In 2019, I wrote a series of sermons called, “Holding it Together when the World is Falling Apart.” I had no idea that 2020 would bring a pandemic that made the troubles of 2019 seem like a cake walk.
As I think back now, I realize that my family and I were going through some difficult things in 2019, and my church was, too. It may comfort some people to think, “I shouldn’t complain, other people have bigger problems than I do.” It doesn’t comfort me. When you feel overwhelmed, it doesn’t matter what anybody else has going on. When you hurt, even small things can feel heavy. And I think it’s OK to take that to God. It’s not like Jesus has some kind of rating scale to see if your pain measures up before he lets you in.
One of the things that helps me hold it together in hard times is knowing that other people DO have problems, knowing I am not alone. Hebrews 4 says that Jesus is our High Priest, but he is one who can sympathize with us because he was tested as well. Turning to Scripture and finding people of faith who persevere inspires me. Jeremiah is one of those people.
The Old Testament prophets have not been my favorite characters in the Bible. Maybe that’s why I love them so much now. They are like hidden treasures among familiar Bible stories, showing me what has been true all along. Nestled among stories of war, famine, idolatry, corruption, and destruction are these incredible stories of God’s faithfulness. Jeremiah saw through the darkness and trusted God, even in the lowest point in the nation’s history.
I am excited to get another opportunity to be with Jeremiah here at Bethany, to share some resources I pulled together in 2019, and to have my preaching partners taking up the passages. I get to hear again the story of Jeremiah’s courage in telling a truth that no one else dared to admit. I get to see a glimpse into a potter’s studio where God showed that he was in full control. I get to have my eyes open along with the exiles and realize God calls us to live right where we are, even if it is not the place or circumstance we chose. And I get to experience again Jeremiah’s powerful faith in stepping up to invest in Israel when everyone was running away.
I hope you end up loving the book of Jeremiah, too. And I hope the messages help you hold it together when things are hard.
One of the things I love about the Bible is that you can be moved and blessed by a single verse, even if you don’t know or understand the whole of the book. God’s word meets us right where we are. So I will leave you with my favorite verse from Jeremiah, one I found as a young person long before I knew anything the history of the exile or understood the role of prophetic literature. It is Jeremiah 20:9 – “His word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.”
May God light a fire in you that is greater than your troubles, be they large or small.
Stella Burkhalter
