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Once upon a time there was a Cardinal. A St.
Louis Cardinal. The Cardinal realized that she had to attend
bird school. Well, bird school was an okay place, but the
Cardinal was not excited about bird school. She missed her days
as an independent, rebellious Cardinal. However, she managed to
make friends with some blue jays from Toronto, a set of really
nice twins from Minnesota, and some rather eccentric mud hens
from Toledo. Well, one day the Cardinal was called into Big
Bird’s office and was asked, “How would you like to spend your
summer with a congregation in Birmingham?” The Cardinal said,
“Okay! England sounds perfect!” But as the Cardinal flew to
Birmingham…not England…she was told that this Birmingham
was full of….TIGERS!!! But as she flew, she remembered something
that she studied in bird school. At first, it didn’t make much
sense, but as she got closer and closer to Birmingham, she
realized how incredibly important that lesson would be.
As such, I’d like to know: Have you ever made
the statement, “I cannot wait until…”? For example:
·
I cannot wait until I get out of debt.
·
I cannot wait until I find someone
special.
·
I cannot wait until I sell this house.
·
I cannot wait until I get a job.
·
I cannot wait until I get a better
job.
·
I cannot wait until I finish this
program at bird school.
Or better yet, have you ever set a benchmark
that would determine when you would really start to do
something? For example:
·
As soon as I am done having fun, I’ll
really go back to church.
·
As soon as I get a better paying job,
I’ll really go back to church.
·
As soon as I finish this project, I’ll
really go back to church.
·
As soon as the summer is over, I’ll
really go back to church.
Jeremiah 29 takes us down a path about what
God wants us to do when we are in these “until then” or “as soon
as” situations. This scripture is a letter from Jeremiah to
God’s chosen people – OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE! While it may
sound odd at first, Jeremiah takes time to document a message
from God to them and has it couriered special delivery. Why?
Separation from the familiar is more than inconvenient. In the
present day, for example, separation from our homes, our
vehicles, our Tivo is simply not an option. In separation, we
first realize how dependent we are and then go through the pangs
of withdrawal. Emotions range from complaining, laying blame or
even retaliation.
Jeremiah was very aware of the mood of his
audience. After all, by the 29th chapter he was the
messenger of multiple warnings to this group, including warnings
of their separation—warnings that clearly didn’t put much of a
dent in their behavior. So Jeremiah was very aware of their lack
of faith and their impatience. Not only does Jeremiah have to
tell them that they will not be free in the timeframe that false
prophets had promised them, but he also gives them instructions
on how to live and function in their new environment.
Now, imagine the frustration in having to
adjust to the reality of being removed from a familiar,
comfortable space to a foreign environment. Imagine receiving a
letter from someone and the anticipation of the letter, hoping
that it would contain a release date or any indication of a
return to your comfortable space. Imagine the disappointment
when realizing that none of those things are contained in the
letter, but instead are instructions on how to exist within that
new environment. They were instructions on how to endure, and
there were no signs of a return date. Now, imagine the grumbling
of “I cannot wait until…” Although it seems to be a hopeless
situation at first glance, there are certainly lessons we can
learn from such an experience. Here are some things that were an
inspiration to me, I mean the Cardinal, and things we all can do
“until then….”
1.
Until then, get God’s perspective. God does not make mistakes.
Verse 4 reads: “This is what the Lord
Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into
separation from Jerusalem to Babylon.” Who carried the Israelite
people into captivity? It was God! God put them in Babylon for a
reason. This is a difficult truth to accept. This is one of the
difficult aspects of believing in the sovereignty of God. The
sovereignty of God means that God knows, allows, or even sends
trials into our lives. Therefore, it is imperative that we get
God’s perspective on our situation.
In the book of Genesis, we have Joseph. When
he was a young man, he had a dream that his brothers would
someday be subservient to him. He had no more sense than to
share his dream with his brothers. Needless to say, they were
not thrilled with his dream. They were already jealous of him
because he was the favorite son of their father, Jacob. In their
anger, they kidnapped him and threw him into a deep pit while
they pondered what to do. During that time, a group of slave
traders happened by. One of the brothers suggested that they
sell their younger brother as a slave to these traders. They
decided to profit from their problem and sold their younger
brother to the slave traders.
Joseph spent a number of years living as a
slave in a foreign land. He prospered and gained authority in
Egypt. Joseph became the king’s right hand man. Over the course
of time, a famine struck the Israelite people, and Joseph’s
brothers went to Egypt seeking food. Guess who they stood
before, asking for food? You guessed it. They must get
permission from Joseph, their younger brother. At this point,
Joseph had grown up, and they did not recognize him. When he
identified himself to them, they were overcome with fear and
were concerned for their safety. They were thinking Joseph would
repay their actions with vengeance. In that crisis moment,
Joseph shared an important perspective of his situation. He
said: ”Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves
for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent
me ahead of you.” (Gen. 45:6) Joseph saw God’s hand, even in his
adversity. Joseph saw God’s perspective.
2.
Until then, don’t give up; get productive.
Sometimes
we blame our situation for our lack of service to God. It is
easy to make excuses:
·
I will serve God when I feel better.
·
I will serve God when things get
worked out at home.
·
I will share my faith when I am a
little more encouraged.
Look at
what God told the people in our text. You will find this in
verses 5-6:
Build houses and settle down; plant gardens
and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters;
find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so
that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number
there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of
the city to which I have carried you… Pray to the Lord for it.
Instead of blaming for their situation, God
wanted them to transform their situation. God told them in verse
5: “Build houses and settle down.” God was telling them that it
was not yet time to go home, and that they needed to maintain
the normal routines of their lives. The most accurate
translation of this phrase is “Build houses and live in them.”
They needed to understand that it was not an accident that they
were in Babylon, not an accident that they were out of their
comfort zones. True, the sins of the nation had led to this
result, but God was in control of the situation. He knew what He
was doing, and it was important that the people not give up. It
was vitally important that they keep trusting Him. By telling
them to build houses—even by communicating with them—God was
letting them know first of all that He had not forgotten them.
He made it clear in verse four that He was actually the one who
had sent them into Babylon. This was his doing, and He was in
charge. When He tells them to build houses, He is communicating
to them that He had not washed his hands of them and walked
away.
We are much the same, are we not? During
distressing times, we especially need to pay close attention to
what God says in his Word. Without that guidance, we might be
lulled into thinking that it’s no use, that nothing matters,
that it’s all over. Furthermore, it is a lot easier to endure
the adversities of life when we know deep in our hearts that God
is in charge of the situation, whatever it is. God is in
control. Trust Him to take care of you. Don’t give up!
3.
Until then, evaluate your foreign environment.
God provides very specific instructions to
his people. He instructs them to “build,” “dwell,” “plant,”
”increase”—all of which are action words that encourage the
Judeans to flourish in the interest of peace, well-being and
good health.
Verse 7 says: “Seek the peace of the city
where I have caused you to be carried away…and pray to the Lord
for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” This scripture
asks to seek peace, which means that it was possible for the
Judeans to attain peace in the midst of their foreign
environment. In this verse alone, the word “peace” is repeated
three times to emphasize the ultimate goal that God insists can
be accomplished in a foreign environment.
God shows himself as a God of increase, not
decrease, as He directs his people to do the same. Now consider
this: Is your environment fertile for increase and well-being or
is it an environment of decrease and discord? Remember that the
ultimate purpose of this situation was to show God’s people how
his presence can be truly felt in the midst of a lack of
comfort. This is not an oppressive God. Examine your situation
for its true purpose. Are you able to see God moving in your
situation, or are you “saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ [when] there
really is no peace?” (Jeremiah 8:11)
When we are in our own situations, we may be
tempted to be bogged down in the details of life. It may be
difficult to visualize what tomorrow will be like, much less
plan for next year or beyond. God is not finished with us yet,
and in spite of the way things may look at any given moment, it
is important for us to realize that God has a plan, that He
knows what that plan is, and that He is going to be faithful to
keep all the promises He has ever made. He has a future for us,
and for us to sit down and act as though there is no future is
to deny the inexplicable love of our Heavenly Father.
Field education helps one’s ability or
inability to bloom wherever they are planted. It epitomizes
one’s ability to truly love and serve through the eyes of Christ
and not through the eyes of society. Needless to say, my summer
has been no different. On occasion, people have asked me how I
felt. I knew what they meant and I answered with the standard,
“I’m doing fine.” As the weeks progressed, I realized that I was
not really fine. I began to live in fear.
-
Fearful that I would wake
up one Sunday and all the clergy would be sick and I would
have the responsibility of doing the liturgy, a sermon and
serving Holy Communion for 3,000 all by myself…..but I was
never in this alone.
-
Fearful that the staff at
Cass would not accept me because, in the past, I’ve been
shunned because I was told that I talked funny…..but they
did.
-
Fearful that you would
see me cry after I visited hospitals….but someone said to
me, “You’re human. It’s allowed.”
-
Fearful that if I didn’t
learn how to knit, I wouldn’t know how to make things for my
nephews since I’m not able to buy them what I used to…..but
I learned.
-
Fearful that I would
never hear the end of words like “black,” “white,”
“privileged,” “poor” and “lacrosse”….but I realized that
those words were actually okay because I did have some good
conversations with them.
-
Fearful that it would be
awkward to serve you Holy Communion because I knew there
were congregations that would have refused….but that never
happened.
-
Fearful that the Arbon
Dennis Group really would knock on the apartment door at
6:00 a.m. and sing some Methodist hymn to make sure that I
woke up and was not late for Men’s Group….but God protects.
-
Fearful that I would
never be able to put my true gratitude, appreciation and
surprise into adequate words….but here I am.
Well, needless to say, the Cardinal did grow
in Birmingham…not England. She had a fabulous time with the
Tigers because God showed her that He had equipped her with
tools to blossom wherever He planted her.
So, let me be an example of how God’s
guidance can help you bloom wherever He plants you. After all, I
am living proof that a Cardinal really can blossom in the great
company of Tigers.
Note: Thanks to the influence of Leland
Patrick and his teachings. Thanks to my “cabinet members”: Mom,
Dad and my brothers. |
