Are any of you good at standing on one foot? If so, come up here and demonstrate with me. [I invite anyone to come up to sanctuary and join me in standing on one foot . . . as I chatter about the benefits of balance and strengthening one’s ankles with this practice.]
Now, many of us feel off balance in life . . . because of work, school starting, with relationships, family dynamics or things going on in the world. But the opposite is also real, that we can feel “stuck” by those same conditions. Neither being off-balanced nor being stuck are fun.
That’s true for Jeremiah in the first reading. He is in a pit and he’s stuck in the mud. Now the reason that he’s there is that he objected to the leaders (the king and military chiefs). You see, the city of Jerusalem was besieged by the army of King Nebuchadnezzar and the Jerusalem leaders wanted to fight them, which would have meant suicide for all the people. Jeremiah goes against the government leaders and suggests a peaceful surrender. The military chiefs don’t like that he’s spreading this message, so they throw him into the pit filled with mud, intending him to die. But a foreigner, an Ethiopian named Ebed-Melech, speaks on behalf of Jeremiah and he’s pulled out of the mud. It’s a story about speaking out against the powerful politicians of the nation!
Would any of us have that same courage to speak out publically, for something we feel is a wrong action by politicians? But it gets more complicated than that in the gospel. Jesus challenges us to not keep silent but to speak out for the right thing . . . even if it means creating tension among families. He talks about starting a fire, this would be like burning a field to get rid of all the weeds and old growth, so that newness can happen. We had that done a couple of times with the prairie grasses in front of the Zimmerman rectory. Everything gets burned up, so that new life can emerge.
So how do we know if what we believe about an issue or a situation is correct? We usually think that Jesus was born to show us God, but he also came (and this is really important) to show us how to be human!
The writer of the second reading (to the Hebrews) reminds us to look to Jesus as the example of how to live, by keeping our eyes on Jesus. Just as a runner keeps her/his eyes focused ahead.
So, here’s my solution about determining if what you feel about an issue is correct or not . . . think of how Jesus would respond! Imagine if Jesus would be faced with the same situation, ask yourself, “What would he would be feeling or saying?” There was a popular bracelet a few years ago, with the acronym WWJD (meaning “What would Jesus do?”) Well, I don’t find that helpful, for we often assume that he’d simply do a miracle, or walk on water, etc. But I find it more helpful, for me, to imagine “What would Jesus think?” about this issue or situation.
For Jesus teaches us how to be human . . . he consistently teaches us about:
-love (not just with one group, but with all groups).
-compassion (that is, to think well of the other side and not that they are “out to get you”).
-not fearing (like the second reading that tells us to trust that God is with us).
Start with imaging of what Jesus would think . . . then hopefully you will have the courage for action. That is, to speak up, to get involved, to become engaged in thoughtful and respectful conversations.
Perhaps you have been feeling off-balanced [demonstrate again standing on one foot] about a particular issue. Or you have a bad case of MN NICE and never want to rock the boat, but keep everyone happy. Maybe it’s time to put your foot down [I forcefully stomp my raised foot) and get balanced. Remember, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.