Have you ever thought that having a relationship with God would make your life easier? With God on your side, you\u2019ll slide through life with no problems, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The readings this morning should disabuse you of that notion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Old Testament lesson, the prophet Jeremiah rails against God, using words on the edge of blasphemy. Jeremiah has been out doing what God asked Jeremiah to do, and it hasn\u2019t gone as well as the prophet had hoped. Jeremiah says, \u201cI have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.\u201d He goes on to complain, \u201cAll my close friends are watching for me to stumble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The psalm offered no comfort either, lamenting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Save me, O God,
For the waters have risen up to my neck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am sinking in deep mire,
And there is no firm ground for my feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have come to deep waters,
And the torrent washes over me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have grown weary with my crying;
My throat is inflamed;
My eyes have failed from looking for my God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then in our gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples, \u201cIf they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.\u201d Jesus is himself the master of the house and we are the members of his household, so if Jesus was called Beelzebul, a name for Satan, then how can we who follow him expect to be treated?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the Good News? So much for getting comfort from scripture for the week ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, for those who would follow Jesus, perhaps the question is not, \u201cWhy do things go wrong for those of us with a relationship with God?\u201d The questions may well be, \u201cWhy are things going so well?\u201d \u201cWhy aren\u2019t we having more problems?\u201d or for any follower of Jesus, \u201cWhy am I not being persecuted?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremiah did what God asked of him, and he was laughed at. The psalmist tried to follow God\u2019s will and grew weary with crying for justice. Jesus was put to death, and after his resurrection, Jesus\u2019 disciples went on to preach, teach and with the exception of John, the disciples were killed for their faith in Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So where did we go wrong? Why don\u2019t people laugh at us more? Make fun of us more? Why are our lives going so well?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Certainly we are fortunate to live in a time and place when those who proclaim faith in Jesus Christ may do so without risking their lives. Baptism into the church no longer puts a death sentence on you as has been true in some times and places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we still can\u2019t expect that following Jesus will lead to a life of no problems. Your relationship with God will not remove all the obstacles from your path. You aren\u2019t guaranteed a perfect marriage, perfect kids, a perfect job or a perfect boss. Faith is not the path to a life of no worries. Jesus promised the victory, but he never taught of a life with no battles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what, then, is the point? Why believe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, for one, believe because the gospel is true. There is a God who loves us and wants a relationship with us. That God is best known to us through the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. As God made man, Jesus not only showed us how we should live, but his death and resurrection reconciled us to God. Knowing the truth of Christianity is at the core of our faith. One believes, not because this is the easy path to a good life, but because the faith we profess is true. The Bible warns that problems can and will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, the 16th<\/sup>-century spiritual writer and mystic Teresa of Avilla wrote to God, \u201cIf this is the way you treat your friends, it\u2019s no wonder you have so few!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often a problem is that the faith we were given in Sunday school of \u201cJesus Loves Me This I Know,\u201d while true, may not be realistic or even muscular enough to handle a cancer diagnosis, the decline of a parent, the death of a friend or the end of a marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But when we read further in our texts for this week, we find a confidence in God\u2019s presence and mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeremiah says confidently, \u201cMy persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail.\u201d So convinced is the prophet that a few verses later, while people are still laughing at him, Jeremiah can proclaim, \u201cSing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise in Psalm 69, the poet first felt that he was sinking in deep mire with no firm ground for his feet. Then he grabbed hold of the conviction that God is the firm ground on which he stands. For the psalmist never loses the conviction that God\u2019s love and compassion will get the last word. The psalmist refers to God\u2019s unfailing help, God\u2019s kind love and God\u2019s great compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, Jesus tells his followers, \u201cAre not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only does he not promise smooth sailing, Jesus warns that storms will besiege the faithful. But in the tempests of life, we are not to be fearful. The question is not \u201cWhy are things going wrong?\u201d Maybe we should ask, \u201cWhy is no one bothering me?\u201d Perhaps your faith has not so changed your life that anyone else can notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For as Verna Dozier, an Episcopalian and great champion of the ministry of all baptized persons, once wrote, \u201cDon\u2019t tell me what you believe. Tell me what difference it makes that you believe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When your faith leads you to make public stands that are not popular, opposition will come. Problems will arise. This is to be expected. But we also know that we do not face these problems alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The anchor has long been a symbol in Christian art for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Though storms may come, we have a sure and certain hope that gives us purchase on the rock. Hold fast to the faith that is in you, knowing that Jesus said, \u201cEven the hairs of your head are counted. Do not be afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or to borrow the imagery of the psalmist, when all around begins to seem like deep mire, count on your relationship with God to provide the firm ground on which you can stand. Jesus did not promise you a life of no battles, but he did promise the victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This sermon was written by the Rt. Rev. Frank S. Logue<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever thought that having a relationship with God would make your life easier? With God on your side, you\u2019ll slide through life with no problems, right? The readings this morning should disabuse you of that notion. 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