"The Law Within Us"

Jeremiah 31:31-34New International Version (NIV)

31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
34 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”

When I first read our scripture for this morning, I could see why this scripture was in the lectionary for this week.  We are preparing to celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem next week and it seems that Jeremiah was talking about Jesus fulfilling the promise of a new covenant.  Jeremiah is telling God’s people that God will put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts.  Again, it seems that this would be where we would locate Christ in our lives: in our minds and in our hearts.  That was my first inclination when I read the scripture and it is why I chose to preach on it.  However, exactly what I wanted share with you this morning has changed because of something that happened earlier this week.  Jesus may very well be the exact fulfillment of what Jeremiah was trying to get across and that is how a lot of scholars interpret this scripture.  The direction I am heading does not take away from the possible fulfillment by Christ, the message this morning just will not concentrate on that aspect.  This morning,  I am going to focus on a continuing covenant between God and His people.  A covenant that is ever reaching, most likely never complete.  

A few days ago, I walked into DnS in Melcher for lunch and it was pretty full.  The weather has been nice and I was thinking about how busy the next few days were going to be.  I was thinking about the lack of time that I was going to be able to spend with my family in the upcoming days.  The last thing I was expecting was a blessing that day when I walked into DnS.  When I walked through the door, a classmate of mine was standing there.  Sherri was on the phone so I just waved on continued on to the line to order my food.  Shortly after walking in, Sherri’s sister, Mandi, says hello to me.  Mandi is Addie’s mom.  The little girl we have been praying for during the last several months, its maybe been over a year.  Once Mandi said hi, I said hi back but my attention was immediately on a little girl, who was standing in her booth, laughing.  My first thought was that this little girl could not be Addie.  I knew she had been doing better but it was one of things that you do not really realize until you see it.  Her hair was starting to come back, she was laughing, jumping, and running around with another little girl.  I just couldn’t believe it.  Seeing Addie running around and laughing I couldn’t help but know, without a single doubt, that God exists.  That His love, glory and mercy surrounds us.  In that moment, it was impossible for me to doubt the existence of a loving God that we have the opportunity to worship.  Sure, there will undoubtedly be moments that will again make some doubts arise but the strength of that little girl that I saw first hand will hopefully be enough to trump any of those moments.  I seriously almost couldn’t hold it together seeing Addie, surrounded by family, looking and acting like a healthy child.  Another woman in DnS said to me that it was amazing seeing her like that and I quickly responded by saying, “Yes it is.”  Any more comment than that would have most likely made me into some sort of emotional wreck right there in midst of DnS.  

I think situations like that one is what Jeremiah meant when he said God will put His law in our minds and write in our hearts.  It is blessings like the one I experienced the other day that let us know exactly that.  When we see God as full of love and grace, those situations become more apparent.  The doctors and nurses who saved Addie’s life will forever be blessed.  Those of us who prayed for her recovery will forever be blessed.  Every single life Addie touches from here on out will be blessed.  No one knows how much time we have left on this planet and I do not say this to try scare you into faith.  I say it so we do not miss moments like this one.  I say it so we remember to count each blessing and see them for what they are.  This law of love and grace, that is what Jeremiah was referring to.  That is the “law” that we should be writing on our hearts.  Those moments where we cannot doubt God’s existence and nature.  Again, there will be times that will make us doubt but cling to what God has already written on your hearts and in your minds.  This is important because that is the ever reaching, never concluding part of this new covenant.  

Jeremiah is speaking in a future tense and he says that there will come a day that we will no longer have to say to one another, “know the Lord,” because everyone will, from the greatest to the least.  This is the new covenant.  This is our job as Christians.  It is no different now than when Jeremiah spoke,  We are called to get to the point where everyone knows the Lord, from the greatest to the least.  The question to all of us is then, have we done any better than when Jeremiah spoke?  Have we done enough to help those around us to know the Lord?  When we accomplish this, God will “remember our sins no more.”  The reason I believe that this scripture does not necessarily apply to Jesus is because I think that if Jeremiah were sitting here with us today, I think he may still be hoping for this future covenant because not everyone knows of the love and grace of God.  In a world that is so much more connected than it was during Jeremiah’s time, fewer and fewer people know the Lord and the biggest reason for this is Christians themselves.  Until the day comes that we help the “least of these” and do not view Christianity with exclusivity we will keep losing ground.  Jesus died on the cross, wiped the slate clean, broke down any barriers between God and ourselves and people are still leaving the church so we must ask, why?

Hold fast and true to those moments in this life that show you the glory of God.  Do so for your faith but do it also for the faith of others.  Do it so all will know the Lord, from the greatest to the least.  Know that there will be moments that knock us down, there will be questions without answers but by holding onto what is good, surrounding yourself with God’s love and grace we will conquer what this life may throw at us... and we will do this in a way that others will undoubtedly come to “know the Lord.”  Amen.