“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:17-24

“I had no idea that God’s love was extravagant, irresponsible . . . and irresistible. I had no idea the God of the universe loved me with no conditions, no addenda to the contract, no fine print. I had no idea God was passionate about me! His passion for me, His love for me, makes me want to love like Him. Passion is much harder than legalism. The behavior of the father appears to be irresponsible, but his passion is irresistible, staggering, compelling—the young man is loved to his senses. It was an act of pure passion.” (Michael Yaconelli. Dangerous Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith p. 112)

“I chose you…” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a reminder in your everyday theology. It is not that you have found G-d, but that G-d has found you. G-d is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as G-d chooses – we must be attentive to this fact. Why is G-d doing it? G-d is doing it for only one purpose— that G-d may be able to say, “This is My Child.”

“Choosing” versus “being chosen”. How do you view your work in the kingdom of G-d: that you have chosen your path, or that G-d has appointed a path for you? This is a very important distinction being made: “choosing” versus “being chosen”. One puts us in control, the other puts G-d in control – one focuses on our efforts, the other focuses on G-d’s efforts. When I preached at the installation for my friend Micki, I shared the story of how we met. She was a church organist and worked for the federal government. It was while she was playing as an organist that our paths crossed. One of my Seminary classes required work in a congregation – and I had to choose a congregation to do my work. I chose the one where she was playing. Or did G-d choose this congregation for me?

I would give anyone who believes they are being called by G-d the advice I have learned from my life – if G-d chooses you, there is no running from it. When G-d chooses us, we really have few options, because G-d will mend and bend and mold us until we say “uncle”.  G-d is in control, and does not give up on us at all.

Pastor Dave

“Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal* son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah had been telling the people. He had been saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who surrender to the Babylonians* will live. Their reward will be life. They will live!’ The Lord also says: ‘The city of Jerusalem will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’ ” So these officials went to the king and said, “Sir, this man must die! That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor!” King Zedekiah agreed. “All right,” he said. “Do as you like. I can’t stop you.” So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it. But Ebed-melech the Ethiopian,* an important court official, heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate, so Ebed-melech rushed from the palace to speak with him. “My lord the king,” he said, “these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone.” So the king told Ebed-melech, “Take thirty of my men with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to a room in the palace beneath the treasury, where he found some old rags and discarded clothing. He carried these to the cistern and lowered them to Jeremiah on a rope. Ebed-melech called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags under your armpits to protect you from the ropes.” Then when Jeremiah was ready, they pulled him out. So Jeremiah was returned to the courtyard of the guard—the palace prison—where he remained.”  Jeremiah 38:1 – 13

The English word “jeremiad” (a word I use often in my everyday vernacular 🙂 means “lament” or “complaint.” Jeremiah is a prophet to us – but he seemed to be a complainer to the people of Jerusalem. G-d had called the prophet to take G-d’s complaints to the people. G-d’s message went like this: “Your sins are awful. The Babylonians will slaughter you and take the survivors into captivity. Repent!” The officials of Jerusalem felt the message was nothing short of unacceptable. Three of them went to King Zedekiah and demanded that Jeremiah be killed. “Do as you like,” said the king. “I can’t stop you” (Jeremiah 38:5). So they threw the prophet into a muddy cistern. None of the Judeans dared come to Jeremiah’s rescue. But an Ethiopian did. We do not know much about Ebed-melech. The Bible simply calls him “an important court official” , but he alone defended G-d’s prophet.

Have you ever been known as a whiner? Maybe as a child, or as a college student, you found yourself deep in a feeling of wanting to whine. You may have felt it was justified, or you believed that the situation you were in required you to speak up regarding your own injustice – and your parents just felt you were whining. Now think about Jeremiah – G-d had appointed him to take complaints to the people, legitimate complaints in the eyes of G-d, and the people felt he was just a whiner and complainer. And not just a complainer, but he was also passing judgment upon the people — the judgment that G-d declared upon the people.

When does complaining about something turn from “Justice” to “Whining”? There is the old saying: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” – but it can be a fine line between the occasional squeak and purposeful complaining (otherwise called whining). But we do not need to whine to G-d to get G-d to pay attention to us. And when it comes to our friends and family, perhaps we need to be more discerning about what we choose to “complain” about, and what we need to pursue in the name of Justice.

Pastor Dave