Jeremiah 15:15-21
Jeremiah seems to be asking God to remember him despite anything he might do or not do. To remember him in his good deeds and in his forgetfulness. The forgetfulness is important here. Jeremiah tells God that he ‘ate his words’ and that wonderful phrase that reminds me of the Bible Sunday collect about hearing and inwardly digesting the Word of God:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: help us so to hear them, to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that, through patience and the comfort of your holy word, we may embrace and for ever hold fast the hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
We all ingest many things be it the Word of God, conversations or good food, yet after we have ingested them we do tend to forget what it was we ingested. What did you have for your tea 10 days ago? Personally, I have no idea but I was nourished by whatever it was. What was the second last Scripture reading you read? You might not be able to call it to mind now but you will have pondered on it when you read it and ingesting its words it will have meant something to you; or it perhaps opened new vistas of understanding even you can’t now remember precisely what the text was!
Jeremiah in this reading is moaning about being forgotten by God or not being to understand God, despite ingesting his words. God it seems is illusive. However, God reminds Jeremiah that he has never abandoned him, it was in fact Jeremiah’s forgetfulness of God’s promises that obscured his vision of the Divine.
Sound familiar? We can all be a bit forgetful of God and then wonder where God has been or is now without realising that God has never left us. When you experience these times don’t despair, you’re in good company with Jeremiah and the rest of us including me. We might forget or misplace God but God never loses us!
Romans 12:9-21
Paul’s Epistle to the Romans gives us a template to try and fit our existence around, in order to try and live a good Christian life and to remember God. Actually, in our increasingly secular 21st society, I think, Paul’s words have a relevance to all people, whether they have a Christian faith or not.
In his Epistle, Paul (and this is the actual Paul, not someone writing in his name at a later date) we are given a good list of useful things to help us live a life that is not self-seeking or contrary to the ways of God:
Hate evil, hold on to good, be patient, be kind and generous to others, especially those who are worse off or unknown personally to you. Don’t ignore anyone but extend the hand of friendship whenever you can and never leave anyone wanting, when you might be able to help them.
Whenever, I read anything this positive by Paul, I always suspect that he was writing as much to himself as to those for whom the letter is intended. Many preachers, preach sermons that they need to hear as well as those to whom they are preaching. For example Paul often preaches about the need to have patience:
“May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father...” Col 1:11
Was Paul particularly impatient? Could he get fed up too quickly with others? Probably, yes! Just like we all do and like Paul we all need to remind ourselves how we ought to behave towards others, because none of us get it right all the time. I know that I certainly don’t. But, if we try to live a good life we will be known by our deeds and evil will never be able to overcome us. If our hearts are as open and generous as our hands need to be, we will do all right and in being ‘good enough’ we will set an example to others. Be generous to others as you would wish them to be generous to you.
Matthew 16:21-28
Today’s Gospel reading takes the concept of living a good life a step further than perhaps Paul’s epistle suggested. Jesus tells his disciples that in order to fully live a life pleasing to God, one has to live sacrificially. One has to give so totally of oneself that ultimately one will give and give willingly all one has to give. These are strong words from Jesus for basically he is saying: ‘I’m going to give my life for you lot.’ What more can anyone give for others than their life?
All of us at sometime in our lives will give sacrificially. Probably not to the extent of actually giving our lives but of giving totally of ourselves in the support and help of others by sharing what we have (be it our time, talents or treasure) without counting the costs to ourselves. It is the old adage of ‘going the extra mile’ to help another and that should be our guide through life.