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Lenten Jewels - Patience

Lenten Jewels

Patience

February 25, 2007

Text: Jer 32:9-10,13-15, 42-44 

Jer 32:2-3,9-10,13-15, 42-44 

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… 

9 [And Jeremiah said,] “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…I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of all the witnesses… 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’...  

42 “For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good fortune that I now promise them. 43 Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, It is a desolation, without human beings or animals; it has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans. 44 Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, of the hill country, of the Shephelah, and of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, says the LORD.”

NRSV 

Theme: Patience is trusting that whatever we face will be worked out “in God’s time.” In the waiting, we discover special treasures we would have missed [i.e., relationships, insights into Jesus, etc.] 

Need: We want things resolved instantly, so we can feel good and get on with our lives. We like to be in control, especially of our busy schedules. Action: Put problems we’re facing into a broader perspective than just resolving them in next week or two. See payoff in dealing with on-going problems, like disease. 

Image: stoplight changer 

Series Intro—focus on different “facets” of our souls that need cleaning, sharpening, during this Lenten season. You could say these are the jewels we’ll give Jesus on Easter morning—souls ready to accept and live the new life he offers. Hence the sermon series, “Lenten Jewels.” 
 

One thing I’ve noticed is that the traffic lights in St. Louis, for the most part, are carefully synchronized. They’re geared to optimize the flow of traffic. Have you noticed that? 

For example, imagine that you go South on Tesson Ferry from here, and you’re stopped at the stoplight just before you get to 270. Did you know that once it turns green, you can approach the next stoplight, that’s on the other side of 270, without slowing down? It’s still red, but it’s timed to turn green about 50 feet before you get there.  

This should tell you that I’ve driven Tesson Ferry for way too many years.

I have to admit that you feel smug playing this little game. Drivers in the other lane put on their brakes as they approach that second red light, but you know better. You just maintain your speed. The other drivers who don’t know the secret will be amazed at your wisdom—“How did he know???” 

Or, they might think that you have some way to turn a red light green.

Did you know that there is actually a device that does that? 

It’s called a “MIRT,” standing for “Mobile Infra-Red Transmitter.” Emergency vehicles have been using this for years in some places. You hit a button on the dash, a signal is sent to the red light Presto! It turns green. 

This device is expensive, hard to install, and illegal. If you get caught, you’d have a wonderful opportunity to begin a jail ministry. 

And rightly so. Can you imagine the chaos you’d create if you could do this? Traffic jams, delays, and hazards. 

Now, you and I know that we shouldn’t control the traffic lights at intersections. 

But it doesn’t stop us from wanting to control the traffic lights in our lives, does it? 

How I wish I had a MIRT…

IN THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE—When I’m waiting 1 ½ hours in the waiting room…Or when I’m waiting 1 ½ weeks to get the test results back. Oh how I wish I had a MIRT. 

IN THE LAWYER’S OFFICE—When I discover that my day in court, to defend myself, to resolve my case, isn’t to come tomorrow but in 6 months. Oh how I wish I had a MIRT. 

IN THE COUNSELOR’S OFFICE—When I’m struggling with my own demons, and discover that I’m not going to grow past my weaknesses without a lot more hard work and time. Oh how I wish I had a MIRT. 

IN THE SOCIAL WORKER’S OFFICE—When I painfully discover that the best care for my aging parent is a nursing facility, and that will begin a long process I desperately want to avoid. Oh how I wish I had a MIRT. 

IN MY OFFICE—When I’ve worked months on a project, and management says it can’t fund it any more—along with my position. Oh how I wish I had a MIRT. 

IN MY LIVING ROOM—When I discover that my teenager or my parent has a substance abuse problem, and there is no quick-and-easy fix but only a long-and-difficult problem. Oh how I wish I had a MIRT. 

Fact is, life would be a whole lot easier if we had a MIRT.

But the fact also is that life by and large isn’t lived with green lights, and quick commutes. Life is a series of red lights. We’re stopped cold, engines idling, knuckles turning white. How we deal with waiting, with the times when the light won’t change no matter how frantically we push the button on our dash—how we deal with those times determine whether we will live a rewarding life or a frustrating one. 

Our friend Jeremiah gives us some insights into this.  

He was at a red light, remember?

His country was about to be swarmed over by the Babylonians, a totally ruthless people—people who would make the characters in a Martin Scorcese movie look like kindergarten teachers. 

And yet what does he do?

He buys land in a town that’s just about to be steamrolled by these barbarians. He lays down his hard-earned money, investing in property today that will be totally worthless tomorrow. He even makes a huge deal about it—making sure it’s written down precisely, sealed properly, and stored away safely.  

How could he do that?

I believe that he believed two things: 

GOD IS GOING TO CHANGE THE LIGHT…

After buying the field, Jeremiah prays to the Lord, saying: “Ah Lord GOD! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (v. 17). 

Jeremiah knew that what makes headlines today—The Babylonians Are Coming! The Babylonians Are Coming!—wouldn’t necessarily make the headlines next week or next month.  

Don’t you know from your own experience what Jeremiah knew? How many times have you read those awful headlines in your life—how you just knew they were the last word for you, how you would never be able to get through it and carry on. But weeks, months pass. And you wake up one morning and ask yourself, “Now what WAS the headline in my life, way back then? I can’t remember.” 

Life changes. Life flows. What makes the headlines for us today might not even be in the paper next week. How much pain we can save ourselves if we live as if the headlines are only TODAY’S news, not tomorrow’s! 

We’ve enrolled our six year old daughter Emma in swim lessons at the Y.

They’re 45 minute sessions. The first time we took her, she spent the first 35 minutes on the side of the pool, afraid to get in. No amount of coaxing, bribing, or threatening could convince her to get into the water. 

Two things went through my mind.

“I’m paying how much for these lessons?”

And,

“She’s not always going to be six.” She’s going to grow up to be a wonderful young lady. This is just one little step along the way. 

Today’s headlines will not be tomorrow’s.

God will change the headlines.

God will change your red light… 

…ON GOD’S SCHEDULE.

“I will rejoice in doing good to them,” God promises, as he looks to the future, “and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul” (v. 41). 

Jeremiah had no clue when God would make his land valuable again. He had no clue when God’s strong arm would ultimately sweep away the Babylonians like dust on the floor. It could be in days, in could be in centuries.  

It didn’t bother Jeremiah that he didn’t know God’s timetable.

What was important to Jeremiah was that he knew GOD—the God who cared for him, who cared for the land of Judah, with all God’s “heart and soul.” 

You know as well as I that God should hold the MIRT, and not us.

How many times have you wished that some red light would change on your time frame, like, NOW! Your fiancée calls off the engagement, and you want her/him back, NOW! You’re laid off, and you want back with that company NOW! The college you want to go to has rejected you, and you want them to reconsider NOW!  

And how many times have you looked back at those red lights and thanked God that the lights didn’t change “NOW!” How many times have you thanked God that God’s schedule, God’s crystal ball, is much sharper and clearer than your own. 

So when you want to press that MIRT button, thinking you know what’s best for you or your loved one, STOP. Hand the MIRT to God and say, “I trust you to push this button at the right time. Thank you for loving me with all your ‘heart’ and ‘soul.’” 

This is what Jeremiah believed—God is going to change the light, on God’s schedule. 

That belief is what freed Jeremiah to… 

DO CRAZY THINGS AT RED LIGHTS.

“Buy [your cousin’s] field at Anathoth.” 

Buying a field that was going to be worthless is a pretty crazy thing to do. But that’s the type of thing you can do when you believe God’s in control.

Here are two types of crazy things you can do while you’re stopped at red lights: 

1—Live today faithfully.

Last week Cameron and I got a couple of pizzas to take home from the Pizza Hut in that strip mall where Baptist Church dead ends into my favorite road, Tesson Ferry. Pulling out of the mall, to turn left onto Tesson Ferry, we waited at the light. And waited. First it was green for southbound traffic, then northbound traffic, then both bound traffic. Then for southbound traffic…you get the picture. So I did something constructive. I looked at this inanimate object made of metal, glass, and plastic and said, “Turn!” It never did. So I turned right, turned around in the Toyota dealer’s lot, headed back south—and got stopped at that light—because by that time it’d turned green for the mall traffic. 

You’re at a red light? Do something more productive than raising your voice.

You have a dead-end job? Continue working it with integrity and honesty, as if it’s the best job in the world.  

You have difficulty with your spouse? Stay faithful, and live as if what you’re going through now will give you direction for the future. 

Money is tight? You continue giving to others and to God from a cheerful heart. 

As you live patiently in whatever situation you find yourself, you’re making a down payment on the future. You’re buying the field. You’re not sure when God is going to make it valuable again. But you know your faithfulness and integrity will enable God to come through for you—you’re not blocking God’s strong arm or compassionate heart. 

Here’s a second crazy thing to do: 

2—Imagine tomorrow vividly.

Because the light is red doesn’t prevent you from dreaming about what life will be like when it turns green. Imagine what life will be like when God changes the light, and start living tomorrow today. 

A pastor was having a meal in the food court of the busy Atlanta airport when he heard this guy singing. He had a rich, beautiful voice. The pastor was impressed, so after his meal he asked the woman at the counter who was singing.  

“That’s Albert, in the kitchen.”

“Could I talk with him?”

“Albert! Man out here wants to talk to you!”

He came out. The pastor introduced himself, and thanked him for singing.

“You know what I’m doing, don’t you?” the cook asked the pastor.

“No.”

“I’m auditioning.”

“Auditioning?”

“Yeah. As many folks go through here all the time, there’s bound to be someone come along and take me out of this kitchen!”

Albert then headed back to the kitchen, humming along the way.

The pastor thought to himself, “There’s not 5 percent of the population in Atlanta as happy as that guy in the kitchen!”

--Craddock Stories, p. 122 

You might feel like you’re in the kitchen today.

But you have the privilege of auditioning for tomorrow.

Why?

Because you know what Jeremiah knew when he bought that field: God WILL turn your red light green! 

 
There used to be supersonic plane service between New York and Paris. The jet was called the Concorde. Once, after the flight had landed, the crew had trouble opening the door—there was a delay of about 15 minutes. After 3-4 mins., the passengers grumbled. After 8 mins., they demanded a perk for their inconvenience. By 15 mins., they were on the verge of a riot.

Here were people who’d crossed the Atlantic in 3 hours and 45 minutes, and they were upset by a 15 minute delay. 

Folks, leave this place remembering that in life, it’s not our plane, and it’s not our schedule.

It’s God’s.

So, enjoy the ride!