I Thought You Knew!
Feb 03, 2009
Rev. Lawrence Clark
"I Thought You Knew!" - a sermon presented by the Rev. Lawrence Clark, executive director of the Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia - on February 3, 2009, in Christ Chapel
Jeremiah 29:11
"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD,
plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."
Let us pray
Oh God our help in ages past, our help for years to come. Thank you Lord as we come into the holy of holies to worship you. We've come with bowed down head, and humbled hearts before the king of kings and the Lord of Lords. We stand as empty pitchers this morning before a full fountain, we are incomplete without you. We know who you are, and, even whose we are, and all that you have done. And so this morning, as we enter into this new day, new month, more than half way through, in this season of the church epiphany, where we shine the light on you. And even now prepare us to receive your word that comes among us now in scripture, the waters of baptism, and the meal and even within this community of faith.
Now Lord. Let me, Lawrence J. decrease that your word, Jesus might increase.
What we know not teach us,
What we have not grant us,
And Lord where we need too go, please lead us.
Let the church say Amen. Let all God's people say Amen. Amen
Giving honor to the Most High God, ya'll don't hear me, the Almighty, who was and will be forevermore, to the one whom all honor is due, to God who is the head of my life, I don't know about you, the chairman of my board, my CEO, the Chief Priest of my temple, to God the creator of the universe, who simply spoke and every thing came into being, the earth, the sky, the stars, the moon, creeping and crawling things. God separated light from darkness, and water from land, earth from sky and night from day, and then God evaluated and God said, its all good!
To Jesus my COO, the word which was made flesh and dwelt among us, and my CFO, my money man Jesus, see you have to be-careful who you let handle your business otherwise you will have a scandal on your hand. Jesus, we have beheld his glory the glory of the father's only son, Je-shua, the one who is a chip off the old block, God from God and light from light, true god from true god, of one being with the father, there is no substitute, he was begotten not made, through him all things were made, he is the one, go and tell John that you don't have to search any farther. He is God's only son, the son of man, son of David, alpha and omega, my beginning and my end, he was and will be.
He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and without him there will be no end. He is the desire of the nations a rock in a weary land, a balm in Gilead, and Jesus is his name! There is something about that name, the name that is above every name, and at that name, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess, Jesus, kings and kingdoms will all pass a way but there is something, somebody's afraid to call that name this morning, Jesus, Joshua, Messiah, Christ.
And last but not least, to the Spirit of God, not any old kind of spirit, but a Spirit who shows up and brings power, the one who gets the party started, the one whom Jeremiah says is like fire shut in my bones, causes us to have power, dynamos, dynamite power, power to worship, power to magnify, power to walk right, power to talk right, power, wonder working power, power to speak in tongues, to dance and shout, Power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you shall receive power, the HG is in the house. And I'm just glad to be in the service one more time.
To you, you and even you my fellow co-laborers and co-conspirators in this thing we call the Gospel, evangelica, the good news of Jesus Christ. It's good for us to be here. My bible says, "behold how good and how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters can dwell together in unity." I feel like preaching this morning.
Grace and peace to you, from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I bring you greetings from the best church this side of heaven, St. Mark Lutheran Church in East Point, GA a Church that's growing, glowing and going, and the place you outta be. I am the Rev. Lawrence J. Clark, Executive Director of the Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta, and I am unashamedly African American and Unapolitegeticaly Lutheran.
Can I teach for a moment? There are two centers in the ELCA - Lutheran Seminary of the Southwest, (the campus I am on right now) and LTCA, the Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta, which are both, connected to the ELCA Seminaries, where I have the privilege to serve. It a place that students can come and spend part of their theological process to learn more intimately about urban and the African American context, just FYI.
Let see if we can get right to this great task of PREACHING. Teaching is explanation, but preaching is proclamation. I'm not going to be long this morning, but if I am, it got so good that I just couldn't help myself. I want to declare that there is a word from the Lord this morning. Amen. But before I do, and since I am on a seminary campus, where theological language is used. Can I also use this as a teaching moment?
This morning we find ourselves in the midst of Black History Month, "What's that?" I thought you'd never ask. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, in 1926, thought that this nation, America, not just the Color, Black, Afro-American, African American community, but America should recognize the accomplishments of African Americans, and there were a lot, and so he dedicated Negro History week, during the week of Fredrick Douglass Birthday, February 14th but in 1976 (in my lifetime) the time was expanded to 1 month, 50 years later to encourage African American to celebrate their history and heritage.
And 30 plus years later we would have the first African American to aspire to the highest office, and by the way, I was there, with 1.8 million others to see, President Barak Hussein Obama take the oath and become this nations first African American President (in my lifetime) makes you even say, What is this? African American history is American History, Garrett A. Morgan, creator of the stoplight. Madame CJ Walker the first female Millionaire, Mary McLeod Bethune educator who consulted with Presidents, Condalisa Rice, Secretary of State, Thurgood Marshall, Supreme Court, Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson and Paul Dunbar, Colin Powell, Ron Dellums, Dorothy Height, Corretta Scott King, Sojourner Truth, Harriet "Underground Railroad" Tubman, Nate Turner, Denmark Vesey, the Rev. Clayton Powell Sr. and Jr., the Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, Mayor Shirley Franklin, Congresswomen Maxine Waters, and so many others. (Episcopalians have a rich history too) with Absalom Jones and many others).
But Lutherans can also celebrate the fact that African American have been a part of this church, the Lutheran church, since 1669, we remember today the likes of Daniel Alexander Payne, who graduated from Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary and the founder of Wilberforce University and later became the Presiding Bishop of AME Church, which has many Lutheran influences, The Alpha Synod, a non geographic synod of All African American congregations and pastors: Jehu Jones, Boston Drayton, Frederick Lutheran Church (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands founded in 1666 - the 2nd Oldest church, some would say the oldest church in the ELCA), I thought you knew.
Dr. Addie J. Butler, the first African American Vice President in the ELCA, Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Echols, first AA President of a Seminary in North America, President of LSTC, Rev. Dr. Sherman Hicks, my former Bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, and now, the only Executive Director of Multicultural Ministries Unit, ELCA, the Rev. Dr. M. Wyvetta Bullock, the only African American who happens to be female and serves as the Assistant to the Presiding Bishop, Rev. Dr. Mark Hanson, the Rev. Callon Holloway, the only Synodical Bishop of African American descent of the 65 synods and then we have the LTCA the only Lutheran presence on a HBCU - Historically Black College/University..... (I better get off that nerve) Emma Francis, Deaconess, Rev. James Capers, the author and composer of the Liturgy of Joy, late great Rev. Dr. Wil Herzfeld, Bishop Emeritus, AELC, and Rev. Dr. Nelson W. Trout and the list goes on... But I thought you knew....
Turn with me in your bible, yes I did say bibles, see if we are going to be about the missio dei, then we need to know about the Dei of the missio. And see we are in the midst of claiming our history and our heritage, Sola Scriptura, I wish I had some Lutherans in here, the word and the word alone, not a movement but a lifestyle, not a mandate, but a message, turn with me to my kingdoms constitution, its bylaws, (4) main articles and all the continuing resolutions. My Instruction manual, turn with me to one of the Hebrew Scriptures. The writer we know as Jeremiah the 29th chapter, and the 11th verse. And there we find these words:
"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."
May the Lord God Almighty, add a blessing to the reading and hearing of his word, for the edification of our mind, body and soul. May God in heaven be glorified, may the body assembled here may you be edified, and may the devil be horrified.
This morning I want to invite you for just a few moments to pray with me on the subject:
I thought you knew!
Turn to your neighbor and say, neighbor, I thought you knew!
Who is this prophet Jeremiah? I thought you'd never ask. He is a PK (Preacher's Kid) he is the son of Hilkiah, the priest. Where? In Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin. But there is more, he is one to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of King Josiah, who is the son of Amon of Judah, in the 13th year of his reign, see the writer is trying to get us to understand the significance of time stamping this text. And so Jeremiah Chapter 1 verse one identifies the prophet Jeremiah as the author of the Book of Jeremiah. The book was written between 630 BC and 580 BC during the exile. When all of Jerusalem found themselves captive to Babylon
The purpose of the book of Jeremiah is to record the final prophecies to Judah, warning of on coming destruction "if" the nations does not repent, that is turn in the opposite direction, do some stuff differently then surely they will be destroy. Well you heard the prognosis and the diagnosis.
And so the prophet Jeremiah calls out for the nation to turn back to God, to repent. At the same time, Jeremiah recognizes and realizes that the inevitability of Judah's destruction - due to its unrepentant idolatry and immorality.
The book of Jeremiah is the longest of the biblical books except for the numbers of Psalm, which has 150, but let me see if I can briefly summarize. It's primary message of Judgment on Judah for rampant idolatry. After the death of King Josiah, the last righteous king, the name of Judah had almost completely abandoned God and God's commandments (But I thought you knew)
Jeremiah compares Judah to a prostitute. God had promised that God would judge idolatry more severely. Jeremiah the weeping prophet of gloom and doom was warning Judah that God's judgment was at hand. God had delivered Judah from destruction on countless occasions, but God's mercy was at it wits end.
But even in the midst of severe judgment, God promises restoration of Judah back into the land God had given them in Jeremiah 29.
So Jeremiah is gloom and doom, but. Any English teachers in the house. A but is a conjunction that hooks up clauses and phrases, and see when I was growing up they use to sneak teach us in between cartoons - you know in between Kimba king of the Jungle and Go Speed Racer Go, they taught us about history, science, civics, English and the like, Oh you don't believe me
"I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill and I'm sitting here on capital hill!"
But my favorite was "Conjunction, Junction, what's your function. Hooking up clauses, phrases and clauses."
But then we have Chapters 28 & 29, which paint a picture for us of hope for better times. Some good news that is right here in the midst of Bad news. How many of you need some good news? Well we have a new president, with a new vision, and you heard Rev. Lowery say it right, when the black don't have to step back, when the brown can hang around, the Red man can get a head man, the yellow man can be mellow man, and the white will get it right. Now is the time, to keep hope alive.
I don't know about you but I need some hope.
And so it is in Chapter 29 that we have Jeremiah writing a letter to the Exiles in Babylon. Not a Dear John letter, from God dumping us, but a love letter. (Let me not get to ahead of myself)
He begins and these are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah writes:
From God, to the remnant, From God the Almighty, the creator of heaven, to those that are left-behind, see when what's left is what's right. Those of you who are here are supposed to be here. And this word is for you - you were supposed to be here. Wayne and Jay don't worry if your numbers are small, sometimes God has to subtract to multiple. God wanted me to remind you, if we had 100 students then we would think it was about us, but see with 10 - they won't be able to do much, but my bible says, that with man nothing is possible, but with God - See God has a Plan.
Matter of fact let me remind you right now, just like Joseph, they may meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. See something happens when just two or three are gathered, God promises to be in the midst, right here, right now.
This letter was sent by the hand of Elash son of Shaphan and Gemeriah, son of Hillkah, whom King Zediekiah of Judah had sent to Babylon (babbly On) to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. And the letter read as thus...
Thus says the LORD of host, but some just missed that. See this is why we need our bibles, this is not just any l-o-r-d, but the capital LORD, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, the great "I am," Jehovah Jira, my provider, the ancient of days, the way the truth, the light, The Lord of host, the God of Israel, Yahweh, the name that is too holy even to be spoken or written and it is addressed to those who are in exile, to you and me, whom I have sent
This is the first letter, they had been expecting, they had been waiting, and longing, and it finally arrived, they were waiting for "the plan" the new program, the new resource, and the new information. OK, Jeremiah, give us the evacuation plan, give us the road map, the address, so that we can plug it into our GPS System - cause I've got my bag packed, and I am ready, willing, and able to go.
What do you mean, I carried? - Lord you carried me into exile - What's up with that? I thought you knew. Cause you see God's gotta plan. See sometime you have to go into the exile, to get build up to serve. Matter of fact, unpack you bag, get settle, and get real comfortable.
And Jeremiah tells them to "Build houses" - go ahead and build. Go ahead and do your work, I know you are in exile, but God has a plan, work anyhow, but don't just build them to build them, but build them so that you can live in them. But not only there, plant gardens,
Plant 4 rows of "P's"
Prayer
Praise
Patience
Peace
Plant 4 rows of Squash
Squash gossip
Squash criticism
Squash complacency
Squash saying what you can't do
Plant 4 rows of let us
Let us show up for worship
Let us show up for bible study
Let us show up for meeting
Let us really love self and neighbor
And you no garden is complete with out some Turn-ups
Turn up to church on Sunday
Turn up to Bible Study on Wednesday
Turn up when you feel like it and when you don't
Turn up to help one another
And to conclude our garden we must have thyme
Thyme for God
Thyme of each other
Thyme for family and friends
Thyme for our selves.
With the following directions: Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. There is much to be harvested in your garden, and this is the prayer I pray for you - Lord let me heart be good soil. Eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters, have some baby mama drama, have people ask the questions who my daddy & and be like Agape, and tell them God's my daddy.
Get good and settle, don't miss a meal, don't fast too long, don't study about your exile situation, your problems, your issues, your sin to long, cause the God I serves promises to delivery you.
In the midst of your own exile, in other words, while you are going thru a little something, something called trials and tribulations, you get focused and "You seek the welfare of the city, right where you are, that maybe just why I sent you there in the first place, where I have sent you, in other words, don't worry about your own situation and circumstances?
I know, but I thought you knew that today is a brand new days, yokes will be broken, you will not leave here like you came in Jesus name. I know, but I thought you knew......
But don't worry, but seek the welfare of the city, that I have sent you into, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you find your welfare. Your healing and deliverance is in helping someone else.
Don't let the prophets and diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying in my name.
You see only when Babylon's 70 years are completed - 70 is multiple (10 x 7) the number of completion, wholeness and wellness, will I visit you again, and when I do, watch out, then I will fulfill to you my promise and bring back too this place.
Isn't it interesting, that some time we have to look back to move forward. But I thought you knew. See sometimes we did see what God was doing, but God made a way out of now way. Changes some hearts, minds... But I thought you knew.
For surely, I know the plans I have for you. See there was a whole lot in that ½ a sentence. Surely - with great certainty, I, the Lord your God, know - gnoskow - I just don't know intellectually, I know physically, I know you biologically, psychologically, sociologically, I know you intimately -the number of hairs on your head, before you do whatever you are going to do, I know you, I know you.
I know the plans, I have for you, what God has for me it is for me, don't hate, celebrate - don't hate the player, hate the game.
Plans for your welfare and not your harm, to give you a future that is filled with hope. And hope is not a strategy, hope is a destiny. Hope is where you end up,
Then the prophet can get his praise on right in here, and then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart. I will let you find me. I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations, those scattered, I will gather, the remnant, I will restore and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
That is a promise. But I thought you knew. See the Promised messiah has many names, so let me take some homoletical license and share the names:
Mary's Baby, the ancient of days, the way the truth and the light, God from God and light from light, true god from true god, of one being with the father, he is the one and there is no substitute, he was begotten not made, through him all things were made, that's real theological, but let me tell you like my grandmother use to say. He's bread when I'm hungry and water when I'm thirsty. He is the one, there is no other, go and tell John that you don't have to search any further, God's only son, the son of man, son of David, the babe in Bethlehem, Emmanuel, God with us, my alpha and my omega, my beginning and my end, who was, and is, and is to come, the same one who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
He is the desire of the nations, a rock in a weary land, a balm in Gilead, He makes demons tremble, and he makes a way out of no way. He raised the dead, and put a few funeral directors out of business. He's my bridge over trouble water, Wonderful Counselor, fairest of 10,000, Mighty God, the sinner perfect plea, the rose of Sharon, the baker's bread, Ezekiel's wheel in the middle of the wheel, John's Lamb of who takes away the sin of the world, my Lord and Master, Savior and Brother.
But I heard an old mother say he was love
See Love gets ready in Advent,
Love comes down on Christmas, and was born in a lonely manager, cause there was no room for Love in the inn,
They tell me that Love hangs out and shines the light in Epiphany, as the three kings brings Love, some gifts of love, the best - Incense - frankincense, the best medal - gold, and the best oil - myrrh, better than Roses and Chocolate
Love becomes disciplined and remembers in Lent to pray, give alms, fast,
Love lived 33 years, love lived only 33 years,
Love had 12 knuckled disciples who didn't get it most days, who he trained, and did some OTJT, and some of them were women. (But I thought you knew)
Love had time for erbody Not every body, but erbody, mama and dem, the lonely, the helpless, the jobless, the demon posses, the out, the down, the in, and even the sometime
But they tell me that Love died one Friday Night. But they tell me that they stretched Love high and stretched Love wide, Love hung his head and for me Love died and they tell they took Love's body and buried in an another man's, by the name of Joseph's borrowed tomb, and that love stayed in the grave 3 long days, 3 long days, 3 long days
But early, I feel my help coming, I said early one Sunday morning, the first one, Love got up with all power in his hands
So if loving you is wrong I don't want to be right.
But let me say it like our young people, Love is all that and a bag of chips, dips, chips, Fritos, and the whole Frito Lay Company. But I thought you knew....
Let the Church say Amen!
