Standing tall
Commentary
Today's Old Testament reading is a repeat for this year. Jeremiah 1:4-10 was also the reading for January 29. I refer you to this column of that date. Rather than repeat that column I have opted to suggest some alternate readings from Jeremiah that offer fertile soil for the preacher. They are readings that do not generally show up in the lectionary cycles.
There is an awesome quality to the epistle reading from Hebrews. It exudes reverence and awe as the writer speaks about the liturgy. There is no casual approach here to the gathering of the congregation for the service of Word and Sacrament.
In the gospel reading Luke tells us about a healing act of Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath, an act that triggers an argument with the leader of the congregation. It seems that every time Jesus goes to church a confrontation occurs. Reading about the bent-over lady reminds me of a story about a middle-aged man who went into a bargain store to try on a suit. The clerk brought out a suit for him to try on." It doesn't fit me; the sleeves are too long," he said to the clerk." Hunch your shoulders," the clerk said." The pants are too short," the customer continued." Bend over," suggested the clerk," now it fits." As the man was leaving the store wearing his new suit two ladies were entering." Look at that poor hunched man," one lady said to the other." I see him," replied the other," but doesn't his suit fit well?" That is what today's gospel reading is all about, the" suits" that others would force upon us and our need for liberation.
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Alternate Possibilities From Jeremiah 1:11-12
If you opt to repeat 1:4-11, extend the reading to verse 12. In verses 11 and 12 there is a play on words that is explained in the footnotes in your Bible. The almond tree is the first to awake in the spring. It becomes to Jeremiah a sign that God is awake and active. In our yards the crocus is the first to wake up. But even during the winter there is much invisible action going on underground as root systems continue to develop. There is a word here for us who live in a world where it often seems that God is absent from the scene. Luther spoke of the Deus absconditus, the hidden God. The absence of evidence of his presence does not constitute evidence of absence.
7:1-10:6
This bloc is the Temple Sermon of Jeremiah, and a scathing one it is. The prophet attacked the illusion that the people of Jerusalem and their temple enjoyed some sort of executive privilege when it came to judgment (9:11).
The Soliloquies of Jeremiah
Jeremiah is the one prophet who has given us a record of his own inner struggles. He entertains deep doubts and runs the gamut of emotions from self-pity, to despair, desperation, and anger. He goes through a dark night of the soul. We all know such times and in Jeremiah's soliloquies there is much with which we can identify and much that will bring us consolation (11:18-20, 17:5-8, 20:7-9, 20:10-13, 23:1-6, 31:7-9, 31:10-13).
Jeremiah 36
This chapter contains the dramatic story of the scroll that Jeremiah sends to King Jehoiakim and the king's response as the prophet's secretary, Jehudi, reads the scroll before the king. The story is self-explanatory. The king cuts out the words that rub him the wrong way. The King Jehoiakim Version of the scripture is a much abridged version.
38:1-13
This is the story of the rescue of Jeremiah by Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian eunuch, a man whose conscience compels him to become what we would call a whistle blower. Do some brooding over this story.
Hebrews 12:18-19
The awesome way the writer speaks of the liturgy as a foretaste of the worship of the church in heaven stands in judgment on the casual and unexpectant way we often gather for worship. Too many of us enter the sanctuary as casually as we enter the supermarket to do our shopping. The writer is not urging solemnity in worship but seriousness. The writer addresses the congregation as well as those who lead the services. How seriously do we who are pastors and teachers prepare for the Sunday gathering? What expectancy do the laity bring? Hebrews was addressed to a congregation that was, among other things, fairly well pooped out.
Luke 13:10-17
In biblical idiom, to stand up straight is to assume the human posture before God. Here is a woman who enters the synagogue, encounters Jesus, and leaves walking tall. As a woman and as a cripple the society around her would count her a social nobody. She leaves the synagogue with a new identity. Through the liberating word and deed of Jesus she recovers her true identity as a daughter of Abraham.
The judgments of others, especially authority figures, can have a crippling effect upon us and our sense of self-worth. Howard Thurman's grandmother who was a former slave would repeat to him the words of her black preacher," You are not slaves; you are beloved children."
Out of my scrapbook comes this quote whose origin I forget." Pathology at its roots is a case of mistaken identity." In the excellent movie, The Remains Of The Day, the superb actor, Anthony Hopkins, plays the role of a chief butler whose emotions, thoughts, and very humanity are stifled in his subservience to the English class system. Understanding whose we are, God's beloved sons and daughters, brings us into our own. We are subject to no one else's definition of our worth and personhood. This is the liberation Jesus brings.
There is an awesome quality to the epistle reading from Hebrews. It exudes reverence and awe as the writer speaks about the liturgy. There is no casual approach here to the gathering of the congregation for the service of Word and Sacrament.
In the gospel reading Luke tells us about a healing act of Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath, an act that triggers an argument with the leader of the congregation. It seems that every time Jesus goes to church a confrontation occurs. Reading about the bent-over lady reminds me of a story about a middle-aged man who went into a bargain store to try on a suit. The clerk brought out a suit for him to try on." It doesn't fit me; the sleeves are too long," he said to the clerk." Hunch your shoulders," the clerk said." The pants are too short," the customer continued." Bend over," suggested the clerk," now it fits." As the man was leaving the store wearing his new suit two ladies were entering." Look at that poor hunched man," one lady said to the other." I see him," replied the other," but doesn't his suit fit well?" That is what today's gospel reading is all about, the" suits" that others would force upon us and our need for liberation.
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Alternate Possibilities From Jeremiah 1:11-12
If you opt to repeat 1:4-11, extend the reading to verse 12. In verses 11 and 12 there is a play on words that is explained in the footnotes in your Bible. The almond tree is the first to awake in the spring. It becomes to Jeremiah a sign that God is awake and active. In our yards the crocus is the first to wake up. But even during the winter there is much invisible action going on underground as root systems continue to develop. There is a word here for us who live in a world where it often seems that God is absent from the scene. Luther spoke of the Deus absconditus, the hidden God. The absence of evidence of his presence does not constitute evidence of absence.
7:1-10:6
This bloc is the Temple Sermon of Jeremiah, and a scathing one it is. The prophet attacked the illusion that the people of Jerusalem and their temple enjoyed some sort of executive privilege when it came to judgment (9:11).
The Soliloquies of Jeremiah
Jeremiah is the one prophet who has given us a record of his own inner struggles. He entertains deep doubts and runs the gamut of emotions from self-pity, to despair, desperation, and anger. He goes through a dark night of the soul. We all know such times and in Jeremiah's soliloquies there is much with which we can identify and much that will bring us consolation (11:18-20, 17:5-8, 20:7-9, 20:10-13, 23:1-6, 31:7-9, 31:10-13).
Jeremiah 36
This chapter contains the dramatic story of the scroll that Jeremiah sends to King Jehoiakim and the king's response as the prophet's secretary, Jehudi, reads the scroll before the king. The story is self-explanatory. The king cuts out the words that rub him the wrong way. The King Jehoiakim Version of the scripture is a much abridged version.
38:1-13
This is the story of the rescue of Jeremiah by Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian eunuch, a man whose conscience compels him to become what we would call a whistle blower. Do some brooding over this story.
Hebrews 12:18-19
The awesome way the writer speaks of the liturgy as a foretaste of the worship of the church in heaven stands in judgment on the casual and unexpectant way we often gather for worship. Too many of us enter the sanctuary as casually as we enter the supermarket to do our shopping. The writer is not urging solemnity in worship but seriousness. The writer addresses the congregation as well as those who lead the services. How seriously do we who are pastors and teachers prepare for the Sunday gathering? What expectancy do the laity bring? Hebrews was addressed to a congregation that was, among other things, fairly well pooped out.
Luke 13:10-17
In biblical idiom, to stand up straight is to assume the human posture before God. Here is a woman who enters the synagogue, encounters Jesus, and leaves walking tall. As a woman and as a cripple the society around her would count her a social nobody. She leaves the synagogue with a new identity. Through the liberating word and deed of Jesus she recovers her true identity as a daughter of Abraham.
The judgments of others, especially authority figures, can have a crippling effect upon us and our sense of self-worth. Howard Thurman's grandmother who was a former slave would repeat to him the words of her black preacher," You are not slaves; you are beloved children."
Out of my scrapbook comes this quote whose origin I forget." Pathology at its roots is a case of mistaken identity." In the excellent movie, The Remains Of The Day, the superb actor, Anthony Hopkins, plays the role of a chief butler whose emotions, thoughts, and very humanity are stifled in his subservience to the English class system. Understanding whose we are, God's beloved sons and daughters, brings us into our own. We are subject to no one else's definition of our worth and personhood. This is the liberation Jesus brings.
