Jeremiah 1:4-10 * January 31,
2010 * Epiphany 4 * Pastor Pagels
In the name of the
One who has called us to faith and who calls us to serve, dear friends:
With the recent
freezing temperatures and sub-zero wind chills there is probably a good chance
that I was the only one who was thinking about the Fourth of July this past
week, but I had a good reason. Last week
I received in the mail a registration form from the Wauwatosa Civic Celebration
Commission to reserve a place in this year’s Fourth of July parade (by the way,
because the 4th is on a Sunday this year the parade will actually be
on Monday, July 5th). As I
looked over the information, I was reminded why now more than ever it is
important for us to remember this day, even in the cold, dark days of winter.
More than any other
holiday the Fourth of July gives Americans the opportunity to reflect. We remember the people who fought and died to
preserve the freedoms we enjoy. We remember
the soldiers who are serving thousands of miles away from their families and
friends. Through the traditional
fireworks displays and parades, we salute the men and women (including some of
our own members) who have answered our nation’s call to serve.
That call is
captured best by one enduring symbol, a poster. This picture depicts a gray-bearded man decked
out in patriotic red, white, and blue.
There is a sense of urgency in his eyes as he points his finger at
anyone who passes by and says, “I Want
You.” Uncle Sam and the
In the sermon text
for today you could say that the Lord is pointing his finger at someone, and
his call has even greater urgency. The
Lord called Jeremiah to be his prophet during the darkest time in
The Lord doesn’t
operate the exact same way today. He
doesn’t come to people directly. He
doesn’t make his presence known via spectacular visions. But God still speaks to his people through
his Word, and he continues to call workers into his harvest field. Whether that call is general or specific, God
looks each one of us in the eye and says…
“I WANT YOU”
I. The Lord calls us
II. The Lord goes with us
III. The Lord equips us
Listen carefully to
the way Jeremiah describes his call from God: “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart’” (4,5a). Right from the start Jeremiah recognized
that he was not the important part of this equation. God came to him. God called him. And God had every right to do so because he
was the one who had given Jeremiah life.
The Lord knew
Jeremiah before he was born. He knew
Jeremiah before he was conceived. He had
an intimate knowledge of Jeremiah before the creation of the world. The Lord knew Jeremiah better than anyone
else, even better than Jeremiah knew himself.
Every day of
Jeremiah’s life was a gift from God, but his spiritual life was an even greater
blessing. Before there was ever a person
named Jeremiah, God had chosen him to be his child. Not because Jeremiah was perfect. Not because Jeremiah was a little better than
the people around him. Not because of
anything in Jeremiah at all. Jeremiah’s
faith stands as a monument to the amazing grace of God.
And it is perhaps
even more amazing that God calls sinful people, sinners like Jeremiah, clay
jars like you and me, to do his work. In
the opening verses of this chapter, Jeremiah tells us a little bit about his
family background. He grew up in the
So maybe Jeremiah
assumed that he would follow in his father’s footsteps. Maybe he just assumed that he would enter the
Lord’s service one day. Maybe he had it
in his head that he would be the next great prophet who would turn his people
from their wicked ways. It’s possible, but
it’s more likely that Jeremiah was unaware of God’s plan for his life.
And that’s a great
comfort, knowing that the fate of God’s kingdom doesn’t rest in our sinful
hands. The advancement of God’s kingdom
doesn’t depend on human decisions and ambitions. God doesn’t wait for us to decide what we will
do and how we will do it.
The Lord reinforced
that point when he reminded Jeremiah: “I
appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (5b). Those words don’t leave any room for
confusion. God called Jeremiah. He told him what to do. He told him where to go. And the same Lord supplies workers for his
church today, doesn’t he?
Maybe you have seen some
of the alarming statistics. These days
the ministry isn’t a popular profession.
Across the board there is a shortage of Christian clergy in our country,
and our church body is not immune. For
the first time in a long, long time there will be less than thirty first-year students
entering Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in the fall.
What does that mean,
projecting into the future? It means that
there could be missions without missionaries.
It means that there might be churches with empty pulpits. The numbers seem to suggest that there will
be ripe fields left untouched simply because there won’t be anyone to harvest
them.
The picture isn’t
all gloom and doom though. Last week I
had the opportunity to go to
There are
struggles. There are challenges. As long as we live in a sinful world there
always will be, but based upon what I saw we have many reasons to rejoice. We can rejoice with Jeremiah because God has
called us to faith. We can rejoice
because God continues to raise up men and women to serve in the public
ministry. And what is so reassuring (for
them and us) is that we have God’s promise that he will go with us.
When Jeremiah
received his call from God, he didn’t seem very excited. Actually he appeared to be overwhelmed. “Ah,
Sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak; I am only a child” (6). Jeremiah could see his inner flaws, all those
things that were hidden from others. He
objected: “God, I’m too young. God, I’m
not a good speaker. There has to be
someone else more qualified than me.”
Was Jeremiah being
too hard on himself? Was Jeremiah doubting
his abilities, or was he doubting God’s judgment? When Jeremiah questioned his own adequacy,
wasn’t he really questioning God himself?
Wasn’t he doing what we do all the time?
For example, I can
think of plenty of reasons NOT to talk to someone about Jesus. “It’s too soon. It’s too late. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what the other person will
say. I don’t want to lose my
friends. I don’t want my friends to become
enemies.” What really lies at the heart
of all these excuses? Is it a lack of
self-confidence, or is it a lack of trust in God?
When you feel like
you are totally inadequate, when you are tempted to open your mouth just to
make excuses, take to heart what God said to someone else who had his share of
doubts. The Lord said to Jeremiah: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say
whatever I command you. Do not be afraid
of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord” (7,8).
Notice how God
handled Jeremiah’s excuses. He didn’t
change his call. He didn’t lighten his
load. And he didn’t pretend that his
work would be easy either. Instead the
Lord gave Jeremiah a promise. God
promised Jeremiah his presence and protection.
No matter who opposed him, no matter how many threats were made against
him, Jeremiah had nothing to fear because God was always at his side. And we have the same promise that we will
never be alone.
Even though Jesus ascended
into heaven two thousand years ago, he is with us today. Even though we can’t see him with our eyes, the
Lord is with us just as much as he was with Jeremiah. How do we know? How can we be so sure? Because he says so.
We have Jesus' word
that he will not leave us as orphans (John 14:18). We have our Lord's promise: “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age” (Matthew
28:20). When the seminarian steps into the pulpit for the first time, the Lord is
with him. When the student teacher steps
into the classroom for the first time, the Lord is with her. Whenever you step forward to defend God’s
name, the Lord will be there too. No
matter who we are, we can go about the Lord’s work with confidence because God
goes with us, the God who called us, the God who equips us.
The Lord gave
Jeremiah powerful tools to carry out his ministry. He said: “Now,
I have put my words in your mouth. See,
today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to
destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” (9,10).
The Lord gave
Jeremiah his powerful Word. God also
gave Jeremiah the difficult task of preaching a message of “Repent or
else.” He sent Jeremiah to warn his
people that judgment was on its way.
That’s why he used words like “uproot” and “tear down” and “destroy” and
“overthrow.”
But God also sent
Jeremiah “to build and to plant,” to
remind the faithful that God cannot go back on his Word, to repeat God’s
promise of a Savior, to assure penitent sinners of God’s free and full
forgiveness. God equipped Jeremiah with
the law and the gospel, the law to show people their sin, the gospel to show
people their Savior.
Today we thank the
Lord for the churches and schools and pastors and teachers who equip people
with the same tools. We thank the Lord
for two daughters of our congregation (Kelly Martin and Lisa Pappalardo) who
are preparing for the public ministry at MLC.
And we recognize that there could be more future called workers sitting
in the pews today.
It might be the
third grade boy who has already told his mom that he wants to be a pastor when
he grows up...or the girl in the desk next to him who has been encouraged by
her teacher to consider the possibility of becoming a teacher. It might be a high school student who wants
to learn more about staff ministry. It
might even be an adult who is considering public ministry as a second career.
Are you one of these
people? Are you in a position to
encourage one of these people? “The
harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his
harvest field” (Matthew 9:37,38). Amen.