If I told you that religion is not the same as Christianity, would you be surprised? Religion is man's attempt to reach God. It focuses on our deeds. It is the broken cistern referred to in Jeremiah 2:4-13. Christianity is God's attempt to reach man. We are meant to be fully in relationship with God, but we've traded his power and his strengths for the emptiness offered by an empty, worldly life. We try to solve our problems by ourselves. We dig our own well or cistern. We abandon God and his spring of water that never dries up. The problem is that our own cisterns always break. They never hold up to the pressures and strains of everyday life. They can never hold water. God will never help us dig our own cistern. He will never help us seek joy outside of himself.
We need to satisfy our spiritual thirst with the living water that Christ and Christianity provide. We have to drink from God's well instead of the earthly well. Israel was in the same situation in Jeremiah 2:4-13. Israel lost its moral compass and commitment because it exchanged its relationship with God for a relationship with idols. God was a dependable source of sustenance and life for the Israelites, and he will continue to be a dependable source of sustenance and life for all eternity. His glory is so overwhelming that we are not capable of experiencing it. It is like coming into contact with a high-voltage power line.
The Israelites in Jeremiah’s time lost their identity as God’s chosen people because living in a new homeland had corrupted them. They worshipped the false gods of the people who were already living in their new homeland. Our true identity is in Jesus, but we won't know that until we have a personal relationship with him. Each and every one of us was created in his image. We must immerse ourselves in him. We must drink the spiritual water he provides for us.
Once we have a relationship with Jesus, we can show his warmth in a world that can be cold toward Christianity. We are called to love our brothers and sisters in Christ in spite of our differences. Our brotherly love can be parallel to the love Jesus shows to the world. The source of our brotherly love is our birth into the family of God through the redemption offered by the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is similar to all Jews being siblings because of their common heritage in Abraham, but the redemption is so radical that we are changed.
Some of you might remember that as the year 2000 approached some people hoarded food because of the fears surrounding Y2K. These people forgot that we do not need to hoard material goods for fear of not having enough of the necessities of life. When we have an abiding relationship with God, we have everything we need. Since God's presence is perpetual, the necessities of life will also be perpetual.
What we seek the most in life will shape our character, personality and relationships. If we live for material goods, social standing or security, we will become people without substance. We will be nothing more than empty shells. If we seek God, we will become more and more like him. We will be people of solidness, truth, love and grace.
We are to obey God and the leaders chosen by him. This is not meant to be blind obedience, but obedience after thoughtful consideration that results in persuasion. God and his chosen leaders do not demand obedience without reason. Those false teachers who do demand blind obedience will get Christians who change orientation any time another golden-tongued leader comes along. God and his chosen leaders are steadfast and true in faith, and we are to follow their example. We are to use God's authority to lead society with the authority and message of God's Word because it never changes. In the words of a prayer I found while I was researching this homily:
Christ is shepherd over you,
Enfolding you on every side,
Christ will not forsake you, hand or foot,
Nor let evil come near you.
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to follow the high moral standards God has set for us. We are to show Christian hospitality. In ancient times, hospitality included putting a guest up overnight. This was hard to do in times of persecution, since the Hebrews would not know if the guest was a spy or a fellow believer who was being persecuted. When we identify ourselves with Jesus, we will face ridicule and persecutions. We are not to avoid them. Instead, we are to embrace them. The Hebrews did not know how far-reaching their act of hospitality would be.
Jesus said the same thing in Luke 14:1, 7-14. He was invited to a banquet at the home of a Pharisee. When Jesus arrived, he noticed that all of the important people in society were vying to get the seats closest to the guest of honour, while those of lower classes sat at the back. He also warned the host for only inviting the elite. He urged the host to invite the less fortunate to his table, just like he urges us to invite the poor to our tables. When we share what we have with others, God blesses us and makes us a blessing.
Unfortunately, in this day and age we can't trust everyone and we need to be on guard against dishonest people. At the same time we never know who the stranger is who crossed our path. He/she might be an angel in disguise or a person in need of a helping hand, an encouraging word or a cup of cold water. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, "Whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me". We gain God's power and strength when we humble ourselves and serve those whose social standing is lower than ours. The willingness to serve is the greatest of all the values of Christian understanding. Everyone is welcome at Jesus' table.
Imagine this situation, if you will. A husband comes home from work on a Friday night. As he comes into the driveway, he sees that there is a rented tent in the back yard. Under the tent are tables and chairs for about forty people. A bandstand and a dance floor are in one corner of the tent. Decorations are hanging everywhere. None of this was there when the husband left for work in the morning. Seeing all of these preparations and having them come as a surprise, what do you think the husband might think?
One reaction might be panic: “Good Lord! It’s our anniversary, and I’ve forgotten about it!” After a few minutes, he might realize that it is not their anniversary, so he might continue thinking, “I guess all this must be for a birthday party”. Now suppose the husband walks into the backyard and finds his wife cooking a huge pile of chickens and choice steaks. He might think, “Wow! This is going to cost me a bundle!”
Then suppose his wife looks up, smiles sweetly and asks, “Guess who’s coming to dinner?” His guess might be “Relatives, friends, neighbours and business associates”. Before he can answer, she continues, “I’ve invited twenty homeless men from the local homeless shelter, clients of the local food bank, and residents of the local nursing home. Don’t worry dear, you won’t know anyone, and best of all, not a single one is likely to ever pay us back”.
Now given that situation, the husband might think that the wife is ready for the mental hospital, but in reality she is following the words of Jesus in Luke 14:12-14. “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they might invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”. Sometimes the only way to get people to look up is when they hit rock bottom and the only way for them to go is up. When we help those who are on the bottom, we encourage them to look up to Christ as their source of hope.
The wife used the skills and talents God gave her to do good deeds in her little corner of the world. She did not use the skills God gave her for gaining status and praise. There is much that we as Christ’s disciples can do to address the needs of society, especially the needs of people in the lower classes of society.
The “right” people will be at God’s banquet. They will be everyone who responds to God’s invitation. The poor and the outcast will be seated next to Jesus instead of the dignitaries, and people of position and prominence. We must not erect social barriers that keep some people from joining us at God’s table. The less fortunate in our society need both our natural gifts and the dignity that comes with being acknowledged. They need the gift of our friendship, and we need them as well.
We can celebrate God's goodness by praising him. The sacrifice of praise is when we as Christians declare the goodness of God when we don't feel like praising him. When we praise God when we don't feel like praising him, God is well-pleased. When we praise God when we don't feel like praising him, we offer something very valuable-the inheritance Christ has given us, which is God's blessing.
Worship and praise must be part of everything we do. We need to praise God in good times and in bad times. Praise heals our brokenness in ways that words can't. When we praise God through our pain, God empowers us to rise above our circumstances. In the words of the Doxology, we must:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
In the midst of our problems, God wants us to deepen our faith and grow in him before he helps us. He wants us to follow him in faith no matter how serious our problems are. When we are called by God and are empowered by his spirit, we are to remember the words of the famous hymn, "What A Friend We Have in Jesus".
What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and grief to bear
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer
We must use the courage that a life in faith with God gives us to live a life that is more revolutionary than our secular world or any other non-Christian faith. God will give us the courage to work like army commandos if we want him to, but in return we must go and carry out his work in our world. We will face ridicule and persecution, but God will also give us the courage and strength we need to survive and thrive. If we take the long view, we can put up with the pain, persecution and uncertainty knowing that we are holding strong to the values that will be holding strong in the future. If we have a worthy goal that is in sync with the goals God has for us, the struggle is worth it. Hebrews 13:8 states that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Flowers will fade and fall, and grass will wither away. We will grow old and pass away, but when we've taken the long view, made the right choices and kept the end in mind, we will be okay. Our legacy will be secure.
In the words of Billy Graham, "Ingratitude is a sin, just as surely as lying or stealing or immorality or any other sin condemned by the Bible. Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, dissatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. And nothing will do more to restore contentment and the joy of our salvation than a true spirit of thankfulness."
