“The Long View”
The Rev Drew Willard
UCC@The Villages, FL
September 26, 2010
Jer. 32:1-3a,6-15
Luke 16:19-31
‘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.’ Jer. 32:14
Let us pray... O God,
A human lifespan is short compared to the life of a redwood tree
and human history is short compared to the span of Creation.
Help us all to be amazed by the fact that we even exist at all and that –
as fragile as we are, it only proves that you certainly care for us. Amen
About 10 years ago, my parents decided to make the move
out of the house they’d been living in for 30 years in northern NJ
to go to a smaller house in the Poconos of PA.
As you might imagine, that big house was filled with stuff
and they hired someone to do a garage sale for them.
But when they saw sets of tools and objects of sentimental value
going for a pittance and even noticed people pocketing things,
my dad said, ‘Let’s go to lunch!’
I’m very proud of them for that.
I think our lives can get filled with stuff and it’s not easy to let go.
Having made a move myself this year and having a garage
still loaded with boxes, I can relate.
It’s as if we accumulate things or make our lives so complicated,
as if to think we can’t possibly be taken out of a situation –
like we are bargaining with God,
‘You see? You need me here.’
But God is saying to us in our stories today
that we need to take the long view on things
and what makes for eternal life.
The King of Babylon and his armies were pounding
on the gates of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah was teetering
on the brink of what we know will be destruction and exile.
Meanwhile, the prophet Jeremiah was under house arrest,
because the king was not happy with his political commentary.
We may have thought Amos was grim,
but he was only first in a series of prophets who were bringing society to task.
Jeremiah was known for laments and his name has been linked
with this Biblical-style of criticism called ‘jeremiads’.
Though Jeremiah had been harassing his nation’s leaders,
he shares a message from the LORD that is strangely hopeful.
God tells Jeremiah that a relative will ask him to buy some land –
and this happens.
This lot is in a town about 3 miles north of Jerusalem
and Jeremiah buys the land.
Then we get an elaborate description of how ancient real estate sales
were done with the transfer of money and the sealing of deeds.
Then the deed is placed in an earthenware jar to be buried for safe-keeping.
The point being that no matter what happens in the short run,
take the long view that there will be a future –
a promised land to come back to.
True prophets are not fortune tellers –
they are visionaries or spokespersons for God.
And sometimes they are even mimes acting out parables
like this story today about Jeremiah.
They are generally God’s messengers bringing warning or comfort –
The predominant message is, “Shape up or else”
along with, “Be patient, God will provide” as the other.
What they have in common is getting people to take the long view
of their situation to let go and do something about it.
Jesus essentially does the same thing through parables
when he speaks of the Kingdom of God –
and in today’s lesson, as a vision of the afterlife.
Oddly enough, the Bible doesn’t say too much about
the life to come – apart from the fantastic imagery of Revelation.
We are not allowed to see too far ahead – so that we don’t become
either too anxious to go or too afraid about what’s yet to come.
As Shakespeare’s Hamlet said in his “To be or not to be” speech:
‘But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?’
There is a film called “Blackrobe” about a French priest on a mission to bring Christianity to the Huron Indians of Canada.
A small Algonquin tribe escorts the priest on his journey
and their chief is mortally wounded.
As they travel on, they come to an island that the chief recognizes
from dreams he had had all his life.
And he says,
‘If I had known this, I would have been a great warrior’,
meaning he would have lived more boldly,
knowing that he would not die until arriving at that island.
What if you had that knowledge about yourself?
Would you live bolder or would you wait in apprehension?
I think it is better not to know, but to try to live everyday as a gift –
squeezing out the “orange juice” of each day.
Now, Jesus’ parable is a reminder that to live boldly is not
the same as pleasure-seeking or filling your life with things.
Lazarus and the rich man – who is called Dives, which means
‘rich person’ in Latin, represent two archetypes,
two kinds of people spoken of
in Jewish and Christian prophecy.
Dives lives lavishly, blissfully unaware of the poverty
suffered by people like Lazarus.
He dies and is roasting away in some fiery condition –
yet, he can see Lazarus.
But he still doesn’t get it - the lesson he is supposed to learn
about caring for others.
He calls out to Lazarus to fetch him some water.
He still thinks he can tell this fellow what to do.
But in the Kingdom to come, Lazarus is protected from others’ control;
For in the Beloved Community of heaven,
the law of love prevails.
What was separating Dives from Lazarus –
the burning truth, as it were, was not that he was wealthy,
but because he allowed his life that was filled with stuff
to blind him from what was most important - compassion.
It is the fires of truth that kept Dives stuck where he’s at –
tormenting him because it’s something he should know
but doesn’t understand why.
Likewise, Lazarus is held back by the warm embrace of the beloved that keeps him from crossing the divide to help Dives.
These stories are a warning and a promise to us:
The arrogant are brought low, the addict finally hits bottom,
the poor are fed, the wounded healed,
the beloved embraced, the former enemy rendered harmless –
There is judgment, yet all will be gathered together
in each others’ presence – we will meet again in heaven.
There is irony in what Jesus says at the end of this story –
“If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be convinced
even if someone rises from the dead.” Luke 16:31
He certainly had his fate in mind when he said this,
acknowledging that people would still not believe him
even after all he would go through, even after returning from the life beyond this life
to give us a longer view.
Yet his disciples did finally understand back then and
did carry this good news forward to the next generation –
something that must happen
for every generation of Christians.
Jesus would go to the cross to die and rise again
as an enduring witness of God’s selfless love for us
and that we can trust the longer view,
we can let go of things, keep who we love,
keep who we are, save our hearts and souls.
After Jeremiah buried the deed to the land,
he escaped with other exiles to Egypt.
And there is no further record of his return
or even of his death.
So, Jeremiah never did reclaim that land for himself –
but the act of securing a land deed was symbolic
for helping his people to take the long view
that someday a remnant of God’s people
would make good on their claim for a hopeful future.
Taking the long view means helping to make it a better world
even though you may not see it.
Taking the long view means doing the right thing
by showing love and kindness – or else!
Taking the long view means being faithful
even when it seems like the world is falling apart.
Taking the long view means aligning yourself with enduring principles:
to stand up for the poor, strengthen the weak,
help the afflicted, love one another as God has loved us.
Taking the long view means working for a better world now,
anticipating that Jews, Christians, & Muslims are already family
even before the religious experts got it all worked out.
Taking the long view means living boldly right now
to lay the foundation for the next generation on territory already paid for by those who came before us.
Taking the long view means living boldly
to let go of the baggage of “before”
and dare to be who you are, “now”.
Amen
Jer. 32:1-3a,6-15
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord
in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah,
which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.
2At 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, 3where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him.
6 Jeremiah said,
The word of the Lord came to me:
7Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you
and say,‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth,
for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’
8Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard,
in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me,
‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,
for the right of possession and redemption is yours;
buy it for yourself.’
Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
9 And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel,
and weighed out the money to him,
seventeen shekels of silver.
10I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses,
and weighed the money on scales.
11Then I took the sealed deed of purchase,
containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy;
12and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah
son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel,
in the presence of the witnesses
who signed the deed of purchase,
and in the presence of all the Judeans
who were sitting in the court of the guard.
13In their presence I charged Baruch, saying,
14Thus 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.
15For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Houses and fields and vineyards shall again
be bought in this land.
Luke 16:19-31
19 ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen
and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21who longed to satisfy his hunger
with what fell from the rich man’s table;
even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
22The poor man died and was carried away by the angels
to be with Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried.
23In Hades, where he was being tormented,
he looked up and saw Abraham far away
with Lazarus by his side.
24He called out,
“Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue;
for I am in agony in these flames.”
25But Abraham said,
“Child, remember that during your lifetime
you received your good things,
and Lazarus in like manner evil things;
but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.
26Besides all this, between you and us
a great chasm has been fixed,
so that those who might want to
pass from here to you cannot do so,
and no one can cross from there to us.”
27He said,
“Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house—
28for I have five brothers—that he may warn them,
so that they will not also
come into this place of torment.”
29Abraham replied,
“They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” 30He said,
“No, father Abraham;
but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”
31He said to him,
“If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be convinced
even if someone rises from the dead.” ’
HAMLET: To be, or not to be--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep--
No more--and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep--
To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprise of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. -- Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia! -- Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered.