Pastor T.C. Arnold
10th Sunday after Trinity
Jeremiah 7:1-11
August 16th, 2009
It’s hard to believe that the days of summer are nearly behind us. The parents who have school-aged kids will see their children return to classes soon (if they have not already). But in the mild temperatures of the summer of 2009 our children, our grandchildren had the opportunity to run about outside, laugh and play games.
One such game that I witnessed this year in the midst of the “not-so-hot” temperatures was a good old fashion game of tag. I didn’t even know that kids still played this game – with all the hand held devices and computer games so popular now. Of course there are different ways to play tag… but this game incorporated a “home base” for anyone attempting to find safety from being tagged. If you are on home base you are safe – no one can tag you – you are safe from being “it.” You can practically get away with anything while on base. One child, while on base, chided the boy who was “it” by calling him names and taunting him. There was nothing the little boy could do…the other boy was on base. He was safe on home base.
For the people of Israel, home base was the Temple. God’s people felt as if they could “get away with anything” as long as they had home base. In the Old Testament text from Jeremiah chapter seven we hear the prophet say, “Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house which bears my Name, and say, ‘We are safe,’ – safe to do all these detestable things? Israel really believed they could “get away with murder” as long as they could come to the Temple and be safe. They really believed that it didn’t matter the way they acted because they had the presence of God in their midst and that would never go away. They really believed it did not matter what they did because they had the Temple, they had the means of sacrifice to atone for their sins, and they were the special children of the Lord who didn’t have consequences to worry about.
But that was definitely not Jeremiah’s message to the people. The prophet warned the people that the Temple and the sacrificial system of atonement for sins were not a “home base” and a safe place from the detestable things they were doing elsewhere. Jeremiah warned them time and time again that their actions would have consequences because they are forsaking the Lord. He would not let those sins go unnoticed. The Lord would not ignore the detestable things the people were doing.
If you stand in the narthex, outside the sanctuary, and look at the doors that lead into the sanctuary, you will see a Bible verse from Psalm 46. It says simply, “Be still and know that I am God.” Those words, to me, are safe words. Those words, to me, give me the impression of this place being a safe place – a place where God meets me – a place where God’s Word to me is more important than anything I can do for Him or give to Him – a place where I settle down and God acts up…for me.
This place is indeed a safe place. I want you to think of this place as a safe place. I want you to think of this place as a place where you can come, be still, and hear His Word and receive His life-giving blood in the Sacrament. I want you to find solace in this place. I want you to be comfortable in this place. Your Pastors know that this place is not the same place you find out there. That’s intentional. Out there you hear music “of this world.” In here – you hear music with words that call us to mind to the world to come for us – heaven. Out there we have to read reports and contracts. We hear the good news and the bad news on the television. We hear the wisdom (or the lack-there-of) of our bosses or co-workers. In here we hear the wisdom, the love, the comfort of the Words of Jesus. In here we take just a moment out of our hectic lives and step into a place where we can be still and know that God is God as He talks to us – gives to us – comforts us – encourages us. This place is unique, folks. This place is a safe place.
But woe to you who thinks that this is the kind of place where we can come because what we do out there does not matter. Woe to you if you think that the other 167 hours during the week don’t matter because you can come here and get all you need for your eternal life after a weekend that would make any of us blush if we knew what you actually did – what you were thinking – what you were saying. Woe to you – like Jeremiah would allude to in the text – if you think it doesn’t matter what I do out there because I can come here on Sunday morning, make amends for all I have done, and be on my merry little way. Woe to you if that is your attitude because that is not a “Godly” attitude. That is not an expression of the Godly life our Lord expects from you while you are here or while you are at home, school, work, or out with friends.
I tell you that this is a safe place. That’s for sure. It is a safe place. Jeremiah, a much wiser man than your Sr. Pastor, wants to make sure you don’t treat this safe place as the only place that matters. In other words – because you have this “safe place” it doesn’t matter what you say, believe, do or even think anywhere else. St. Paul, in the New Testament, warns the Romans in Chapter six of the book that bares their name, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer.”
The people of God were still living in their sins and they lived as if their sins during the week didn’t matter. This is a sin that you and I get caught up in all the time. It’s called “antinomianism.” It means that we disregard the Law because we have the Gospel. We think, because this is our safe place – what we do out there doesn’t really matter. Wrong.
Our sins have consequences and that is what Jeremiah was telling the people of Israel. If you don’t believe me – just look at the people’s lives you have affected because of your sins. Look at the way your sins and the sins of others have affected your life – the life of your children. Look inwardly and see how you feel from one day to the next – about what you have done and about what you have left undone that God fully expected you to do – about what you have said – about what you can control in your life but just simply choose not to – because it might be too hard or you just don’t want to right now.
Beloved in the Lord, I’m coming down hard on you right now. The reason: because there is still use for God’s Law. It is His Word. It is not to be forsaken or ignored or pushed aside because this is your safe place. I’m coming down hard on you right now because I want you to see how important this place and your life lived for Christ outside of this place actually is. I want you to see that this place for your life where you receive all these great gifts is not something that is just a part of your life – but is the foundation of your life.
In Jeremiah’s time the people thought that because they had the Temple and they had sacrifices – it didn’t matter what they did or even who they worshipped. It does matter, beloved in the Lord. The reason why it matters is because those things start to become more important than the foundation of all life – Jesus our Lord.
There is purpose behind this place and the reason why all of you have called pastors to share with you what I’m saying right now. The purpose is the cross. It’s comfort in times of distress and its life in times filled with death. The purpose is at the heart and center of life. The purpose driven life begins right here – at His altar and at His Word. It begins at the forgiveness that He teaches us and the compassion that knows no bounds. The compassion of Christ meets us where we are at – in the pew today and in our life when we leave this place. Live your life like you are living it right this minute – in Christ.
We are safe! This is our safe place. We are not safe – as Jeremiah would point out – to do detestable things. God’s Word of Law still binds us to do the right thing here and out there. Why? Because the right thing has already been done for us. That’s the Gospel message of hope and life. That’s His precious promise and gift to you today. This place is safe in His Word of life, hope and truth. You are safe in His life, hope and truth. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.