Museum or Movement? (MPLS)

Jeremiah 7:1-11

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’

For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors for ever and ever.

Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are safe!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the Lord.

Matthew 24:1-2

As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’

So, what do you think—is going to church good for us? That’s a question we’ve asked for a long time. And these days we have a variation to consider: if we don’t or can’t get to church in person, is it just as good for us if we stream?

It’s not hard to find research on this topic from sociologists. Rodney Stark has done extensive research on the impact of religious practices. His findings? On a personal level, those who are religious tend to live longer, experience more happiness, have better physical and mental health, and are less likely to believe in UFOs and conspiracy theories. And beyond that, on a societal level, those who are religious tend to give more money to charity, donate more blood during a crisis, and (for all you dads out there) get more involved in coaching kids’ sports and leading scout troops.  

I certainly had doubts about the value of going to church while growing up in a little country church in South Dakota. Truth be told, I was bored silly with worship. The church bell would ring, we’d head inside, and worship would begin. There was no need to follow the liturgy in the hymnal because it was exactly the same as the week before, and the week before that. Even the hymns felt the same—old and familiar and a bit stodgy. My dad, the preacher, loved to have sermons with points, and the more points the better.

Let’s just say, you’ve never really experienced exciting preaching until you’ve turned the corner from sixthly to seventhly. And if you needed something else to do for a while, you could count how many times my dad used the phrase, “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” which was a favorite verse of his from Colossians. Overseeing the entire worship experience, we had a big clock on the back wall. My dad was determined to give people their money’s worth. “Church needs to last an hour,” was a regular refrain. And week after week, we accomplished exactly what we set out to do. 

Looking back on those days, going to church seemed mostly focused on the worship service itself. Even though I was a PK (a preacher’s kid), I eventually learned about something called “roast preacher.” That came when particularly annoyed parishioners were moved to share some of their deepest convictions about the quality of that week’s sermon. And if they were annoyed even further, their observations might spill over into the hymn choices or the choir anthem, or even the actions of the ushers. In a nutshell, the value of our worship was all about the details themselves and had very little to do with what might have happened to us in the process. There was little wrestling over whether we patched things up with our neighbors, looked out for those less fortunate, or did unto others as we would have them do unto us.

The prophet Jeremiah had opinions—strong opinions—about the worship practices of ancient Israel. Just a reminder, last week we talked about Jeremiah’s call to be a prophet. A part of him worried that he was only a boy. Where would he find the courage to take on such a daunting responsibility? Would people truly believe he was speaking a word from the Lord? And if so, would they be ready and willing to hear it? Maybe no big surprise, but sometimes people—both then and now—have already made up their minds before a prophet even speaks a word. Thus, on the hard days, Jeremiah felt like he was plucking up and pulling down. Oh, how he longed for more hopeful days when he was moved to build up and to plant.

In this week’s passage, Jeremiah is sent to preach to the people of Judah. Of all places, he’s to preach as they’re heading into church for worship. Their version of “church” was the temple in Jerusalem. How hard could this assignment be—these are churchgoers, right? Of course, they’re going to want to hear what their God, Yahweh, has to say to them. 

Jeremiah begins what is sometimes called his Temple Sermon. He’s parked right outside the front door: “You who are entering God’s house,” he calls. “Hear the word of the Lord: Change your ways and your doings and let me dwell with you in this place.” No doubt that got their attention! God was inside. This was God’s house. And they were God’s people. But wet-behind-the-ears Jeremiah was implying that God wasn’t keen on sharing space in the temple with sometimes hard-hearted worshippers. According to the prophet, their time in the temple had less to do with prayers prayed and sacrifices offered, and more to do with how they’d been living their lives. And by the way, Yahweh had been watching! 

Jeremiah also implied that many approached the temple like it was some sort of good-luck charm. “Go to church, say your prayers, give your offerings, and surely God will bless you and be on your side!” They might even have said: “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. Surely the Lord will protect us! Surely the temple will stand strong!”

So, friends, after hearing this opening salvo from Jeremiah’s sermon, what do you think: Was worship a good thing for the people of Judah, or were they just going through the motions? Was the temple more a museum of an almost-dead faith or was it a living, breathing movement of the holy God they professed to worship? 

Jeremiah lays down the law: “If you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you act justly with one another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, the widow; if you do not shed innocent blood in this place, or go after other gods…maybe there’s hope for you yet!” 

As we discussed last week, Jeremiah the prophet stepped on toes left and right. He regularly mixed politics and religion. There was no separation back in those days. How persons lived out their days and acted toward their neighbors was of utmost importance to God. And keep in mind, God was watching! Because of Jeremiah’s fiery preaching, he faced conflict pretty much every time he opened his mouth. Few people, especially those in power, wanted to hear what he had to say. 

If you’d like a fuller description of the events surrounding Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon, read Chapter 26. A mob showed up. A riot ensued. Jeremiah was threatened to within an of his life. But he refused to back down: “You approach God from a cozy, privileged position. In the process, you have made God’s house a den of robbers. If you continue to live with the choices you’re making, Yahweh might just choose to leave this temple!”  

So, friends, let me push you: What’s important at Bethlehem when it comes to worship? Is it more about the content of worship or what happens to us in the process? And here’s an even harder question: does what we do here feel more like a museum or a living, breathing movement? To be honest, it might feel like some of both.

Congregations often make a list of their core values. As they do, they’re naming guiding principles and beliefs that shape their life together. A few examples: Everyone is welcome here! Following Jesus is a lifelong journey! We are meant to serve others! As you might imagine, there’s a challenge in discerning one’s core values. Namely, are they actual or aspirational? In other words, do we really mean what we say? And if so, does it show?

In my previous congregation—Zumbro in Rochester—one of our core values was this: Worship changes us. We explained it this way: “Worship provides opportunities for us to encounter the holy. Whether meeting in-person or virtually, these holy moments change us. Through music, preaching and sacraments, God’s forgiveness and love are freely given and we hear the call to follow Jesus.” 

So, friends, does this sound actual or aspirational? Much as I loved that congregation and its people, I have to admit: it was some of both. Week after week we had to ask ourselves: Do we really want to love our neighbors as ourselves? Do we really want to patch things up with that know-it-all family member? Are we really motivated, like the prophet Micah encourages, “to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with our God”?

Personally, I think walking humbly and practicing humility might be a key to many of the troubles in this world of ours: humility is a key to admitting we don’t have all the answers and there’s something to be gained by listening to those who look and think differently; humility as a key to working to bridge the bipartisan divides all around us; and humility as key, in a church like Bethlehem, to being open to the fresh wind of God’s Spirit, regularly nudging us from museum to living, breathing movement. 

During his public ministry, Jesus spent time warning against people who were not so much deceived by others, as deceived by themselves. And therein lies our ongoing need for repentance, I “amend your ways and your doings,” cries the prophet. So often, it seems, we’re not willing to open ourselves up to whatever new thing God might want to do through us.

As one of God’s new things, Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He made a trip to the temple. This was the second temple—Herod’s temple—built several centuries after Jeremiah warned of the demise of Solomon’s temple. You know this story. Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers. As he did, he quoted from Jeremiah: “This was supposed to be a place of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of robbers.” People got angry. A riot ensued. Much like Jeremiah, Jesus was threatened to within an inch of his life. But unlike Jeremiah, Jesus was eventually put to death for these and other actions.

Friends, as you worship today, trust that God has not left us behind. We find God most clearly in Jesus. Know that God is still watching, and calling us to repentance and a change of heart. Believe that what we do in here matters out there. Open yourselves up to God and God’s claim upon your life. Listen as closely as you can. You might hear something beyond what you were expecting. You might even get changed. Amen.