"Jeremiah's Prayer Is Our Prayer"
A sermon preached on The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Octber 14 at Edgemont Chrsitian Church (Disciples of Christ), by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp. The sermon is based on Jeremiah 29:4-7.
The story is told that the late Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr, the former professor of Christian ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, was asked to offer a prayer one Sunday during worship. Dr. Niebuhr jotted down a few lines that serve as the basis of his prayer. After the service, someone approached him and asked to see a copy of the prayer he offered, which Niebuhr had folded up and put in his pocket. On that piece of paper, was scribbled one of the most familiar and beloved of all modern American prayers; "God, grant me the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference." What a powerful prayer!
Our Scripture Lesson this morning from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah is indeed a passage of scripture that deals directly with living in the midst of difficult circumstances. What’s more, these circumstances are not going to change, at least, not for some time. Keep in mind, Jeremiah was addressing a people in exile, and God had sent a word through the prophet that they would not be leaving Babylon for quiet some time - in fact, some seventy years to be exact. And so, Jeremiah wrote them a letter about having serenity to accept what cannot be changed.
The first thing that Jeremiah says to them is to acknowledge and accept the fact that things are not going to be changing any time soon. Those words are hard to hear sometimes. And he warns them to stay away from those preachers who say that if you will only pray harder and have more faith or start living right, this difficulty will pass. This reminds me of some of our modern day "preachers," who very easily could be equated to Job’s friends, because they profess if you just have enough faith or, if you just pray hard enough, you will be healed of your disease, or your trying circumstances will magically disappear.
The prophet tells the people not to put their lives on hold, he says; "Go ahead and build your houses - you’ll be here for the full thirty-year mortgage. Go ahead and plant your gardens - you will be here when it is time to harvest. Go ahead and let your sons and daughters marry and have children - if you don’t do it now they will be too old when they leave, and you’ll never have grandchildren."
In essence, Jeremiah is saying that if we do not learn to make peace with our captivity, our exile, our conditions of difficulty, then we will never have peace at all. Accept your circumstances. They cannot be changed. But you can live faithfully within them.
We all, I suspect, have something we would like to change if given the opportunity. And certainly, we can let that something paralyze us and control us and eat at us, or we can accept it and get on with life as best we can and enjoy what we can enjoy. We don’t always choose our lots in life, but we can, as Jeremiah reminds us, choose how we will respond to those lots. Jeremiah reminded the people of Israel and he reminds us that we have hope even in the face of such circumstances and that hope is that God is with us through all of life.
Our Scripture Lesson this morning from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah is indeed a passage of scripture that deals directly with living in the midst of difficult circumstances. What’s more, these circumstances are not going to change, at least, not for some time. Keep in mind, Jeremiah was addressing a people in exile, and God had sent a word through the prophet that they would not be leaving Babylon for quiet some time - in fact, some seventy years to be exact. And so, Jeremiah wrote them a letter about having serenity to accept what cannot be changed.
The first thing that Jeremiah says to them is to acknowledge and accept the fact that things are not going to be changing any time soon. Those words are hard to hear sometimes. And he warns them to stay away from those preachers who say that if you will only pray harder and have more faith or start living right, this difficulty will pass. This reminds me of some of our modern day "preachers," who very easily could be equated to Job’s friends, because they profess if you just have enough faith or, if you just pray hard enough, you will be healed of your disease, or your trying circumstances will magically disappear.
The prophet tells the people not to put their lives on hold, he says; "Go ahead and build your houses - you’ll be here for the full thirty-year mortgage. Go ahead and plant your gardens - you will be here when it is time to harvest. Go ahead and let your sons and daughters marry and have children - if you don’t do it now they will be too old when they leave, and you’ll never have grandchildren."
In essence, Jeremiah is saying that if we do not learn to make peace with our captivity, our exile, our conditions of difficulty, then we will never have peace at all. Accept your circumstances. They cannot be changed. But you can live faithfully within them.
We all, I suspect, have something we would like to change if given the opportunity. And certainly, we can let that something paralyze us and control us and eat at us, or we can accept it and get on with life as best we can and enjoy what we can enjoy. We don’t always choose our lots in life, but we can, as Jeremiah reminds us, choose how we will respond to those lots. Jeremiah reminded the people of Israel and he reminds us that we have hope even in the face of such circumstances and that hope is that God is with us through all of life.
Frederick Buechner said that in God’s word, the worst thing that happens to us is never the last thing that happens to us. The truth is that nothing can or will separate us from God’s love and God is working in all of life for the good of those who love and trust God. "God, grant me the serenity to accept what cannot be changed..."
But, there’s more to that prayer. As hard as it is to accept that which we cannot change, it is even harder, sometimes, to change those things which we can change. Change is hard for us sometimes. Change can be difficult and frightening. But change is necessary to live life in this ever-changing world in which we live. I mean consider life - it is ever changing. God has created and ordained it that way - from the very process or stages of development that exist in one’s life: childhood to adolescence to adulthood; from the very changes in the seasons of the year: fall to winter to spring to summer. Life is ever changing and we must be willing to accept change. Over the next few years if the Church is going to survive, it too must change its way of doing things. Now, friends, I am not saying we are to change the message or change the gospel, that’s not the point. But we must change the way we go about doing things, reaching and ministering, evangelizing and attracting people to the Church. And certainly we must pray that God will grant us the wisdom and the courage to do what needs to be done - to change those things that need to be changed and that can be changed.
There are also changes in our personal lives that can and need to be changed. In most cases we have the ability to choose our response to the situations of our lives. In most cases the circumstances we face in life are a direct result from the choices we make. Now, I am not talking about the kind of positive thinking that ignores the hard reality of life and its situations. I am not a proponent of unrestrained optimism, nor am I a proponent of close-minded pessimism. We have to be realist! In extreme cases the conditions of life can be so burdensome, the pain and grief can be so devastating that the realities of life can send us into the depths of depression. Those times calls for a Higher Power, as well as professional and clinical help, along with a strong, supportive community of faith. Feeling weak and stressed out and needing help from others is not a sign of a weak faith; rather, it is a sign of our humanity and a realization that we all, at some point, need help and support from each other.
Change is also an integral part of the gospel. In fact, Jesus’ first words of proclamation in the Gospel of Matthew are; "Repent," which is to say, turn around, change, "for the kingdom of heaven has come near." And repentance isn’t something we do just once. On the contrary, we spend our lives being continually reformed and transformed into the person we are called to be, into the image of Christ.
Let us never forget that our hope for change is in Jesus Christ. Let us remember that this talk of serenity in accepting the things that cannot be changed and the courage to change the things that can be changed has been wisely placed in the form of a prayer. Our hope for a new and better self is found in a life of prayer - a life of deep, abiding companionship with God.
"God, grant me the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed and the wisdom to know the difference." What the things I need to learn to accept? How we wish to know the answer to that question. How we need to wisdom to discern. It is only with the help of God and the wisdom of friends that we can discern which things can be changed and which things we must accept. May God grant us the serenity of acceptance and the courage to change and the wisdom to know the difference.
But, there’s more to that prayer. As hard as it is to accept that which we cannot change, it is even harder, sometimes, to change those things which we can change. Change is hard for us sometimes. Change can be difficult and frightening. But change is necessary to live life in this ever-changing world in which we live. I mean consider life - it is ever changing. God has created and ordained it that way - from the very process or stages of development that exist in one’s life: childhood to adolescence to adulthood; from the very changes in the seasons of the year: fall to winter to spring to summer. Life is ever changing and we must be willing to accept change. Over the next few years if the Church is going to survive, it too must change its way of doing things. Now, friends, I am not saying we are to change the message or change the gospel, that’s not the point. But we must change the way we go about doing things, reaching and ministering, evangelizing and attracting people to the Church. And certainly we must pray that God will grant us the wisdom and the courage to do what needs to be done - to change those things that need to be changed and that can be changed.
There are also changes in our personal lives that can and need to be changed. In most cases we have the ability to choose our response to the situations of our lives. In most cases the circumstances we face in life are a direct result from the choices we make. Now, I am not talking about the kind of positive thinking that ignores the hard reality of life and its situations. I am not a proponent of unrestrained optimism, nor am I a proponent of close-minded pessimism. We have to be realist! In extreme cases the conditions of life can be so burdensome, the pain and grief can be so devastating that the realities of life can send us into the depths of depression. Those times calls for a Higher Power, as well as professional and clinical help, along with a strong, supportive community of faith. Feeling weak and stressed out and needing help from others is not a sign of a weak faith; rather, it is a sign of our humanity and a realization that we all, at some point, need help and support from each other.
Change is also an integral part of the gospel. In fact, Jesus’ first words of proclamation in the Gospel of Matthew are; "Repent," which is to say, turn around, change, "for the kingdom of heaven has come near." And repentance isn’t something we do just once. On the contrary, we spend our lives being continually reformed and transformed into the person we are called to be, into the image of Christ.
Let us never forget that our hope for change is in Jesus Christ. Let us remember that this talk of serenity in accepting the things that cannot be changed and the courage to change the things that can be changed has been wisely placed in the form of a prayer. Our hope for a new and better self is found in a life of prayer - a life of deep, abiding companionship with God.
"God, grant me the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed and the wisdom to know the difference." What the things I need to learn to accept? How we wish to know the answer to that question. How we need to wisdom to discern. It is only with the help of God and the wisdom of friends that we can discern which things can be changed and which things we must accept. May God grant us the serenity of acceptance and the courage to change and the wisdom to know the difference.
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 11:29 AM
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