|
|
|
Sunday January 31, 2010 "Celebrating Renewal" Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10 |
 |
|
Location: Blogs Brad's BlogBrad's Sermons |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 2/1/2010 3:30 PM | I’m tired.
I know that many of you are tired, too.
Tired of the negativity that seems to permeate so much of our world. Tired of preparing for the next piece of bad news that is coming. Tired of seeing people who are at best are nervous about what the future holds and at worst, absolutely paralyzed with fear. Tired of trying to make sense of a political process that seems intent on finding someone to blame rather than on finding solutions to problems. Tired of so called entertainment that seeks to tear down others and reality shows that are anything but reality. Tired of living in a world where many seem to decry what we do not have, rather than celebrating what it is we do have. Tired of being tired.
I’m just tired.
From talking with many of you, I know that you are tired, too. And here’s the first word of the day: it’s okay. It’s okay to be tired. It’s just not okay to simply accept it.
We need to name our tiredness, we need to claim our tiredness, and we need to turn to God for renewal.
What is it that is making us tired?
The economy? Yes. Our feeling that we can’t do anything to change the situation? Yes. Changes in the way the world is operating? Yes. Increasing violence in our world? Yes. Fear for what the future holds for our young people? Yes. A feeling that the more tired we get, the more we press, the more we push, the more we try to fight through, but to no avail? Yes. Yes. Yes.
It may be something slightly different for all of us, but we live in a time when so many things we have come to rely on are coming perilously close to failing. That lack of stability, that lack of a clear path for the future, that dimming of hope is something that surely will make one tired.
Nehemiah felt tired.
Nehemiah lived in much different times than we do, but I dare say Nehemiah experienced some of what we experience today. And I think Nehemiah has something to teach us.
Nehemiah was a descendant of the original Babylonian exiles that were carried out of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. In 539 B.C., the Persian king Cyrus overthrew the Babylonians and allowed some of the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem. Almost 100 years later, a new Persian king, Artexerxes I, came to the throne of Persia, and took over as the ruler of Jersusalem and Israel.
Now be clear, even after Cyrus allowed some of the citizens of Jerusalem to return to their home, the people of Israel were still dominated by their foreign captors. Only now it was more of a “house arrest” than an exile from power.
Nehemiah, descendant of the exiled leaders of Jerusalem, was well liked by Artexerxes I. So,well liked that Nehemiah was named the kings cupbearer, a position of high trust and honor.
Nehemiah may have been in a privileged state, but still, he was a servant, unable to control his own destiny. He knew the stories of the original exile and the return under Cyrus. But he did not have any idea how the city was functioning or if his people prospered or languished in their home city, so far from his home in Babylon.
In about 445 B.C. that all changed.
In or around that year, Nehemiah learned that the conditions in Jerusalem were awful. The wall of the city was broken down, the gates were burned and the people of Jerusalem lived in distress. And when Nehemiah heard this, he mourned.
It’s unclear for how long, but Nehemiah seemed to go into a time of flat out depression. Here he was, unable to control his own destiny, far away from his people, tired of it all. Tired of being subservient to foreign leaders, tired of the uncertainty that surrounded his people, tired of not being able to do anything about anything.
At his breaking point, Nehemiah fell on his knees and prayed to God for strength to do something about all that made him so tired. His prayer recognized that God’s chosen people had fallen short of what God had asked, but Nehemiah prayed for forgiveness, for himself and for his brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. He prayed that God would remember the promise that God would never forsake people who honored God. He asked for strength. He prayed that he might be successful in leading Jerusalem toward renewal.
After a while, even the king noticed the depression that Nehemiah found himself mired in. One day in court, the king inquired if Nehemiah was sick? Or was he depressed?
Nehemiah gathered all his resolve and said, “Why shouldn’t I be depressed? My families homeland lies in ruin, their future is unclear, and I can do nothing about it? I am helpless to do anything for anybody.”
Artexerxes was taken aback and asked, “What is it you would do, Nehemiah?” To which Nehemiah replied: “Give me permission to go back to the land of my ancestors and rebuild the city, rebuild the temple and in so doing, help Jerusalem see that there is hope for the future.”
And Artexerxes said, “Yes.” He outfitted Nehemiah for the journey, he gave him letters of transit so that he could travel through foreign lands to get to Jersusalem. He made him governor of Jerusalem and sent communications to other leaders to assist Nehemiah in his undertaking.
When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he found the devastation and the hopelessness every bit as profound as he had heard. The feeling of hopelessness was everywhere. Without hope, the people went through the motions of living their lives, but only in a rote, routine sort of way. It doesn’t take long for a routine to become a rut, and the people of Jerusalem were in a rut, with no reason to get out of it.
But Nehemiah gave the people of Jerusalem the push they needed.
Meeting with various priests and leaders, Nehemiah confronted them with one reason for their problems. The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible reports Nehemiah’s words this way: “Then I said to them, “you see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us reuild the walls of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace. I told them that the hand of God had been gracious to me and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” And they commited themselves to the common good.”
This is an important lesson that Nehemiah teaches us. Before we can move beyond our fears or our tiredness, we must first understand the problem and work to solve it. But here is what I think may not be so obvious: I don’t think the bigger problem was that the gates were burned or that the walls had crumbled. The fact is that they were a subservient people, beholden to the King of Persia, whether the walls were built or not. They didn’t have final say over their future. No, I think the bigger problem was that the people of Jerusalem were trying to make it on their own, as individuals, without a central, common good.
They were living their lives, uncertain of tomorrow, doing the best they could to keep going. But they were living separate lives. They couldn’t seem to find a reason to band together to work together. Until Nehemiah came along. And then, as Nehemiah tells us: they committed themselves to the common good.
On the surface of it, we 21st century American Christians are not in nearly as dire straits as the 5th century Jewish citizens of Jerusalem. But we do find ourselves in a time of fracture and faction. We are very good at declaring we can pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and continue on. We are very good at internalizing our concerns and worries and pushing through. We are very good at denying that we need anyone else’s help. I know because I speak from experience.
Here is Nehemiah’s first lesson to us: we need each other. Even when we do realize how much we need each other, we still may not be able to overcome all of the obstacles and uncertainties that confront us, but we will be surprised just how many of those obstacles will start to fall away. We will be amazed at how much of our uncertainty is relieved. But it takes a concerted effort. It takes each of us to realize that we need each other.
Look around this room. We are surrounded by people who share something with us: a belief that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. But we are also all human. We get scared, we get worried, we get tired. The first step in dealing with those things is understand that we are all in this together, and we are all here for each other. I like to think of this as the church’s “inreach.” The church in general, and this church in particular, has always understood the meaning of outreach. But it is in difficult times like these that we must remind ourselves that inreach is also important, too. And inreach is as simple as saying hello, getting to know each other, being a listening ear for each other, helping each other, praying for one another, simply letting each other know that we are all in this together.
Nehemiah knew that.
But this is not the end of Nehemiah’s story.
When the wall was rebuilt, the people gathered at the Water Gate and asked for one more thing: they asked the scribe Ezra to bring out the Torah, the Book of Moses, and read to them. And so, Ezra, read to them for the better part of the day, interpreting and explaining what was in those Holy Scriptures. The people fell on their knees and wept at the words they heard. And Nehemiah said to them: “Goyour way, eat the fat and drink the sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord…do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Coming together for a common goal, the people of Jerusalem were reminded that at the heart of everything they had done was the Word of God. We are reminded that no matter what kind of situation we find ourselves in, we need to immerse ourselves in God’s presence, in God’s Word and in celebrating God’s creation. In difficult times, we need to go to scripture once again and hear what comfort is offered. In times of uncertainty, we can be assured, God is a God of renewal and calls us into covenant with God and with each other, over and over again.
When we understand the nature of that covenant, we are called to unity and we are invited to renew our life in God. Nehemiah reminds us that we are recipients of divine instruction, a people called to continual renewal and continual interpretation of God’s Word among us.
And in the end, when we recognize that we are not alone, when we realize that we need each other, when we accept that God is here and God will see us through, somehow, together, as Christ’s church united: what better advice can there be than to CELEBRATE?
That is exactly what Nehemiah told the people in Jerusalem to do: CELEBRATE! With good food and sweet wine, celebrate! Sharing what you have with others, celebrate! Recognizing God’s presence in each other and in our midst, celebrate! Celebrate that no matter what the world throws our way, we have each other, and we have God’s grace and strength to guide us toward renewal.
So, wherever you are this morning, whatever is troubling you, whatever is making you tired, look around this room, know that you are not alone, and once again, hear Nehemiah’s words : The joy of the Lord is our strength! And that is something to celebrate!
Let us pray: Lord, give us eyes to see the support we have in this room. Give us grace to reach out in love to those who need comfort. Give us wisdom to understand that you are with us and in you is renewal for today and strength for all our days. In Jesus’ name we ask it. Amen.
| | | Permalink | Trackback |
|
|
 | |