More to the story
When I was a college student contemplating seminary education, a friend of my father's who was a seminary professor said to him, “tell your son that the road to ministry is strewn with many casualties.” I wondered what I should do with such information. Was I to turn aside? How would I protect myself from unknown foes that apparently felled others more well equipped than I? Well, I did go to seminary, I did travel along the road of vocational ministry, and I was a casualty. My last endeavor in full-time ministry was not a success by “common standards.” Our experience was beset with insurmountable challenges and the journey ended painfully.
Jesus told us that in this life, we would have trouble and that his followers would take up their crosses. The Apostle Paul said that we would suffer affliction for Jesus' sake. As we follow Jesus we expose ourselves to tension and pressure and conflict. And in the midst of all that, we are going to feel disoriented sometimes.
This is what Jeremiah expresses in our Old Testament reading this week. “O Lord,” he cries out, “you have deceived me.” It wasn't supposed to go this way; I wasn't supposed to be a casualty. I hardly know who or what to believe.
And yet, such a telling of the story isn't complete. We know from Scripture that “common standards” have never applied to Christian discipleship. There is more to Jeremiah's story, to my story, and to yours, too.
Jeremiah would later recall to his mind in the midst of his affliction that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.” In fact, God was faithful to Jeremiah from his birth through his exile to Egypt and this was demonstrated through God's personal presence, his powerful promises, and the ministry of his faithful secretary, Baruch.
To use a modern expression, we are supposed to “lean in” to the Gospel. We are ambassadors of Jesus, emissaries from the Kingdom of God where his rule breaks in upon our broken world to resist its corruption and reconcile us to God. There is forward motion and momentum against which we experience the opposition of darkness and sin. Sometimes it's disorienting. Sometimes it's confusing. But that's not the whole picture. We have God's enduring presence, the confidence of his promises, the fellowship of Christian friends. We have Jesus, who conquered death and unites us with him in new life.
Jeremiah has a lot to show us about acknowledging and expressing our anguish to God. I look forward to sharing his words together this Sunday.
