Morning Message Text: Jeremiah 1: 4-10
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.
8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.
9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Morning Message:
I want to start this morning by informing you that, I take requests. At first, I was a little hesitant to put that idea out there for fear of being overwhelmed with sermon ideas. Then, once I stopped laughing at that silly idea, I realized that most people just want me to finish my sermons, not give me more things to talk about. I do listen when someone cares enough to suggest a sermon topic. I truly appreciate the help and guidance; I always try to hear God in what people say to me. Today’s sermon is the result of someone’s suggestion. I never guarantee that I will preach what is suggested, but I place it in God’s hands and wait to see what he will bring to light. This is a good guide for all of us to use in life. God speaks through each and every one of us, that’s how the Body of Christ is supposed to function. Instead of rejecting what our brothers and sisters in Christ suggest to us, we should allow God to guide us. You might be amazed at the wisdom that comes from other faithful Christians. The point is to take in other, positive Christian ideas and advice, then allow the Holy Spirit to direct you accordingly. We believe that God works and speaks to and through the Christian community.
I had a real-life story that I shared with members of Session. I didn’t see a sermon in the story until someone else brought it to my attention. Recently, when we went away on vacation, I put my dog in the kennel where he usually stays. I was more than a little concerned about him because this was the first time that I was leaving him alone. You see, my other dog had just recently passed away and they had been together for twelve years. They always had each other, so when they went to the kennel they were never alone. Bobo has become very attached to me and Tina since he lost his companion, and I was afraid that he would take our leaving him badly. I called and checked on him and he was just fine. Everyone at the kennel fussed over him and hated to see him go. So, I took him home and everything seemed to be normal, at least for us. The next morning, I put Bobo outside just like I always did while I went through my morning routine. When I went to the door and called for him to come in and eat, he didn’t come. So, I went out into the yard to see what he was up to. He was not there; in twelve years he had never left the yard, but he found a hole in the fence and crawled through it. I went out front figuring that he would be in that part of the yard, but no. I walked around the block, but no Bobo. I got in my car and drove every street in the neighborhood, but he was nowhere to be found. I assumed that someone picked him up, so we called our daughter Stacy and asked her to post a picture of him on Facebook. When she went on-line, someone had already posted his picture as being found. This little 6-pound dog had traveled over two miles in the general direction of the kennel.
Why would this dog, that had been loved, protected, cared for, and provided for his whole life, run away from the ones who loved him? It makes no sense, or does it. He saw something different. There was an attraction to the world that he had never felt before. At home he was taken care of, but at the kennel he had the attention of lots of people and friends to play with. The world can be very alluring and exciting, at least for a while. How about us? Why do we run from God? We all do it. Maybe we don’t run, but we’ll go in the other direction. It’s in our nature to go after and want things that we don’t have. Things that are forbidden to us seem to have such attraction. The devil held the fruit up in front of Eve’s eyes and said, “Look at how beautiful this is, and you have never had it.” Why? Because God said, “NO.”
Our scripture in Jeremiah is so beautiful. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Yes, Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, but God has called all of us in this same way. People want to argue over when life begins. There is no argument; it begins when God says it begins. It is God who speaks life into existence and as he does, he calls each of us according to his will for our lives. Our natural reaction to a loving God who has provided for us our whole lives is to run away and make excuses when he tells us his purpose for our lives. Jeremiah did it; Moses did the same thing. We all make excuses and run the other way. I can’t speak well; I’m too young, too busy, just not interested. Do you remember the story of Jonah and the whale? What did he do and why?
God assures us that he will protect and watch over us. He will provide and rescue us from all trouble. Listen to this and remember it; God’s promise to Jeremiah and to us if we are willing. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “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.” God is willing to provide everything that we need to accomplish his will, his holy purpose in our lives, but we spend so much time running from what God wants for us. Maybe just like little Bobo we don’t really think that we are running away from the goodness of what we know, but instead to the excitement of the unknown. Running from a loving God, how silly.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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