1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,840 Grace and 2 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:03,410 peace to you from God our Father and from 3 00:00:03,410 --> 00:00:07,380 our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The 4 00:00:07,380 --> 00:00:09,710 text for our meditation is the call of 5 00:00:09,710 --> 00:00:11,520 Jeremiah as you just heard particularly 6 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,320 verse 4. Before I formed you in the womb. I 7 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:16,920 knew you and before you were born I 8 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,120 consecrated you I appointed you a prophet 9 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:23,660 to the nations. Dear friends in Christ 10 00:00:23,660 --> 00:00:27,060 reading through this text I thought about 11 00:00:27,130 --> 00:00:29,600 five different sermons that I could preach 12 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:31,400 in my main goal today is to not preach all 13 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,640 of them in one eight minute or so Give me 14 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,510 grace homily here. I want to try to cover 15 00:00:37,510 --> 00:00:41,680 this text in talking to men in formation 16 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:43,780 for pastoral ministry women in formation 17 00:00:43,780 --> 00:00:46,150 for a Diaconal ministry from the perspective 18 00:00:46,150 --> 00:00:49,190 of an important aspect of your future 19 00:00:49,190 --> 00:00:52,760 calling and that is to be a prophetic 20 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:57,160 voice. But I will take a quick tangent to 21 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:59,800 recognize this past Friday thousands of 22 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:01,600 American Christians including hundreds of 23 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:03,370 members of Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod 24 00:01:03,370 --> 00:01:05,670 congregations. Participated in the annual 25 00:01:05,670 --> 00:01:08,140 March for life in Washington DC, and I 26 00:01:08,140 --> 00:01:09,910 mentioned that for a couple of reasons. 27 00:01:10,540 --> 00:01:13,640 First the wording of verse 4 lends itself 28 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:16,210 to and has often been used by the pro-life 29 00:01:16,210 --> 00:01:18,950 Movement as a biblical basis for the case 30 00:01:18,950 --> 00:01:20,620 that life at conception and before 31 00:01:20,620 --> 00:01:24,160 delivery and birth Is what God has said 32 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,630 about it. And second, this will be all I can 33 00:01:27,630 --> 00:01:29,660 say here, but something that that I hope 34 00:01:29,660 --> 00:01:31,160 you pick up further and that you wrestle 35 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,230 with and deal with through your formative 36 00:01:33,230 --> 00:01:36,570 process here. There is a March for life 37 00:01:36,570 --> 00:01:39,670 each year because for over 50 years there 38 00:01:39,670 --> 00:01:41,670 has been an abortion holocaust in this 39 00:01:41,670 --> 00:01:45,140 land. And part of the reason for that is 40 00:01:45,140 --> 00:01:48,550 that folks are all upside down on morality 41 00:01:48,550 --> 00:01:51,280 and pleasure and gratifying sinful desires 42 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:54,550 and lost often in all of that is a key 43 00:01:54,550 --> 00:01:57,890 part of this text from Jeremiah before I 44 00:01:57,890 --> 00:02:01,660 formed you I knew you and I consecrated 45 00:02:01,660 --> 00:02:05,500 you.I set you apart. And The reality is 46 00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:07,770 that this upside-down morality and all its 47 00:02:07,770 --> 00:02:10,070 implications is something that you and 48 00:02:10,070 --> 00:02:12,200 your pastoral care role you in your 49 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:14,640 Diaconal care role you will encounter 50 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:17,910 this. And if you're gonna face it head-on 51 00:02:17,910 --> 00:02:19,780 and be effective you you're gonna have to 52 00:02:19,780 --> 00:02:22,150 address it and addressing it also means 53 00:02:22,150 --> 00:02:23,910 addressing some of the underlying 54 00:02:23,910 --> 00:02:26,020 loneliness and emptiness and lack of 55 00:02:26,020 --> 00:02:28,590 purpose that leads to it in the first 56 00:02:28,590 --> 00:02:31,920 place. And so as people if that's a 57 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:33,020 whole different sermon and a whole 58 00:02:33,020 --> 00:02:34,430 different thing to think through but as 59 00:02:34,430 --> 00:02:36,630 people in pastoral and diaconal formation 60 00:02:36,630 --> 00:02:38,460 this is an excellent time that if there's 61 00:02:38,460 --> 00:02:41,570 any struggles that you have with morality 62 00:02:41,570 --> 00:02:43,470 and personal practice. This is a good time 63 00:02:43,470 --> 00:02:45,670 to address that to pray about it to talk 64 00:02:45,670 --> 00:02:47,100 to someone about it and get it in hand 65 00:02:47,100 --> 00:02:48,940 because you're gonna need to be able to 66 00:02:48,940 --> 00:02:51,110 address this with other folks, but that's 67 00:02:51,110 --> 00:02:52,610 a whole separate sermon. But what I want to 68 00:02:52,610 --> 00:02:55,380 pick up on is the core root function that 69 00:02:55,380 --> 00:02:58,580 remembering the purposes of God serves in 70 00:02:58,580 --> 00:03:01,950 our human identity. How we see ourselves 71 00:03:01,950 --> 00:03:04,890 how we see other people and how we value 72 00:03:04,890 --> 00:03:08,230 other people and life matters. Before I 73 00:03:08,230 --> 00:03:11,900 formed you I knew you before you were born 74 00:03:11,900 --> 00:03:16,730 I set you apart. Western culture seems to 75 00:03:16,730 --> 00:03:18,400 operate from a whole different set of 76 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,500 assumptions somehow and there's a great 77 00:03:20,500 --> 00:03:23,610 term coined by missiologist named Leslie 78 00:03:23,610 --> 00:03:25,680 Newbegin that I find helpful in trying to 79 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,580 sort this all out. He calls this concept 80 00:03:28,580 --> 00:03:30,720 the reigning plausibility structure. So 81 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,450 again, I'm in a seminary forgive online. I 82 00:03:33,450 --> 00:03:34,620 know it's getting complicated, but the 83 00:03:34,620 --> 00:03:38,490 rating Plausibility structure is a set of 84 00:03:38,490 --> 00:03:41,130 assumptions that guide a society almost 85 00:03:41,130 --> 00:03:43,260 unconsciously and almost unquestioned 86 00:03:43,260 --> 00:03:45,100 these are just things that people believe 87 00:03:45,100 --> 00:03:47,670 are fact. And there was a reigning 88 00:03:47,670 --> 00:03:49,600 plausibility at the time of Jeremiah the 89 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,270 Prophet and there is a reigning 90 00:03:51,270 --> 00:03:53,600 plausibility structure in our culture now. 91 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,540 And there are some similarities between 92 00:03:55,540 --> 00:03:58,410 the two both cultures likely had some idea 93 00:03:58,410 --> 00:04:00,010 that the desire for instant gratification 94 00:04:00,340 --> 00:04:02,410 I want things fixed and I want them my way 95 00:04:02,410 --> 00:04:06,580 and I want it now. The the idea that 96 00:04:06,580 --> 00:04:08,890 there's human agency we have to make stuff 97 00:04:08,890 --> 00:04:10,320 happen ourselves if something's good gonna 98 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:12,460 happen I've got to make it happen myself. 99 00:04:12,460 --> 00:04:15,360 And there are a few things now that are 100 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:17,160 more in view that weren't likely as in 101 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,360 view at the time of Jeremiah such as only 102 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:23,800 what you can see and observe is real. Fact 103 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:26,200 is the highest form of knowledge in fact 104 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:28,140 is something I can verify and see and 105 00:04:28,140 --> 00:04:31,840 observe. Faith and belief are nice but 106 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:34,650 optional or nice to have But not as good 107 00:04:34,650 --> 00:04:37,080 as fact and not as important. And what's 108 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:40,790 best for me is what's best. Suffering is is 109 00:04:40,790 --> 00:04:42,520 to be avoided at all costs. I want to feel 110 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,920 good all the time. These ideas are rampant 111 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:49,930 and will be in your Christian congregations. 112 00:04:49,930 --> 00:04:51,830 I dare say in your Lutheran churches. 113 00:04:51,830 --> 00:04:55,470 People in our culture are very good at 114 00:04:55,470 --> 00:04:58,470 compartmentalizing life. You'll have folks 115 00:04:58,470 --> 00:05:00,070 that are pretty bought into the reigning 116 00:05:00,070 --> 00:05:02,340 plausibility structure of our culture for 117 00:05:02,340 --> 00:05:04,380 most aspects of their life and who will 118 00:05:04,380 --> 00:05:05,810 think that a lot of what you're doing in 119 00:05:05,810 --> 00:05:08,080 your churches is kind of irrelevant for 120 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,220 real life. Because of how they see the 121 00:05:11,220 --> 00:05:12,750 reigning plausibility structure. You'll 122 00:05:12,750 --> 00:05:16,320 find people like those in Jeremiah 1:16 who 123 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,990 worship the work of their own hands. And 124 00:05:19,990 --> 00:05:21,230 there's a lot more to say about that but 125 00:05:21,230 --> 00:05:23,660 the response to the reigning plausibility 126 00:05:23,660 --> 00:05:26,860 structure is God's Word. God's revealed 127 00:05:26,860 --> 00:05:29,570 wisdom in his word ultimately pointing at 128 00:05:29,570 --> 00:05:32,840 Jesus Christ and the truth that His word 129 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:34,770 speaks. And we're gonna need to remind 130 00:05:34,770 --> 00:05:37,910 people of the core truth that God has a 131 00:05:37,910 --> 00:05:39,740 calling and a purpose for each of their 132 00:05:39,740 --> 00:05:43,650 lives as well. Every person has intrinsic 133 00:05:43,650 --> 00:05:45,980 value in God's eyes and we're gonna need 134 00:05:45,980 --> 00:05:47,820 to remind people that the revelation of 135 00:05:47,820 --> 00:05:50,750 God given in Scripture. When we are dealing 136 00:05:50,750 --> 00:05:52,490 with that we are dealing with ultimate 137 00:05:52,490 --> 00:05:56,030 reality that impacts everybody from all 138 00:05:56,030 --> 00:05:58,330 times and all places whether you believe 139 00:05:58,330 --> 00:06:00,130 it or not and whether you like it or not. 140 00:06:01,100 --> 00:06:03,170 This is an important part of the calling 141 00:06:03,170 --> 00:06:06,570 for which you are being formed to be a 142 00:06:06,570 --> 00:06:09,310 prophetic voice. And I would like to repeat 143 00:06:09,310 --> 00:06:11,280 that it's part of your role in ministry 144 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:14,250 will be to have a prophetic voice. I say part 145 00:06:14,250 --> 00:06:17,110 because I'm sure among you. I 146 00:06:17,110 --> 00:06:19,480 don't know all of you very well but I'm 147 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:20,920 sure some of you are all in on the 148 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:21,950 prophetic voice thing and you're gonna 149 00:06:21,950 --> 00:06:24,190 need to chill a little bit okay. Dial it 150 00:06:24,190 --> 00:06:26,660 back remember there are other parts of 151 00:06:26,660 --> 00:06:29,830 ministry like like care and counsel and 152 00:06:29,830 --> 00:06:31,630 guiding and Shepherding where we get the 153 00:06:31,630 --> 00:06:33,300 word pastor from in the first place, 154 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:35,870 right? And unless you are called by God to 155 00:06:35,870 --> 00:06:38,200 be the next Jeremiah or the next Martin 156 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,940 Luther. You're not the next Jeremiah or the 157 00:06:40,940 --> 00:06:42,570 next Martin Luther. So let's chill a little 158 00:06:42,570 --> 00:06:45,040 bit but be sure to serve your people well. 159 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,950 And there are others of you who are gonna 160 00:06:47,950 --> 00:06:50,180 need to learn to step up to this task and 161 00:06:50,180 --> 00:06:51,850 ask the Lord for a deeper measure of 162 00:06:51,850 --> 00:06:53,880 boldness than you're usually comfortable 163 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,290 with to be a prophetic voice. And the good 164 00:06:57,290 --> 00:07:00,060 news in all this a few things I would pull 165 00:07:00,060 --> 00:07:03,260 out from the call of Jeremiah verse 4. You 166 00:07:03,260 --> 00:07:06,760 were born for this God set you apart to do 167 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:11,400 this. Verse 11. I am watching over my word 168 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:15,010 to perform it. You know remember God's Word 169 00:07:15,010 --> 00:07:17,440 is more than sounds and syllables it does 170 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:19,440 what it says it does. And when you are 171 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:21,880 called upon to engage in the prophetic 172 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:23,950 role you could be confident that it is God 173 00:07:23,950 --> 00:07:27,590 who acts and the results are His not yours. 174 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,690 Verse 19 they will fight against you, but 175 00:07:32,690 --> 00:07:34,390 they shall not prevail against you for I 176 00:07:34,390 --> 00:07:37,390 am with you declares the Lord your God. God is 177 00:07:37,390 --> 00:07:40,000 gonna be with you now don't hear that last 178 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,370 verse through the reigning plausibility 179 00:07:42,370 --> 00:07:45,040 structure of our culture. They shall not 180 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,100 prevail against you doesn't mean that when 181 00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:49,170 you have to take on the role of having the 182 00:07:49,170 --> 00:07:51,010 prophetic voice that that won't result in 183 00:07:51,010 --> 00:07:53,280 some kind of hardships. That you'll never 184 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:54,550 suffer loss that you won't lose 185 00:07:54,550 --> 00:07:56,650 friendships. I mean this promise was made 186 00:07:56,650 --> 00:07:58,550 directly to Jeremiah as we read it here. 187 00:07:58,550 --> 00:08:00,180 And then if you want to go ahead and read 188 00:08:00,180 --> 00:08:02,320 the rest of the book you'll find things 189 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:04,360 like Jeremiah spent time in the stocks. 190 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,560 Time in a pit, time in Egypt he died in 191 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,560 exile, but God was with him and God was 192 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:14,870 faithful. Before you were formed in the 193 00:08:14,870 --> 00:08:18,370 womb God knew you. He knew where you would 194 00:08:18,370 --> 00:08:21,370 be right now. And before you were born He 195 00:08:21,370 --> 00:08:24,410 set you apart. He is setting you apart for 196 00:08:24,410 --> 00:08:27,680 the ministry that people will hear and 197 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:29,580 know Him. And as the words of our hymn that 198 00:08:29,580 --> 00:08:31,280 we sang a little bit ago say, God has 199 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:33,680 spoken by His prophets. Spoken His 200 00:08:33,680 --> 00:08:35,920 unchanging word each from age to age 201 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:39,160 proclaiming God the one the righteous Lord. 202 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:42,190 In the world's despair and turmoil one 203 00:08:42,190 --> 00:08:45,330 firm anchor holds us fast God is King. His 204 00:08:45,330 --> 00:08:48,300 throne eternal God the first and God the 205 00:08:48,300 --> 00:08:50,970 last. May he so build and equip you to be 206 00:08:50,970 --> 00:08:53,870 His voice to speak His prophetic truth to 207 00:08:53,870 --> 00:08:57,840 His glory in Jesus name. Amen. And the peace 208 00:08:57,840 --> 00:08:59,710 of God that surpasses all understanding 209 00:08:59,710 --> 00:09:01,710 will keep your hearts and minds in Christ 210 00:09:01,710 --> 00:09:02,780 Jesus. Amen.