Sermon
I have been enjoying the few things that have been shared on the sections of the bulletin board in the hallway. There are pictures, a directory, pieces of cloth (stoles), a statement of faith, and a few drawings. It has been fun to have casual conversations about what those things mean to those who put them up, and what the time was like that the items represent. The hope is to fill each section, one section for each decade, with random items so that all of us can have those casual conversations. For me, it's a great way to learn about this community historically, and emotionally. For each of you, it's a time to reminisce about something you remember, depending on how long you have been a part of Bethany.
I love looking at all the faces and imagining each one individually, having a full personal story all of their own. Each single face represents many loves, friends, family members, hopes and fears, accomplishments and dreams, and disappointments. Each single face represents a person who has grown and overcome barriers or setbacks, and each flows forward in the ebb and flow we know as human life. And then, as each life and family was independently called and led by God to their next steps, somehow those lives intersected with the life of this community called Bethany. Looking at a community as a whole over time, church communities often categorize themselves according to different criteria. These years were when we had more than 100 members, these years were when we had lots of teens, or many activities, or fewer babies, etc. The categories are according to numbers. Or churches divide their history according to an event – before and after this or that. Certainly the current Bethany community will always talk about before COVID, and after – if there is an “after.” We'll have to see. Another criteria for churches to use to divide their history is according to when different pastors were leading the congregation. This community has had both long term and short term pastors, and interim pastors, and supply pastors for a few months most recently before the congregation and leadership made the forward thinking decision to go ahead and call a pastor. As we work through that process currently, it is timely for today's scripture to be in the lectionary.
Ephesians 4 reminds us that we are all called by God and given certain gifts. Paul writes, “Therefore it is said, “When [Christ] ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”
Jeremiah as an individual was called to be a prophet. We may be called to be prophetic also, or to teach, or to evangelize. We are all called according to our gifts to be equipped as saints for the work of ministry. Reading today's scriptural introduction to Jeremiah and his call helps us to see how communities are called as one body also.
Ideally, all Christians work together to be Christ's body in the world. Many as one body. Using that sentiment, I want to take all that this text says about a single person, Jeremiah, or you or me, and apply the text to Bethany, as the one to whom this text is speaking. Not just one person, but one body of Bethany Presbyterian Church that we are all a part of. What would happen if we read today's text as if it referred to this church, before we gave thought to how we might answer the Committee on Ministry's inquiries about our next steps? Let's try experimenting with this call by God to the community here:
Now the word of the Lord came to Bethany saying, “Before I formed this community in its infancy, I knew you, and before this community was born I consecrated Bethany; I appointed Bethany a prophet to the nations.” Then the Bethany community said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly we do not know how to speak, for we are only children.” But the Lord said to this community, “Do not say, 'We are only children'; for Bethany shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of others, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched Bethany's lips and the Lord said to us, “Now I have put my words in your mouths. See, today I appoint Bethany over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
The first thing to notice is that God knew about Bethany before anyone. God helped to bring about the circumstances that made this church happen here. Being consecrated to do God's work has made the past 65+ years possible. This community, formed, consecrated and appointed to be about the ministry of Christ in the world here in this place. At each juncture, God shows us our next appointment and we may say, oh, I don't know, maybe that's not the direction we're supposed to be heading right now. “Truly we do not know how to speak for we are only children. Do not say, “We are only children' for Bethany shall go to all to whom we are sent and speak whatever Christ leads us to say. Saying “We are only children” may come from a place of wanting to avoid the call from God. We can't do that God, it's too hard, it will take too much, it's not for us. Children have perhaps limited knowledge and limited training, but let's use the humility of recognizing our limits while still facing the road ahead – knowing that God is putting God's word in our mouths, God's hopes into our hands. Humility yes; avoidance no. Humility is key. And yet, within that humility we can also be bold.
Every new journey in the life of a congregation begins with the recognition that a change is coming. How we remain faithful and confident in God throughout our journey, we should remember that God told Jeremiah and God is telling us, do not be afraid. Christ is God with us and God's words are on our lips.
While Bethany is not literally appointed over nations and kingdoms, Bethany is called to be Christ's word in the world. What “nation” or “kingdom” might be destroyed or cut down or dismantled by what we do? We might be called to pluck up and tear down. Or maybe we're called to build up and to plant seeds. Jeremiah's call to be a prophet consisted of all of these things during his 39 year time of prophecy. He was reluctant, but obedient to this call, and faithful that God was with him. The qualities of a prophet listed in Jeremiah 1 “include not being afraid, standing up to speak, speaking as told, and going where sent.”
Nothing about being like Jeremiah is easy for our current time. The call though is the same. God has known and been a part of Bethany since before the beginning. God has been constantly guiding this community. Discernment is not only for times of transition. It's not like we get to make a decision, get through it, and then go back to some other way of being. Chances are it is we who are being dismantled and torn down on the way to being built up and planted. We are being molded by Christ in our lives at the same time as we are being a part of working outside of ourselves. It's like taking in and pouring out simultaneously. We need to define who we are and what we are, trusting that God is communicating that to us.
God communicates to us through our relationship with Christ through worship, through scripture, through song, through prayer, through reflection and through rest and play. The more we engage in all of these types of communication with creativity and our whole hearts, the more we will be open to hearing maybe a new word. Let's continue to celebrate the gifts that we have been given, and decide how we can be part of equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.
Let us pray,