The consequences of stupidity

Jeremiah 4:11-28 September 11, 2016 Ordinary Time Remember the line from Forrest Gump movie, Forrest would always say- stupid is as stupid does? Well my sermon today is about being stupid. Maybe it is just me, but I think that stupidity has become a national epidemic. There are a lot of stupid things going on in the this world. I remember at the jurisdictional conference I was talking with someone about Trump winning the republican nomination. I told her that I can’t wait for the day when common sense comes back in style. Because it certainly is not the style of the day. Growing up I lived in the illusion that the world was getting better for black people. That the nation was moving forward in its tolerance of people with a darker skin color. But then I hear the story of so many people upset with the young football player because he refuses to stand for the national anthem. Really? My mother never said the pledge of allegiance, because she said that it was not true. Her brother who was 20 years older than her, and he didn’t say the pledge of allegiance either. And they are just now noticing this one black man who refuses to stand for the national anthem. And besides that, what ever happened to freedom of expression? Whatever happened to this being a diverse nation where the rights of all people are protected? If a white player had refused to stand for the anthem, would we be having all of this conversation about it? There is still a double standard in the land of opportunity. And as quiet as it has been kept, the world has not changed for the better for people of color, the same attitudes and stupidity are running rampamt. Speaking of stupid, in our scripture for today – God calls his own people stupid. It is one thing to be stupid in worldy matters. But God’s people are stupid in spiritual matters. As a matter of fact, the two go hand in hand. God speaks himself in Jeremiah 4 and he says – my people are stupid, they don’t know me. They are good at doing wrong, but they are incompetent is doing what is right. God is not talking to people of the world in general – God says my people are stupid. My people should know better, but they don’t act like it. So the message for us this morning – don’t be stupid. As I was reflecting on scriptures for this week – Jeremiah 4 stood out to me as a very powerful message. It is a message of anguish and pain. Jeremiah says that he speaks out of his anguish. The sentence literally means that she speaks out of his bowels, that his bowels are wreaked in anger. You see the Jews believed that the bowels were the seat of deep emotion. The bowels, the guts were the place that you felt anger, pain, sorrow and any other deep emotion. A prophet is one who speaks to God’s people with a message from God. The prophets always speak from the bowel. Isaiah speaks from the bowel and so does Paul. But Jeremiah’s message always hits me the most. You have to know about his life in order to know why he cared so much about his message to the people. God started messing with Jeremiah as a child. Jeremiah said that he was too young and that his family was not a wholesome family. His dad was a royal priest, a levite. They were a well off family. But in Jeremiah’s lifetime he watched the destruction of his nation. Eventually everything was torn down and he and all of the rich and important people were taken away to another country. There was utter chaos and destruction everywhere. Jeremiah felt that he needed to talk his people through what was going on. Many people think Jeremiah was a message of doom. But it was actually a story of hope after the destruction. He wanted people to realize that all was not lost, and that things would be rebuilt. Jeremiah built property in the midst of the destruction, so that his family would have a heritage after it was all over. He preached that a remnant of people would survive the destruction so that God’s name could continue. 1918 was a bad year for my family. We lost at least 5 people in our family. In doing research, I learned that there was a flu epidemic that year that affected the whole nation. It hit rural families harder than others, because they had less access to a doctor. I explained to one of my students, that the good news was that even though every one was sick and many died. The good news of my family is that some people survived. Some people had a natural immunity. If they didn’t, I wouldnt be here speaking to you. In the midst of even an epidemic, God makes sure that a remnant survives in order to carry on god’s work. So there is good news for the stupidity epidemic. That is the message that Jeremiah felt so strong in his bowels. God's’people may be lost, but we are not down. We are broken but not destroyed. The strength is in our spirit. We cannot afford to be stupid or disconnected from God. Jeremiah’s deep message is not just about God’s people. He is not talking about them, he is talking with them. Their fate is his fate, that is why he cares. As a matter of fact, Jeremiah dies in exile. He never sees the hope that he talked about. But Jeremiah’s salvation is tied up in our salvation. God’s judgement always turns into God’s salvation because God always loves us, even when we are sinners. Al Mohler, Words from the Fire (Moody Publishers, 2009), p. 38; submitted by Robert Dawson, Lake Park, Georgia God Loves Me There is a wonderful story about Maya Angelou. She is an active member now of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco. She wrote that years ago when she first came to San Francisco as a young woman she became sophisticated. She said that was what you were supposed to do when you go to San Francisco, you become sophisticated. And for that reason she said she became agnostic. She thought the two went together. She said that it wasn't that she stopped believing in God, just that God no longer frequented the neighborhoods that she frequented. She was taking voice lessons at the time. Her teacher gave her an exercise where she was to read out of some religious pamphlet. The reading ended with these words: "God loves me." She finished the reading, put the pamphlet down. The teacher said, "I want you to read that last sentence again." So she picked it up, read it again, this time somewhat sarcastically, then put it down again. The teacher said, "Read it again." She read it again. Then she described what happened. "After about the seventh repetition I began to sense there might be some truth in this statement. That there was a possibility that God really loves me, Maya Angelou. I suddenly began to cry at the grandness of it all. I knew if God loved me, I could do wonderful things. I could do great things. I could learn anything. I could achieve anything. For what could stand against me with God, since one person, any person, with God form a majority now." Mark Trotter, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Jeremiah’s message to us, as stupid as we are, we are still God’s people and God still loves us. We can live with God’s hope. God is on your side. God loves you and wants you to win. I chose this very morbid text because of its powerful message. God loves you, God is all powerful. But one thing that God will not do – he will not take away the consequences of your actions. The wages of sin is death. If you are stupid, there are still consequences of your actions. And remember, there is a difference between stupidity and ignorance. Ignorance means that you do stupid things because you did not know any better. God intentionally uses the term stupid – meaning you knew better and did it anyway. Do stupid things, you will suffer the consequences of your actions. The jews were exiled as a result of their political policies. When they were doing well, they did not think they needed to help other people. But you always reap what you sow, God cannot will not stop the process, not even for the people he loves. We forget that God is omnipotent, the God of all things. God controls not just our angels, but also our demons. God is the God of good things, but also the God of bad things. In our stupidity, we tend to relegate God to a corner. God is the God ofgood, but also bad. God is the God of love but also the God of hatred, God is the creator, but God is also the destroyer. If Genesis is the story of God’s creation. Jeremiah is the story of God’s destruction. The lectionary cuts out half of this scripture as God talks about his destruction of the nation that he worked so hard to create. The good news for us – we are God’s people. For us hatred turns into love, destruction turns into recreation, consequences turns into forgiveness and a newlife. Things always turn around for us. Love prevails in the end. Jerimiah 4:11 starts out by saying that a hot wind blows in. the hot winds are called the Socorro. The wind is so hot that it is miserable. I have found that change always comes in the form of a wind. Whenever the weather is about to change, the wind starts to blow. This is the second week of September. I look forward to this weekend every year. When I was pastor in Oak Park, the church would take a retreat in Lake Geneva Wisconsin on this weekend every year. And every year we would get the same warning that it was going to be too cold to sleep in the cabins, because the frost was coming today. And like clockwork there were always right. I always look forward to this weekend, because no matter how hot the summer has been, the cold winds blow in on this weekend. Winds are a sign that things are about to change. Fall is coming. The winds of change are starting to blow. The wind is a sign of God’s presence blowing through the land. The winds of change blew across a group of people gathered together to pray, and the wind made them into the church. The winds of change are blowing now for our church, our community, our world. This is the presidential season. Will the day come where black, brown and red lives matter? While this epidemic of stupidity turn to faith? Will despair turn to hope? Sickness turn to health? Death turn to life? Let us all pray for god’s salvation. Amen. Additional illustrations…. SERMON ILLUSTRATION Thinking about the Unthinkable David Seamands tells the story of the alchemist who sold villagers a special powder that he claimed would turn water into gold provided that when they mixed it, they never thought of red monkeys. Well, of course, no one ever got the gold, because you can't tell yourself to stop thinking about red monkeys or you'll just keep thinking about red monkeys. It doesn't work to say, "Well, I'm just not going to think about those things. I'm going to put all of that out of my mind." So often I see Christian brothers and sisters trying to do that. "Blessed Are the Pure in Heart," Preaching Today, Tape No. 83. SERMON ILLUSTRATION Buried Alive We must be careful what we bury in our heart. To bury something does not mean it is dead. It may simply mean we have buried something alive that will devour and destroy us from within. Maxie Dunnam in Let Me Say That Again. Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 5. [ read less ] SERMON ILLUSTRATION Research Points to Our Belief in an "Ordinary God" Several years ago in Britain, researchers went door-to-door asking persons about their belief in God. One of their questions: "Do you believe in a God who intervenes in human history, who changes the course of affairs, who performs miracles, etc.?" When published, their study took its title from the response of one man who was seen as rather typical of those who responded. He answered, "No, I don't believe in that God; I believe in the ordinary God." How many of our friends and neighbors believe in "just the ordinary God"? Create Him Not The love of God is indescribable but a old Jewish legend does a pretty good job. It describes what happened when God created man. The legend says God took into counsel the Angels that stood about his throne. The Angel of Justice said; 'Create him not … for if you do he will commit all kinds of wickedness against his fellow man; he will be hard and cruel and dishonest and unrighteous.' The Angel of Truth said, 'Create him not … for he will be false and deceitful to his brother and even to Thee.' The Angel of Holiness stood and said; 'Create him not … he will follow that which is impure in your sight, and dishonor you to your face.' Then stepped forward the Angel of Mercy, God's most beloved, angel, and said; 'Create him, our Heavenly Father, for when he sins and turns from the path of right and truth and holiness I will take him tenderly by the hand, and speak loving words to him, and then lead him back to you.' Brett Blair, Sermons.com When I Say I Am a Christian In 1988, the poet Carol Wimmer, became concerned about the self-righteous, judgmental spirit she was seeing in some people because she felt strongly that being judgmental is a perversion of the Christian faith. So, she wrote a poem about this. It’s called “When I say I am a Christian” and it reads like this: “When I say, ‘I am a Christian,’ I’m not shouting, ‘I’ve been saved!’ I’m whispering, ‘I get lost!’ That’s why I chose this way. When I say ‘I am a Christian,’ I don’t speak with human pride. I’m confessing that I stumble – needing God to be my guide. When I say ‘I am a Christian,’ I’m not trying to be strong. I’m professing that I’m weak and pray for strength to carry on. When I say ‘I am a Christian,’ I’m not bragging of success. I’m admitting that I’ve failed and cannot ever pay the debt. When I say, ‘I am a Christian,’ I don’t think I know it all. I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught. When I say ‘I am a Christian,’ I’m not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I’m worth it. When I say, ‘I am a Christian,’ I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name. When I say, ‘I am a Christian,’ I do not wish to judge. I have no authority – I only know I’m loved.” James W. Moore, quoting Carol Wimmer, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com _________________________________________ God Is Personal God loves you. So he tells you: don't be stupid! but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. Children’s sermon…… Object: A difficult puzzle or something that requires a lot of patience to figure out. Good morning, boys and girls. Today I want to teach you something that is almost the hardest thing to learn. I know that you will not learn it today, but it may be a start, and if it is, then this will be one of the best lessons you have ever learned. I brought along a puzzle with me this morning. How many of you like to work puzzles? (Let them answer.) This is not a regular kind of puzzle. I want you to know that this is one of the hardest puzzles I have ever seen. I may never be able to work this puzzle, but it teaches me something that I must really learn. Do you know what I am learning from this puzzle? (Let them answer.) You are pretty close, but I must tell you the answer. I am going to learn about patience. We all like puzzles that are easy to work, because finishing them quickly makes us feel smart. But hard puzzles that do not have easy answers make us nervous, and even unhappy. Those kinds of puzzles are like problems that we have in living. We don't like big problems because when we do not have easy answers, we become nervous and unhappy. A hard puzzle teaches us patience because we have to work at it for a long time. Some of us are very hard "puzzles" for God. He works with us for as long as we live and maybe even longer. God is very patient with us. He will work with us every day to help us find the answers to the big problems in our lives. We know that he does this because we know that no matter what we do, he is ready to forgive us and start all over again with us if we only ask him to help. God is always ready to "work us out" and help us solve our problems, problems that we think, are too hard for us. God could do it another way. He could keep us from having any problems, but then we would not be people. We would be like puppets. God lets us have our problems or puzzles, and then helps us to work them out. That is one of the reasons why we think that our God is such a great God. God is very patient with us. Lots of people have found that out, but Paul, who wrote the Bible book of 1 Timothy, remembered how patient God was with him and he told us about it. The next time you have a really hard problem or puzzle and you don't find the answer right away, remember that you are being taught to be patient, just as God is patient with us. Then you will be glad for the love that God shares with you.