Preacher: Rev. Nate Hosler

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:1-3,6-15; 1 Timothy 6:6-19

The prompt said that I was invited to speak on what I’m “passionate about.”  But passion or excitement may be similar to the feeling of love. As folks sometimes say, love includes action and choice and is not always a warm and fuzzy feeling. Certainly, this is the case with Jesus calling us to “love” our enemies. Most likely Jesus was not suggesting we snuggle an enemy. 

My problem on Monday, when I started focusing on the task of preparing for today was that I felt flat. It started over the weekend and continued into the week. Frankly, I lacked passion or excitement or hope. My lack of hope and energy “felt” big or significant.

Into this experience of flatness, which may be our corporate state, I read the lectionary passages for this week. While in my tradition, and our local congregation at Washington City Church of the Brethren, we are not mandated to follow the lectionary, we often do. And though Bill had given my space to choose a direction, I thought I might as well see if the texts would provide an inspiration or boost or divine direction. 

Our first text, from Jeremiah begins,

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.

At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah,

where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him.

Besieged. Detained. Well, that seemed unfortunately relevant. While I myself am not under siege like Gaza or detained (abducted) like the at least 160 immigrants in DC or the 14 from across my denomination, the cumulative work and strain, was catching up with even me. So, I read this and the following passages with great focus. 

In this time of siege and confinement the “Word of the Lord” came to Jeremiah the prophet. The “Word of the Lord” in this case was, on the face of it, kind of odd. It was a statement of what was going to happen. But the happening was not particularly inspirational. It wasn’t that the siege would end right then. No fire from heaven, smiting enemies or miraculous quickly occurring salvation. No. It was,

“Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.'”

Your cousin is going to come and say, “Bro, buy my field.” (At least that’s how my 7 year old would say it). 

And, lo and behold, it happened. And it says then he knew it was the word of the Lord. He knew because it happened as the Lord had said. This is an interesting fact-checking. Wasn’t this Jeremiah—a seriously legit prophet. I would imagine Jeremiah is the person I would go to if I needed confirm that I was hearing the Word of the Lord. In a time of contested truths, Jeremiah used discernment to make sure it wasn’t just his imagination running wild. 

Once he has determined that this curious directive was from God, he sets about carrying out the purchase. The text includes significant detail, including process and payment amount. Likely this is included to emphasize that the purchase actually took place—not a metaphorical purchase.

Upon completion of this task, Jeremiah provides an interpretation. 

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time.

For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.”

What do you notice from this? What speaks to our moment? 

With this context, let’s return to what I noticed in Jeremiah:

1. Jeremiah acts in concrete and creative ways.
2. The hope is based on the coming action of God. The hope for the future is not solely based on the prophet, king, or people, coming up with an airtight plan will guarantee success. 
3. In a time when there was much to be against—to resist—the prophet casts a positive vision of what can and will be. 

In the past months I, and many, have felt daunted by the scope and scale of evil actions and layered crises. 

In a time, such as now, when situations are dire and it is easy to freeze or go numb, the examples from Jeremiah are particularly important. 

Act in concrete and creative ways

Jeremiah acted out a visible hope for the future. He purchased the land and buried the deed as a sign of future hope.

In Luke we read the familiar passage of the Lazarus and the un-named rich man. 

David Gushee in The Moral Teachings of Jesus: Radical Instruction in the Will of God notes that the judgement unfolds based on action rather than belief. 

With my denominational work I am typically tasked to engage big picture questions. For example, I coordinate the Nigeria Working Group which works to engage US policy around bilateral relations, religious freedom, widespread insecurity and kidnapping for ransom. We also do work on matters of war and weapons, US-China competition. These are always challenging and big topics but in the current reality are even harder. 

While this passage most certainly challenges our societal worship of wealth and success, it also challenges me to get specific and concrete. Macroeconomic policy choices, and policy decisions in general, clearly have dramatic impact on the well-being of many. As such, these should be engaged and shaped with the most vulnerable prioritized. 

One can imagine the economic and imperial assumptions and actions of the un-named rich man in Jesus’ teaching. However, in the parable his judgement comes from how he treats the impoverished person by his gate. I don’t think this means we should adopt some form of individualist ethic. For example, that racism isn’t a problem because I have black friends. Or that as long as I give the guy on the corner a few dollars I can go on with my life however feel like. 

However, for people like me, how typically focus on “the system” or systemic issues, it challenges me to be concrete and specific. 

With a hope based on action of God

Maybe a year into the pandemic, which was about 10 years into my work with the denomination, I was taking stock and wondering if I should do something different—a very common theme at the time. I came to the realization/clarity that I liked thinking about and working on organizations. I liked working on the mechanics of how organizations function and do their work. 

A few days after this realization, I was contacted about completing a certificate program and advising on its content. It was aptly (and oddly) named, “Transformative Leadership in Disruptive Times.” Since that time, I’ve become an avid reader of Harvard Business Review and have (perhaps) obsessively thought about strategy and organizational change. 

Walter Brueggeman, in his Sabbath as Resistanceb wrote that the practice of sabbath challenges the anxiety and restlessness generated by capitalist and consumerist culture. This challenges the imagination of scarcity that often grips us. The prophet Jeremiah based his prophecy on the continued and future action of God. Our Psalm invites us into rest and trust in God. 

Hear again a portion of the Psalm. 

You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the hunter and from the deadly pestilence;

he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and defense.

You will not fear the terror of the night or the arrow that flies by day

And discern and proclaim a vision of what can be—even while opposing that which is being done. 

Jeremiah, in prophetic action and word, proclaimed a vision of the future in which patterns of a stable and functioning society would resume. During the pandemic it became a common refrain to challenge the idea that we wanted to go back to “normal.” Many, particularly justice seekers, noted that “normal” contained far too much injustice and violence. To go back to some alleged glory days was not possible and not desirable. 

Recently I was just outside Chicago at the Church of the Brethren headquarters. National staff gathered to continue our work of trying to figure out what to do. As with other denominations, and many congregations, we have faced significant budget challenges as our membership has diminished and giving patterns have changed. In addition to the general trend of people disaffiliating from religious institutions, we have also faced the same splintering along political and theological lines. 

In this context, it is very easy to focus on what used to be and how we might get back to that or at least maintain what remains. The call, however, is different. The call is to discern and imagine a new future. 

In 2 Timonthy (one of the lectionary passages for the day), we read, 

6:16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

6:17As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather on God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

6:18They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share,

6:19thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Take hold of life that really is life

About 2 years ago we connected about his work at the Festival Center. In addition to the good work that is happening in and through the Center, I was particularly interested in the renovation and re-launch process. In June of 2023 the “Brethren House” came back under active management of the congregation. The house is near the church on Capitol Hill and provides lodging for volunteers working in the city. While we held the deed, it was a separate 501c3 our connection had gradually diminished over the years. The house needed significant upgrades and repairs from 50 years of deferred or patched together maintenance. In the face of this and a diminished board, the chair resigned, and the board dissolved. 

Though Washington City Church of the Brethren has been on our site since 1899 and was once bursting at the seams, the situation, like many churches has shifted over the years. When the Brethren House came back to us, one could confidently say that we did not have “excess capacity.” We gradually stabilized and strengthened over the past 10 or so years, but the pastors were still volunteer, and operations director was not waiting around for things to do. 

Somehow when the board chair called that sunny and hot afternoon in June, my reaction was one of hope and of seeing the possibilities. Probably the best analysis is that this reaction was a gift from God. 

In my corner of the world and in our work as a community, Brethren House is a specific concrete example of an attempt to live this out in our neighborhood and city. 

We have heard from many people of the formative time and vocational discernment while living in the house. In this we can see and trust God’s work. 

And we are currently clarifying and strengthening our vision about how we can set us on the course for another 50 years of volunteers coming to DC, serving in the community, and discerning their vocation after their year of service? 

What does it mean for us now  to act concretely and creatively, with a hope based on the action of God towards a vision of flourishing—a vision of peace and wholeness?