I have wanted to preach this text for a long time, but never had before today. I really enjoyed working through this text, although there was a lot of background material for both the Leviticus passage and the Jeremiah passage that I did not get to in this sermon. The redemption of property and Year of the Jubilee themes in Leviticus offer rich material for future sermons. because it was commitment Sunday here (the Sunday people turn in their pledge commitments for 2018), I geared the sermon toward giving as a sign.
It was a fun sermon to preach, especially with the addition of the "hokey-pokey" to the sermon. I actually was part of a worship service where a colleague was installed where the preacher used the "hokey-pokey" as a way to encourage the congregation make a commitment to ministry with the minister. In her story, she did not realize that the wait staff were the only ones doing the "hokey-pokey," so she joined in with them. My story did not include her experience, but since I've been at Babe's and observed the same thing she has, I could relate about the "hokey-pokey." The organist played the melody with us, which added to the fun (we have a big pipe organ).
Jeremiah 32: 1-15 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, 3 where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, “Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 4 King Zedekiah of Judah shall not escape out of the hands of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye; 5 and he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I attend to him, says the Lord; though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed?”
6 Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.” 8 Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
9 And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. 10 I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. 11 Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. 13 In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, 14 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. 15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.
“Giving As a Sign” SAPC; October 15, 2017; Leviticus 25: 25-28; Jeremiah 32: 1-15; Commitment Sunday
Introduction: Final story on resources. We have reflected on the stealing of resources and the power behind resources;
we have heard some hard sayings from Jesus and been challenged to think about what is God’s and what is ours;
we have considered the importance of putting our resources to good use;
We have heard of the extravagant grace that God offers us;
This week, we read about Jeremiah buying some property. Perhaps not as familiar a story as some of the others.
Move 1: Let’s take a look at the situation in Jerusalem at the time of this story.
a. God’s people are in trouble.
1. Babylonian army besieging Jerusalem;
2. Rising power in the world which has been overrunning other countries is now at the doorsteps of Jerusalem.
3. Exile appears to be imminent.
b. Jeremiah, God’s prophet, is having some personal trouble as well.
1. Imprisoned for making King Zedekiah angry with his prophecies.
2. Note to self: if you tell the king he is going to be defeated; that he is going to taken into exile; and it is his fault, there’s a good chance you are going to end up in prison.
c. There is Jeremiah, his world is a prison cell and Israel’s world is best defined as being surrounded by the Babylonians.
1. What should he do?
2. God has an idea for him.
3. Jeremiah, when you cousin comes and tells you to buy some family property, a field in Anathoth, buy the field.”
4. Just what Jeremiah is looking for - a chance to invest in the future when the world seems to offer no future.
5. what better deal than that?
5. Should Jeremiah buy land?
7. What would you do?
8. I am reminded of a cartoon: Minister marching carrying sing that says ‘The end is near.’ Woman, maybe his wife, is following him with sign: ‘last chance for shopping.’”
d. In this moment, when the world is crashing in, Jeremiah, the prophet who speaks God’s word, goes shopping.
1. He buys the field.
2. With seemingly no viable future except exile to Babylon, Jeremiah puts his money down to redeem the field in Anathoth.
3. Well, not exactly Jeremiah.
4. Five times Jeremiah notes that this is the “word of the Lord.”
5. The business deal going down is not Jeremiah acting on his own real estate acumen, but God acting through Jeremiah.
Move 2: Not a good investment, but a great sign of God’s desire to redeem.
a. not a simple land transaction, but a purchase that acts as a sign of God’s redemption.
1. The Israelites know about buying resources as a way of redeeming.
2. built into their system.
3. Leviticus passage lays out the provision in the rule that govern the Israelites about redeeming property.
4. if a family member has financial difficulties and has to sell the family property, the next of kin can, indeed some might say has the responsibility, to buy the property and redeem it.
b. Jeremiah’s action on behalf of God acts as a sign of what God is going to do — redeem Israel in the future.
1. that’s why Jeremiah makes a big, public scene when he buys the field.
2. not a side deal off where no one can see it.
3. But a transaction that everyone can see or hear about later.
5. The gossip lines light up after this purchase.
“Did you hear what Jeremiah did? He bought property. And you know it’s going to get taken over by the Babylonians. Is he crazy?”
6. No, Jeremiah is not crazy. He is acting at the command of God whose word in these dire circumstances is “Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.”
6. With God there is a future.
7. Not only a word of hope in the moment, but a story the exiles can tell long into the future to remind themselves that God’s future includes them.
8. Defeat may be at hand in this moment, but God is not done.
9. God not only will redeem a field, but redeem a people.
Move 3: Fast forward to our pledge commitments.
a. We all have different reasons for making a pledges and our own formulae for determining what our pledge will be.
b. Regardless of why or what, our giving is also a sign.
1. A sign of our belief God is still at work in the world and God’s future is still being played out in our world.
2. If finite time ended 12/31/17, there would be no need to make a pledge for next year.
3. If God were to quit engaging our world, there would be no reason for the body of Christ to continue its ministries in the world.
3. But God is not done, so we are not done.
4. In fact, as we look around our world we see so many needs for God’s presence.
d. Our pledge is also a sign of our commitment beyond our financial resources.
1. A concrete expression that says, “I’m in.”
2. God desires not just a financial commitment, but a total commitment.
2. Visiting TX meant through the years going to eat as a family at Babe’s.
3. Family style serving; chicken fried steak you could not find in OH.
4. Ever once in a while the wait staff quits serving, gather together and sing.
5. If you’ve been there, you know they sing The Hokey pokey” You know, “you put your right foot in, you take your right foot out”
6. Do you remember what the last verse of the Hokey-pokey is?
7. You put your whole self in
You take your whole self out
You put your whole self in
And you shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about
(Everybody stand up and do it - okay, you don’t have to, but you probably want to so that one day you can say, I stood in sanctuary of St. Andrew and sang the hokey pokey…”
Conclusion: Today you are invited to make a pledge to the God whose future is ever before us.
Put your whole self in. Amen.
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