All to Serve

Our text from Jeremiah today is directed more toward me [as a pastor] than you. In it Jeremiah is speaking to the leaders, the shepherds, of the Israelites. The king, priests, and false prophets were not protecting God’s people as they were supposed to do; because of their actions, their evil doings; since they had not attended to the people, God will attend to them, Jeremiah tells us. God surely does attend to them. They are soon conquered by the Babylonians and the leaders and many of the people are taken to Babylon to live in exile. Yet, there is also a promise from God that this is not the way it will always be. Jeremiah tells the people that God will raise up a shepherd who will execute justice and righteousness. 

We confess to that leader being Jesus; the image of the invisible God. Today we celebrate him as our king. But what a king he is. His crown is made of thorns. His throne, a cross. He was not someone who did what was expected. He challenged the leaders of the day, spent time with those ignored and hated by society, he allowed women into his inner circle. For all those reasons he was detested by the leaders of the people – the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees – and through their action was put before the public officials to be destroyed. 

Luke seems to be following Mark as he gives us his version of the passion account with the exception that, while Mark has everyone around the crucifixion mock Jesus, only the leaders, the soldiers, and one of the two criminals mock him. Why he seems to change the story we do not know. Maybe he had another account that he was following. Maybe he wanted one of the criminals to ask Jesus to remember him. While we might ponder this difference, we should look no farther than our own selves. Have we given ourselves to Jesus? Have we asked Jesus to remember us in his kingdom?

Those are questions that we really need to ask ourselves in our day and age. Look around you. We seem to be living in a selfish age. Just turn on the television and listen to the advertisements. There you are constantly being told that you deserve what you have and then more. (Although it is only someone trying to get you to give them your money.) We hear those words so often and desire it so much that we begin to believe that what we have is ours and ours alone. It is not. All that you have is God’s. God has gifted you with it so that you may take care of it and use it to share God’s love with the world.

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, while it is a public holiday, it should remind us of who we should give thanks to. We also should reflect upon how we have used God’s gifts throughout the past year, asking for forgiveness for the times we have squandered God’s gifts, and the opportunities where we could have shared God’s love with others. As with the criminal who admits that he is justly condemned, ask Jesus to remember you in his kingdom and strengthen you so that you will be able to step out of your selfish desires and into God’s love sharing the gifts you are so thankful for.