re not off the hook. In the Bible, the word “nations” means ethnos—that is, ethnic groups who don’t know God. It also means Gentiles—people who don’t know Jesus. In other words, you don’t need to go to China or Mexico or Africa to be a prophet. A prophet is a talker, a mouthpiece for God, and you can stay right here at home and talk to plenty of ethnos and Gentiles.
When it comes to being a prophet, three confusions or excuses get in our way immediately. First, we think that somebody else is a prophet, not me. A prophet is a religious professional—not an ordinary person like me. Second, we think that we can be a prophet by being nice to someone with our hands and by going the second mile for them with our feet, but never opening our mouths to say anything about God. Finally, we think that prophets speak to far away nations, and that we are off the hook. So how do we break these old habits and misconceptions?
The first thing I would recommend is to start at home. Practice with those with whom you are comfortable. Only 12% of us talk to our families about Jesus on a weekly basis. We can do better. For God’s sake, say something to your family about the love of God at least once a week. Yelling to the kids on Sunday morning that it’s time to get up for church doesn’t count. Ask them what they learned in Sunday School, and comment on that. Or talk to your family about the sermon. See what they, and you, remember.
Use the resources that our church provides to reach out to those around you. At Christmas and Easter, we put invitations in your hand to put into the hands of those who are longing to know the Good News of Jesus Christ. In between times, we offer you Church “business cards”, that you can use to invite your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to worship here. They will be available to you after today’s service. Use them.
All of us want to see our church grow, and it will take all of us to make that happen. It will take all of us, reluctant as we are, to be prophets not only to the nations, but close to home. Do not be afraid. God has called each of you to this task, and will equip you to do it. Jeremiah reported that God put out his hand, and touched his mouth, and said to him, “See, now I have put my words into your mouth.”
God has done the same to each of us. There are no excuses. Being Lutheran doesn’t let you off the hook. Go and speak anyway. AMEN