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Jeremiah 2:4-13
When I was a boy scout we went camping. I remember one place we camped we had to go to a central spigot to get water. We had these large jugs that carried three or four gallons of water. We have to carry them a ways through the woods to get them to the camp site. But if we wanted clean water for cooking and washing and drinking we had to carry it.
I remember one time when I was doing it. Because the jug was so large it was hard to pour anything out of it so it had a little faucet at the bottom where you could simply put the jug on a table and turn the handle and the water would pour out. Well I filled up the container and began carrying it to the camp site. By the time I had gotten to the camp site it was almost empty. Apparently the faucet had been knocked open and had leaked the whole way back to the camp site. I had walked all that way and had to do it all over again.
Some people's religion is like that. Their religion holds no water. They may be sincere and dedicated. But when their hearts and souls get thirsty or they need some help there is nothing there. Their religion is not a source of strength but a burden. Like carrying a leaking jug of water through the woods of life.
In our lesson today Jeremiah is telling the people that their religion holds no water. He compares their spirituality to a leaking cistern that cannot hold water. He says they have abandoned God the source of living water. Then to compound the error try to provide water for themselves by digging cistern that ultimately leaked. They had forsaken the faith of their ancestors. God had brought them through the wilderness, an arid land, providing living water for them and food for them. But they forgot and did not seek God.
This was a problem from the top of their social hierarchy all the way down. Their leaders had abandoned God. "The priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord?'" Their judges did not seek God's wisdom on administering the law. Their political leaders did not respect right and wrong. Even their prophets prophesied by false gods instead of the one true God.
Jeremiah says that this situation existed all over. From the western shore of Cyprus to the eastern border of Kedar, it is the same. The people worship false gods. They have forgotten God and think they can take care of themselves without help from heaven. Their religion holds no water!
So why did their religion hold no waster? Because they had abandoned God. You see God is the source of true water. God is the only one who can sustain us. God is the only one who can give us the hope and peace and joy and love we need to go on. If we try to gather the essentials for spiritual life for ourselves and hold on it will leak away. We need to trust in God on a daily basis what we need.
You remember the woman at the well. She was living by a religion that held no water. She thought that the answer came in worship in the right place either in the mountains or in Jerusalem. We don't know the path she had followed in life but it had led her to a place where she had been cast off by 4 husbands and was alienated by her community. She was empty emotionally and spiritually when she met Jesus at the well.
But Jesus offered her living water. Not like the well that you had to go to every day to get more. Jesus offered her a spring of living water that would well up inside of her. She was emotionally and spiritually a desert and Jesus offered her the opportunity to become an oasis. And she left the well to take the good news of the water of life to the rest of her community.
Does your religion hold water? Does it sustain you and give you strength? Or is it a burden? Now I am not asking if you have to work at it. Being a father is hard and being a good husband can be difficult. Can I hear an Amen? But at the same time it is a joy.
When you work at your religion is it a joy or a burden. Does it lift you up or tire you out? When you are thirsty can you go to the well and be refreshed. Is your religious like a desert or an oasis?
If your religious life is a burden it could be that your religion holds no water. You could be in the same situation as the people of Jeremiah's day. And you need to reexamine yourself. Have you forgotten the God who brought you out of slavery and into the Promised Land? Have you lost sight of the cross that Jesus died on to save you from your sins? Have you forgotten the empty tomb that proclaims the gift of eternal life?
Luke 14:1, 7-14
I guess it is true you can find everything in the Bible - even directions for etiquette. Jesus was at a dinner party and he began to give his fellow partiers some advice on how to act at a party. But he wasn't really talking about dinner party etiquette. He began by saying "When you are invited to a wedding banquet �" A wedding banquet? But they were not at a wedding banquet. In the Bible a wedding banquet is a metaphor for the Kingdom of God. When you are invited to the wedding banquet for Jesus and the church �.
But we are invited to that wedding banquet. The cross is the engraved invitation. Through Jesus we have been made a part of God's people. We already are personally invited to the celebration when Jesus comes at the end of time.
So how should we act? What is the etiquette for this banquet? What did Jesus say?
The first thing Jesus says it to choose your seat carefully. Jesus watched and the people were choosing their places carefully. They were at the dinner party of a prominent Pharisee. They wanted to look prominent. So they jostled for seats closest to the host so that they would look important.
But Jesus doesn't give them advice on how to look prominent. He says take the lowest place at the table. Humble yourself. Then you will not be embarrassed by someone who is more important being given your seat. In fact you may be honored by being asked to sit closer to the host.
Maybe this is why good Methodists always sit on the back row first! Of course Jesus is talking about more than where you sit. He is calling those invited to his wedding banquet to humble themselves. The way of the world is to look out for #1 and promote yourself. Jesus says that if we exalt ourselves then that is all the exaltation we will get. But if we humble ourselves then we leave God the opportunity to exalt us.
In fact those who humble themselves will be given the highest places. Jesus is an example of this. He humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. And because he humble himself he has been give a place that is above all!
The next thing Jesus tells his guests is when they give a party they should invite not just the high and mighty but also the humble and lowly. Isn't this what God does? Through Jesus we have all been invited to the wedding banquet! And Jesus went particularly to those who were not invited to the wedding banquets on this world. He went to the poor, the sick, the outcast, the Samaritans etc.
That is not what the prominent Pharisee did. He invited the people with high social status. He invited Jesus because Jesus was the talk of the town and having a famous rabbi at his dinner party would make him the talk of the town. No one would dare miss the next party after Jesus had been to his last.
It's interesting that right before this, between the verse about Jesus being invited to the party and Jesus talking about the weeding feast, a sick man come to Jesus to be healed. It is notable first because it is the Sabbath and Jesus healed him on the Sabbath. But somehow I suspect that the man was not invited! I mean who would want to invite a sick man to your dinner party anyway. So he crashed the party to be healed.
We too should reach out to the outcast in our world. We should not seek to rub shoulders with those who can repay us with business and position and patronage. We should reach out to those who are unable to repay us in any way. Churches do not reach out to the needy just so that maybe they will join the church someday. And we do not invite people to join the church so that we can get them to pledge. We reach out to the needy because God loves them and they need help. We invite people to church because they need a vital relationship with God and a supportive church family. We reach out in love because Jesus first reached out to us.
When you are invited to a wedding banquet you should know how to act. Don't seek places of prominence for yourself. Instead seek humble places and leave the prominent ones for others. And when you throw a celebration, invite everyone. That, after all, is what God did.
You are invited to a wedding banquet! Here is the appetizer. Come to this table. Not to be seen by others. But humble yourself before God.
Hebrews 13:10-17
One day the Prime Minister of Israel was visiting the President of the United States. They were sitting in the Oval office just talking. Then the President pointed to a red phone on his desk. With a proud air he said, "Have you ever seen one of these? It is a dedicated line to God.
The prime minister of Israel was unimpressed. He said "I have one of those too." The President said, "Do you use it much. I find that the long distance charges are exorbitant! We have enough national debt as it is. Do you have that problem?"
The Prime Minister of Israel just waved the question off and smugly replied: "I don't have that problem. You see from my office it is a local call."
I guess this could be the theme of the book of Hebrews in reverse. Basically Hebrews argues that though Jesus, God is a local call for us Christians. God used to be a long distance call under the Old Covenant or Testament made with Israel at Mount Sini. That Old Testament was one of animal sacrifices. But under the New Covenant or New Testament God is made accessible because of Jesus!
This idea is pretty basic to us modern day Christians. But I think we often miss what this really means. The thing that Hebrews does is that it uses the symbols and the imagery of the Old Testament, the old time religion, to explain the New Testament, the new time religion. So to understand what is being said here we have to understand the old time religion of the Old Testament.\
The first thing that our lesson says is that "We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat." When the Children of Israel were wandering through the desert and for a long time after they arrived in the promised land they worshipped God in a tent. It is sometimes called the Tabernacle. And it was really a series of tents within tents. In the center was the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was. And near it was an altar. Not everyone was allowed to approach the Altar, only the priests and only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies to be in the presence of God. And many of the sacrifices made on the altar could be eaten only by the priests.
So the people only had access to sacrifice and to God through the priests. That was the Old Time religion, but through Jesus and this new time religion we have an altar that even they could not access. Through Jesus we have a direct line to God and it is now a local call. By the Grace of God we can know God in a way that those who used to worship in the Tabernacle could not!
The next thing that Hebrews says is, "For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp." The first verse focused on the sacrificial system as a whole, but this verse focuses on a particular part of the sacrificial system of the old religion. Specifically the Day of Atonement. Once a year an animal was sacrificed for the sins of the people and the blood from the sacrifice was taken by the High Priest into the innermost sanctuary called the Holy of Holies to be sprinkled there. This made atonement to God for the sins of all Israel. Unlike some other sacrifices, the body of the animal for this sacrifice was not eaten by the priests. Instead it was taken outside the camp and burned like trash.
Of course under our new religion, the New Testament, we don't make sacrifices for our sins. That is because Jesus was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. He was the Lamb of God that makes atonement, paying for the sins of the world. But he was nailed to a cross outside the city. Crucifixions were conducted outside the city because the laws of Moses considered any contact with a dead body to cause ritual uncleanness. Jesus had been judged, or rather misjudged, to be unclean a blasphemer because he claimed to be the Messiah. So the breaking of the body that atones for our sins was done outside the city.
The cross itself is an example of this. You know the cross was an instrument of death and torture. It was considered unclean. But Because Jesus' blood was shed on a cross to save us all it has been cleansed. You wouldn't wear a hangman's noose or an electric chair around your neck or on your earrings. But we treat it as a symbol of God's love and grace not an instrument of death. Jesus' blood has made something ugly and evil into something beautiful and good. In the same way the blood of Christ shed outside the city of the old religion has cleansed us and made us insiders in a whole new and glorious way.
So, through Jesus we have a direct line to God and we are made insiders by the one who came outside to die for us. So what should we do in response to this great act of God's grace? "Therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured." We should go where Jesus is. He went outside of the boundaries of the old time religion to bring God's grace to those who were closed out. We too should take the gospel to the people outside the church so that they can have a local line to God through Jesus Christ. Like him we may suffer abuse for that, but that is little in comparison to the sacrifice he made for us.
What should we do? "Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." We no longer offer sacrifices of animals to God, but we can offer up our praise and devotion. I am not just talking about singing. God can be praised in so many different ways: Through art like these banners here. Through dance, through drama, through our words and action and attitudes. We should give our hearts to him!
What else should we do? "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." We should serve God. We should love our neighbor and seek to do good for others. We should feed the hungry clothe the naked, comfort the distraught, heal the physically and emotionally injured and seek justice for the vulnerable. God no longer asks for lambs and rams and calves given in sacrifices on altars. Jesus took care of all that. What he wants is sacrifices of righteousness and love given on the altar of our hearts.
"Oh give me that new time religion, give me that new time religion, give me that new time religion its good enough for me!" The old time religion of the Old Testament was about separation from God. And that is appropriate for humanity is separated from God by sin. But reaching God required making a long distance phone call through priests and sacrifices. The long distance phone bill included animals slaughtered on the altar.
But though Jesus we have a new time religion. In this new religion we who were once outside, have been included. We have been given an altar in the Holy of holies that no one else has ever been able to access. God is now a local call. But it is not free. There is still a long distance phone bill. The difference is that it has been prepaid by Jesus on the Cross.
God in grace has given us the New Time Religion! What should we do? Give yourself to him, make your life a sacrifice to him. Go outside the camp and seek out the lost. Perform sacrifices of love and justice in your community. And make your life a praise and sacrifice to God.
Give me that new time religion! Amen!
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Jesus was invited to a feast. The feast was given by one of the leaders of the Pharisees. Now we might think this strange. So often the Pharisees seem to be enemies with Jesus. But Jesus was a common topic of discussion. What better entertainment than to have the Nazarene at your party. He told such spellbinding stories. And everyone was talking about the miracles he did and the things he said. Why, what a better evening's entertainment than to get to know a potential Messiah over some kippered herring and wine.
Well Jesus arrived at the party and watched the people. Jesus was a people watcher. He observed things that people did and from his perspective as the Son of God he saw things others didn't. He saw how the guests were trying to get the best places, the places of honor at the head table, for themselves. He also noticed who the host had invited: a wealthy banker, a well known politician, a physician to the famous, an entertainer - the kind of people that always attract others like them to a dinner party. But more importantly Jesus noticed who was not invited.
I imagine that as the guests began to make their way to be seated at the table Jesus took the lowest place at the table. The host, recognizing that Jesus had done this called to him, "Rabbi, why have you sat there?" "Come here and sit next to me." Then realizing that some upwardly mobile Sadducee or scribe had sat in that seat he turned to him and said, "You don't mind if the Rabbi sits here now do you?" And not wishing to make a scene the man gets up and finds that the only place left is the lowest one and so he takes it.
Now Jesus was always sensitive to people: their interests and needs. Since it was a party he thought he should talk about a party and since the people were interested in having the best place with the best people he would talk about that too. So Jesus spoke to the people and he said, "When you are invited to a wedding banquet, don't choose the best places for yourself. You take the lowest place: the table in the back corner by the kitchen. And leave the better places for others. After all if you choose the best spot and someone more famous comes late you may be asked to move and wouldn't that be embarrassing. And if you sat in a lower place they might ask you to move up." Then Jesus turned to his host and said, "When you have a party don't invite your friends and relatives; the rich and famous. After all they will probably return the favor and invite you to their next feast. Instead invite the poor and lame; people who cannot return the favor. If you do that God will repay you at the end of time and God can do a much better job at blessing than any of your rich friends.
Jesus' point was not so much how we should act at a party but how one should act in general. In this world people are always looking out for number one. They are trying to get what is best for themselves. It's a dog eat dog world, and the biggest dog dines last. But Jesus was saying that instead of taking care of ourselves, we should be taking care of others. Instead of seeking our own advantage we should seek advantage for others. Our thoughts for others should not be how they can bless us. It should be how we can truly help them and who better to truly help than those who truly need it. The rich and famous have their own food they don't need mine, but there are some who need it, they should be invited to dine. After all the blessings of the rich and famous are nothing compared to the eternal blessings bestowed by God.
But there is an even deeper level to this lesson in manners. Why do people seek the best places and positions in life? The answer is easy. They think that power, position, and privilege will save them. Their faith is in earthly power. And why do people invite the rich and famous to their parties. They think that their powerful and influential friends can save them in the day or trouble. Their faith is in people and human influence. But only God can save us in the time to trial. So we should abandon attempts to seek position and connections with influential and powerful people. Instead we should trust God and put others first so that we have a connection with Almighty God.
But there is another dimension to this story. I can never read of Jesus sitting down to a table and not think of the banquet that he is preparing for us in heaven as we speak. And I think Jesus was thinking of that heavenly banquet too. You know why? Jesus begins by saying, "When you are invited to a wedding banquet..." Now Jesus was not at a wedding banquet, this was just an ordinary party. But he had often referred to the coming of the kingdom as a wedding banquet. And after all Jesus had come to earth to invite everyone to the Kingdom banquet to celebrate the union of Christ with God's people.
The manners that he outlines are kingdom manners. They are the manners that people accepting the invitation to his wedding banquet are to follow. As people who have accepted Christ and his invitation we are to humble ourselves and put others first. We are to seek favor with God instead of favor with rich and influential people. We are to put our faith in God and not earthly position and prestige. After all Christ took a lowly place among us to invite the spiritually blind, the lost, the sin sick, to his banquet.
I also can't help to think of this meal: Holy Communion. This is more than just a way of remembering Jesus' Last Supper. It is a means of grace, a foretaste, an appetizer if you will, of the heavenly banquet to come. But mind your manners. We don't come to this meal to see and be seen, for only God can truly bless us and God sees all. We don't come here to gain advantage or position but rather to receive help in gaining others a position in the kingdom. The blessings we receive are meant to be used for the benefit of others. You are invited to the feast of the age, the wedding banquet of God's Son. Come; not so much to be served as to serve, not for yourself but for others.