For this month of August, we are focusing on our appointed Old Testament readings from two of the major prophets, the Prophet Isaiah and the Prophet Jeremiah. They are known as “major prophets,” not because they are more important than the other prophets that we find in the Old Testament but because of the length of the books.
For the first two weeks of August, our focus has been on the Prophet Isaiah who provided two messages from heaven for us, “Do Good,” and “You Can Get Through This.”
This week, we are introduced to the Prophet Jeremiah, who like Isaiah lived during a very challenging time for the people of Israel. When God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet, the northern Kingdom of Israel had already been taken over by the Assyrian Empire. And now, the Babylonian Empire is threatening to take over the southern kingdom of Judah.
Today’s message from heaven is “You Can Do This!” It’s a message that is connected with when God calls young Jeremiah to be a prophet.
Based on Jeremiah’s reaction to God in this story in which he basically says, “Ah, Lord God, but I’m only a freshman and I’ve just arrived here on campus,” we can assume that Jeremiah is fully aware of the uncertain future that awaits him. Why wouldn’t God pick someone else with more experience for such a time as this?
Even though we all know how this back and forth between God and Jeremiah is going to go… this story just never gets old.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re a freshman and you haven’t even been to the Involvement Fair yet, but I’d like you to sign up for something that will be the adventure of a lifetime. You’re just the person I have in mind to shine some light in this darkened world.”
“You can do this, Jeremiah. Don’t be afraid for I will be with you to deliver you.”
“Wait, what do you mean, ‘deliver me?’ That doesn’t sound very promising!”
Just imagine what was going through Jeremiah’s mind as he was thinking about all of this. Fear, uncertainty, questions, lots of questions. Lots of questions.
Even though Jeremiah is young, he knows that he is living during a very troubling, turbulent, and uncertain time during Israel’s history. Israel is a divided nation. There are times when they are faithful to God but there are also times when they fail to be God’s people. And this leads to very devastating consequences where they become vulnerable to the surrounding empires.
Jeremiah knows that this calling from God will not be easy. He will need to have a a solid grasp of the geo-political realities that face him. He will need to quickly develop thick skin especially when there will be times he will need to share words from God that the people will not want to hear. This will be a difficult road for him to navigate.
I’ve shared with you before how as a college student I attended a spiritual retreat where it was this same scripture reading from Jeremiah that I realized God calling was calling me into the pastoral ministry. Up to that point, everybody knew that God was calling me into the ministry: my parents, my brother, my friends in college, my home church.
Everybody except me knew that God was calling me into the ministry. And the reason that I was the last one to know was because I didn’t feel equipped to become a pastor. I felt there were other people God could have chosen instead of me. Why me?
This Jeremiah reading was turning that question upside down, “Why not, you?”
Why not you? God was telling Jeremiah, “If you are feeling inadequate to take this on, just remember that I will be with you every step of the way. And if you’re wondering what messages from heaven you are to speak to the people, I’ll give you the words to speak. I will put my words in your mouth.”
That’s what did it for me. When I read that, I realized that God was calling me to go into the ministry.
A smile always comes to my face when I see this appointed scripture passage coming up on the church calendar because this is the scripture that unlocked my fears and uncertainties about responding to God’s calling in my life. I am Jeremiah in this scripture reading.
“But God, I’m only….” “But God, what about…” “But God, what am I going to say…”
“Jeremiah, Robert, whatever your name may be, Do not be afraid for I am with you to deliver you. I have put my words in your mouth.”
John Ruiz is a United Methodist Pastor and a hospital chaplain. He shares the story of when he served three small churches along the Ohio River. While he was there, he enjoyed spending time by the river and he would bring his black lab with him.
One day, as he was sitting on a rock and looking at the beautiful river, he watched a huge barge approaching. And as he watched it, a light bulb went off in his head. He noticed that something was pushing the barge, not pulling it.
He grew up hearing stories of tugboats, but this was different. That large barge was being pushed, not pulled.
He mentioned this observation with the people in his church who had grown up by the river. They explained to him why you must push the barge and not tug the barge to navigate the river.
If you are tugging, then the pilot is frequently looking backwards, and you could easily get stuck in the mud if you are looking backwards while navigating the Ohio River. Pushing the barge means the pilot has their vision forward. This is what helps them to navigate the twists and turns that are necessary during the journey on the river.
When God tells Jeremiah to not be afraid, that he will be with him, and will give him the words to speak, he is a lot like that tugboat that pushes us forward so that we can focus on what is ahead.
This image of a tugboat reminds me so much of how God’s grace is often described. God’s grace is what propels us forward and leads us in the direction that God is calling us to go.
William Wilberforce was a devout Christian and member of the British Parliament from 1780 to 1825. He is best known for abolishing the slave trade and slavery itself in all the British territories.
He can trace his calling to May 12, 1787. Sitting under a large oak tree, a friend challenged him by saying, “Wilberforce, why don’t you give notice of a motion on the subject of the Slave Trade? You have already taken great pains to collect evidence, and are therefore fully entitled to the credit which doing so will ensure you. Do not lose time, or the ground will be occupied by another.”
Wilberforce’s response is not recorded, but he later declared in old age that he could distinctly remember the very knoll on which he was sitting near Pitt where he made his decision.
It took William Wilberforce 18 years to get his motion to abolish the slave trade passed. 18 years. And then just four days before his death, Parliament finally passed a motion to end all slavery in the British territories. A year after William Wilberforce died, almost one million slaves were set free from the evil force of slavery.
One of the reasons why Wilberforce didn’t give up during those long 18 years was because of a letter of encouragement that he received from John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. Wesley wrote that letter of encouragement just before Wesley died.
Here is what Wesley wrote to him: “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well-doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of His might, till even American slavery, the vilest that ever saw the sun shall vanish away before it.”
When God called Jeremiah to be his prophet, he assured him, “Do not be afraid for I am with you to deliver you.” When God calls upon us to make this world a better place, God also provides tug boats that push us forward so that we can see the way ahead as we live out God’s calling in our lives. Sometimes these tugboats take the form of letters of encouragement, prayers of support, and a church family that is here to surround you with God’s love and guidance.
I know that commencement addresses are usually only given at the end of a semester and not at the beginning of one. But today, I’d like to close with these words from the commencement address that Professor Mike Sweeney offered at the 2019 May commencement ceremony here at Ohio University.
Mike was a beloved professor and was a faithful member of this church, serving as our Leadership Board chairperson during our recent building renovations. Mike died this past January from cancer but even right up to when he passed, he continued to encourage and cheer me on during our visits together. Mike was one of my tugboats here at Athens First. His encouragement and support were invaluable to me especially during those early years.
The line that often gets repeated from Mike’s 2019 graduate commencement address is his quote from Bob Dylan, “You’ve gotta serve somebody.”
And the “take-away line” from that quote was when Mike told the graduates, “Find a way to make your life count for others and it will count for you.”
Today’s message from heaven from Jeremiah is to not be afraid, God will be with you and will give you the words to speak to make this world a better place. Find a way to make your life count for others and it will count for you.
In short. The message from heaven for each one of us today especially as we begin this new school year is…
You can do it!
Messages from Heaven: You Can Do It!
Sermon Discussion Questions
Jeremiah 1:4-10
August 21, 2022
We are in the 3rd of a 4-week sermon series on the theme, “Messages from Heaven.” This series is based on our appointed Old Testament readings from Isaiah and Jeremiah. The primary purpose of prophets in the Old Testament was to relay messages from God to the people of Israel. To understanding the prophets in the Old Testament (there are 16 of them!), it’s important to know when God called them to serve as prophets. Isaiah and Jeremiah lived when Israel was a divided nation (the northern kingdom of Israel & the southern kingdom of Judah.) Both of these kingdoms would end up in exile (Israel in 722 BCE and Judah in 586 BCE.) Because of this very volatile time in Israel’s history, God called upon Isaiah and Jeremiah to speak timely messages from God to the people to help them remain faithful and not lose hope. For the 3rd week of our series, the message from heaven was meant for Jeremiah himself. “You can do it!”
As you continue to reflect on last Sunday’s message from heaven which was “You’ll get through this,” share a time from this past week where you felt God helping you through a challenging situation.
This week, our focus is on Jeremiah who was living during a time when the Babylonian Empire was threatening to take over Judah, the southern kingdom. When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, his response was, “Ah, Lord God!” In other words, “Can’t you find someone else?”
When have you felt ill-equipped to take on a new task that God had in mind for you? How was your response similar or different from Jeremiah’s response?
John Ruiz is a pastor who served 3 small churches along the Ohio river. During his times by the river, he learned that the barges were being pushed and not pulled by tugboats. The reason for this which he later discovered from members of his churches was that this is what helps the pilot to look forward and not backward making it easier to navigate the river. This illustration is to remind us that when God calls us to a certain task, God encourages us to keep our eyes looking forward.
Share some people who have been like tugboats for you keeping you moving forward to help you reach your goals.
Pastor Robert shared the example of William Wilberforce, an 18th/19th century member of British Parliament who felt called by God to overturn laws to help end the slave trade. It took him 18 years to get his motion to abolish the slave trade abolished. A year after Wilberforce died, one million slaves were set free. One of John Wesley’s last letters was to encourage William Wilberforce to not give up the fight to end the slave trade.
Who is God calling you to encourage to not give up and to keep moving forward in making a positive difference in our community and world?
In his 2019 Ohio University commencement address to the graduates, Dr. Mike Sweeney, a member of our church told the graduates, “Find a way to make your life count for others and it will count for you.” When God calls us to a certain task like God did for Jeremiah, it’s important for us to remember that we can do it with God’s help. Offer this prayer that was part of our Sunday worship service:
O God, thank you for the prophets who offer us messages from heaven. You have called our names to follow you, but too often, our fears and worries drown out your voice. We forget that you are a God who is more than able to give us what we need to accomplish your purposes. Why would we ever doubt your ability to strengthen, guide, and equip us for what you have called us to do? In you, we renew our hope and trust. Open our ears to hear your message from heaven for us today. Amen.
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