I'm A Survivor"

Sermon Preached By Kendrick D. Weaver - October 10, 2004

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

If someone asks you, "What will the year 2004 be remembered for?"

• You could say it will be remembered for the eminent threat of terrorism.
• You could say it will be remembered for the long drawn out war in Iraq. 
• You could say it will be remembered for the numerous hurricanes that have devastated Florida.

However, if someone asks you, "What will the year 2004 be remembered for?"

• You could also say, it will be remembered for the major celebrities, who faced imprisonment.

In the year 2004, an internationally known and loved basketball star, pop singer, and businesswoman have all confronted the possibility of serving time.  All of them were taken out of their plush and pampered environments and forced to be in a place they did not want to be.  What was so interesting about these celebrities was how each responded to their situation. 

• First you had Kobe Bryant.  He was taken out of stadiums where everyone cheered and adored him and placed in a Colorado courtroom where he was detested.  Once Kobe was taken out of the stadium and placed in a police station, court room, and press conference and ridiculed, he just broke down and cried.
• Then you had the infamous Michael Jackson.  He was taken out of a lavish estate and off a stage where fans worshipped the ground he walked on and placed in an interrogation room.  Once Michael was taken out of his home and away from his fans and into that room, he took another approach: denial.    Michael started acting as if everyone else was crazy, and there was no evidence for the charges brought against him .  “What are you talking about; I would never harm a child.”

• And last but not least you have Martha Stewart, who was taken out of high power deals and the spotlight of a beloved show and placed in a jail cell in West Virginia.  But once Martha was taken out of her business and television world and placed in a jail cell, she handled her situation a little differently than the rest.  After she found out that she would be placed in jail, she requested to begin serving her time before it was necessary.  She said, "I want to get this thing behind me and I will get through this."

 Each celebrity was taken from a place of comfort and pleasure and forced to reside where they did not want to be.  But only Martha Stewart adopted a survivor like mentality in the midst of her new environment.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote a letter to a group of Jews that had been uprooted from their religion, culture, and family in Jerusalem and exiled to a strange land called Babylon, and in the letter the prophet told the people what they must do to survive in their foreign surroundings. 

I

The first thing we must note is to whom the letter is addressed.  Jeremiah wrote the letter to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the other people carried away to Babylon.  In other words, the letter was for everyone whether you were a person of status, such as elder, or just a commoner.  There was no difference between the people of status and the ones without it in Jeremiah’s letter because everyone was in the same situation.

A person, who has had his body taken from a place of health to a place of disease and sickness knows that there are no distinctions of status in exile. 

You could be a lawyer.

You could be wealthy.

You could be handsome or pretty.

You could be popular.

You could be a devout Christian.

You could even be a doctor.

But when your body is taken from a place of health and put in a place of sickness; when your body is exiled… 

There is no difference between the lawyer and the client.

There is no difference between the wealthy and the poor.

There is no difference between the attractive and the unattractive.

There is no difference between the popular and the unknown.

There is no difference between the devout Christian and the atheist.

There is no difference between the doctor and the patient.

The first point that we must highlight is that there is no difference between you and anyone else in the midst of exile. 

II

After Jeremiah identifies to whom the letter is addressed, we run into what seems to be a contradiction.  Verse one tells us that the King Nebuchadnezzar has taken the Jews out of Jerusalem into Babylon, but verse four tells us that the God of Israel carries the Jews into Exile.  Well, a person might legitimately asks, "who carried the people into exile--Nebuchadnezzar or God?"  And the answer is neither and both.  By Jeremiah saying both Nebuchadnezzar and God took them into exile, he is trying to distinguish the circumstantial control of Nebuchadnezzar from the ultimate power of God.

We must be able to distinguish a disease that controls our body from a God, who created it.

We must be able to distinguish a boss, who can regulate our promotions, from a God, who gave humanity its first job.

We must be able to distinguish an officer, who can admit and deny people to school, from a God, who is the source of all knowledge.

We must be able to distinguish a person, who can physically harm us, from a God, who protects the universe.

We must be able to distinguish a lender, who approves a mortgage, from a God, who provided the first shelter.

We must learn how to distinguish people, who have circumstantial control, from a God, who has ultimate power.  As a result of our inability to see past our particular situation, we sometimes begin to believe that the people and variables manipulating our circumstances also have complete power over us. 

There was a young man by the name of Max Bond Jr., who went to college with the aspirations of becoming an architect.  By the time Max had reached mid-way through his college career, all of his friends, associates, and professors knew of his dream to become an architect.  One day after class, one of Max’s professors pulled him over to the side and said, "You know there has never been a famous black architect.  You might want to consider choosing another profession if you really want to make an impact." 

This professor had control over Max’s grades.  He had control over Max’s recommendation letters.  He had influence over how the professors perceived Max.  He had influence as a person of authority over Max.  However, he did not have the power to stop Max from going to graduate school.  He did not have the power to prevent Max from obtaining his license to become an architect.  He did not have the power to stop Max from working on Frank Sinatra’s home.  He did not have the power to hinder Max from designing structures in Atlanta, Georgia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Paris.  He did not have the power to stop Max from being selected to help reconstruct the New World Trade Center.  He did not have the ultimate power of God.

Jeremiah wanted to make it clear to his readers that although Nebuchadnezzar controlled their particular location and condition, God had the ultimate power.

III

So after Jeremiah identified the  that letter was for everyone and revealed to them the difference between Nebuchadnezzar’s control and God’s power, he delivered the message that God gave him.

God tells the people to do three things: build houses, plant gardens, marry.  God says to the people that when you have been put in a place that you do not want to be in you must: seek shelter, nourishment, and unions.

Let’s focus on the shelter because I believe that is most pertinent to where people are.

God is telling the people to construct some shelters for themselves so that when it rains they won’t get wet, when it is cold they will be warm, and when it is hot they will have shade.

God tells the people to protect themselves from the outside elements.

One of the most important lessons for survival is to be protected from what is outside of us.  We must prevent ourselves from being exposed.

You cannot change the whether, but you can be shielded from it.

Have you ever stood in your home and looked out the window and said:

“Boy, it’s raining hard out there.” 

“That wind is blowing mighty strong.”

“Wow, that snow is coming down.”

“The sun is blazing today.” 

"I’m glad I am not out there."

That is exactly how we should act when situations occur that are out of our hands.  We need to step into our shelter.  We need to step into God’s providence because when we do that we can stand by the window and put our face to the glass and say:

 “Boy, that job market sure does look bad.”

“Wow, those people at church really don’t like me.”

“Oh, that college tuition is soaring.”

“My car is on its last leg.”

I’m glad I am not out there.

We have people walking around in half million dollar houses, but are still spiritually homeless.

God wanted the Jews to be protected from the outside elements, to replenish themselves, and create unions in order to survive.

IV

After the letter gives the specific commands to build, plant, and marry, it offers a general piece of advice: “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile…because if it prospers, you, too, will prosper.”

God is telling the people not to  seek the demise even of the place where I have exiled you because you are in that place.

I have never understood why people want to tear down and sabotage the place where they reside.

• I can’t stand this job, this company sucks…but don’t you work here?
•  This neighborhood is going down hill, it’s the pits…but don’t you live here?
• This school is the worst…but are you not a student here?
•  This church is boring…but are you not a member here?

Whether we want to be there or not we have a vested interest in the places where we reside.  You can always identify people, who understand the connection between the prosperity of their environment and themselves.

“If it prospers, you will prosper too.” 

God has equipped you to survive, thrive, prosper in every environment, both desirable or not, that you are placed; however, it is up to you to do so.  Amen.

THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

Dear God, despite our desire, seldom are we able to linger in comfortable and familiar places.  We constantly face new situations, different people, and transforming environments.  However, there can be no growth without change and no progress without agitation.  Worship leads us to fresh thinking, acting, and being, but we must be willing to follow.  Lord, show us how to welcome the unknown, no matter how frightening it might seem.  Teach us to confront uncertainty not with apprehension, but eager anticipation.  May our limitations and inadequacies be used for your glory.  Amen.