Jeremiah 23:1-8 Something Joyful Yesterday was the 50 th anniversary of the airing of the first episode of the British TV show, Dr. Who, and so, all this past week, the BBC has been playing special programs and repeats of past shows. One of those shows, from 2010, was an episode in which the Doctor goes back in time to visit Vincent van Gogh. After an adventure with the great painter- and after we get to know and appreciate a little better the man Vincent, with his failings (and his failures), his sickness and his brilliance- the Doctor returns to our present time, to a special exhibit at a museum displaying van Gogh s works. There the Doctor asks the curator about van Gogh s place in art history. And he responds like this, To me, he is the greatest painter that ever lived, that he could take the pain of his tormented life and create something joyful. For that reason, I think he is not only the greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived. It s a wonderfully touching scene: that turns on the idea of transforming pain into beauty and hopefulness. Or maybe you remember the movie Amadeus and the scene in which Mozart s wife and his father argue about finances and the neatness of the house and the quality of the kitchen; and they get louder and louder, and Wolfgang walks into another room, closes the door; retreats into that private place in his mind and
composes the final scene of his opera The Marriage of Figaro. We see him scribbling the notes on the page, and we hear the melody playing in his head and the words of the song, the words of a wife offering forgiveness to her philandering husband. Truly heavenly music, and again wonderfully touching, as we see chaos and hurt turning into beauty and joy. For Jeremiah, too, the suffering and sorrow of his life brought him to a place beyond where most of us live, to an understanding of human nature and human frailty- where he was able to see what the world is and what people are; and also to the place where he could hear- and experience- God s word, and comprehend its deepest meanings. We may read Jeremiah s writings- here his condemnation of the wealthy, and the rulers, and the religious leaders- we may read so much of scripture, and believe we comprehend God s word, too; we think we understand God s anger over sin; we read these verses, and we know that God s judgment is coming soon upon Jerusalem, and we think we understand the ways of God and the meaning and purpose of divine wrath. But we need to read on and understand that beyond the anger of God is joy. Jeremiah knows it. Listen to what he hears God say, I will gather and bring my people back, and they will succeed and increase; I will give them leaders who care for them, so that they need never fear; nor will
they be harmed or lost. For all the woe and misery of the present, out of that pain will come joy and blessedness. Jeremiah is very political here. And I m trying very hard not to be, except to note how Jeremiah gives us the rubric for measuring our leaders- just this one thing, that they must care for the people; because the shepherds of Jeremiah s time, and perhaps some shepherds today, do not take care of the people, but instead watch out for their own friends and contributors, and special interests, and their own pocketbook. Politicians talk a lot, and will invariably say they care, but how can we know? How can we know who speaks the truth, which candidates to vote for, which representatives truly represent us? I think Jeremiah gives us a word that helps us to see them more clearly. Justice. Very simply, isn t that what governments are for, to create justice- to make the system work fairly and equally for everyone? In this context in Jeremiah, justice is a one-word definition of what caring means. And here Jeremiah describes his hope in the Kingdom of God. The days are coming, he writes, when God will raise up a true and wise king to execute justice and righteousness in the land. It is a promise, something joyful and hopeful that Jeremiah trusts in. It is a promise from God coming even to us down
through the years, and the ages, this same word Jesus believed and preached: God s Kingdom, God s rule in the hearts of those who believe. It is a promise for us, in America and in any other place, but a promise so easily claimed by the unrighteous- or the self-righteous- and corrupted. Changed into the anger of the Taliban and al Qaida, and the vengeful attitudes of radical Judaism, and found in the violent gospel of white supremacists and militant Christianity, and among others who use religion to spread hatred; found in repressive governments built upon biased interpretations of ancient religious writings. The Kingdom of God, the joy and blessing of God s benevolent rule, made into a hell for so many- in Uganda, perhaps, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and numerous other countries. Even in the U.S., where some politicians want to make the commandments of the Bible into the law of the land, it would mean suffering and not freedom for thousands and millions. So we must ask, what is the measure of good governance, what is the duty of God s king, or of any who would assert God s authority to rule? Justice. That s what Jeremiah says. Yes, there is another word in verse 5, along side justice : righteousness. And people will say that, for us, and for the nation, to be righteous, then we must obey God s commandments. I agree. But we should remember as we try to
understand who God is and what God demands of us, that in theology, justice and righteousness are the same character trait of God. So if we wish to be a righteous people, and a righteous nation, then we must be a just and fair one. We should remind ourselves that the first law of God s Kingdom is the law of love. And we should have this mindset that the Kingdom of God is a place where we live perhaps not so much by the Ten Commandments as by the two commandments Jesus proclaimed to be the greatest ones of all; the Two that help define the Ten: to love God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. That is what makes any nation a just and righteous land, and can transform the suffering of the people into something joyful. So, let us gather to share the Lord s Supper, remembering that it is the meal of God s Kingdom, and thus a joyful feast. Communion is an act of joy, where we worship and give thanks to the God who loves us; and, as well, it is an act of justice where we commit ourselves to loving one another. Of course, Thanksgiving is Thursday, and I think Jeremiah is helpful in showing us how to celebrate it properly. Giving thanks is not just recalling the events of the past, deliverance out of difficulties and into happier situations: it is also hope,
giving thanks is an act of hope, the anticipation of blessings in our future. Days are coming, says the Lord, Jeremiah writes in verse 7, when God s people will remember not only their great emancipation out of Egypt, but will also celebrate how God brought them out of their suffering in this present day. Days are coming, that is God preparing his people for the blessings of the future. Watch for that day; expect God s blessings to come. So, here are the sources of our gratitude, the certainty of God s love and salvation in our past, and the realization that God is always present to save. These are the promises that give birth to our joy: that God is with us this day, and the next, and forever. Let us, then, give thanks, and strive to share joy. Let us make the experiences of our lives- the good ones and the difficult ones- into something joyful for others.