The Message, March 17: "Deep in My Heart," Jeremiah 31:31-34

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
March 19, 2024

 

“Deep in My Heart”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Jeremiah 31:31-34

(Image on screen of a group of eight dogs gathered at the counter.)

            My family is a “dog” family. We have always been a dog family. We have had dogs for as long as I can remember. The first dog that I can remember is Julie … a husky. Then Brutus, a Saint Bernard mix, and Goliath, another Saint Bernard. Then there was Smuggler, a black lab, and then Baby, another Saint Bernard, and then Shelby, a Brittany Spaniel mix. Any now my parents have, Belle, another lab mix.

            Of course, as the children grew up we were dog people too, and being “dog people” we had dogs of our own. Sometimes we had multiple dogs. The photo on the screen is from a family gathering at my parents’ house. I believe that there are EIGHT dogs in the photo.

(Second Photo.)

            In case you think that this is a one-time event, or an anomaly … here is another photo from another family gathering at my brother’s house. My wife, Renee, is offering treats to another group of EIGHT dogs.

            Clearly, we love dogs.

            So, when my brother asked Renee and me to watch his dog, Bennie, when they went away on vacation, naturally we said ‘yes.’ We asked my brother if Bennie would be okay when we went to church on Sunday, or did he need to be in a crate. My brother said that he would be fine.

            It was not fine. After worship I received a three-word message from Renee, “Get home now!”           

            Bennie had absolutely destroyed our couch. He tore it to bits and pieces.

            When I got home, I asked our dog, Jonah (the perfect dog), “Why did you let this happen? Why did you not stop him?!” “Why did you not say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of the house … ‘Do NOT Do that, Bennie!’”

             Did we hold this failure against Jonah? Of course not.

            Did we hold it against Bennie? Absolutely! We never took care of him again.

            Did we hold it against all other dogs. No. The photographs on the screens are evidence of that. In fact, we began fostering dogs not too long after the couch episode. We wanted to help shelter dogs find good homes.

(Third Photo. White husky mix with one floppy ear.)

            This is Herman. He was one of our favorite foster dogs. Isn’t he cute?

            Well … one Easter morning I returned home to the parsonage after worship and Herman had TRASHED THE house. Literally. He knocked over the trash can, and trash was everywhere. But wait … there was more. Herman tore one of the window shades out of the window. He tipped over potted plants. He tore open the throw pillows from the couch. It was a mess.

            I did NOT text Renee and say, “Get home now.” Instead, I said, “Hey … why don’t you stay at the church a little longer!”

            Obviously, I share all of this because it does not matter what I say for the rest of the message. You will always remember the cute photo of Herman! Despite the Easter event, he was still one of our favorite fosters.

            Now … here is the awkward transition from my dog story to our scripture passage.

            Did we hold the Easter event against Herman. Not really, but we did go out and purchase some nanny cams. Did we hold it against our other foster dogs. Absolutely not. They were still our dogs, and we were their people.

            I am certain that we have many of us have had the experience of having a precious pet making a mess. We also have likely had the experience of a beloved family member making a mess, making us mad, hurting us or upsetting us terribly. And it is likely that that have been events in which WE were the ones that made the mess, or hurt someone, or disappointed someone. My guess is that have all borne that pain and shame at some point in our lives.

            In our scripture passage this morning, Jeremiah is standing in the smoldering ruins of Jerusalem offering the People of Judah hope. Jeremiah was not really known for offering hope in his prophetic ministry. In fact, it was often just the opposite. More often than not, Jeremiah was warning the people, “Thus says the Lord, turn from your sinful ways or you will be punished.”

            Jeremiah had been branded a heretic and a traitor because he spoke out against the king. He had warned the king that his actions and activities were going to bring ruin and devastation to the people.

            I will offer just a brief moment of historical context here.

            The Children of Israel had a long history of falling away. They had a long history of sinning against God. They had been happy to bask in all of the blessings that they received from their covenant with God, however, they were unwilling to hold up their side of the relationship. They were often unwilling to be obedient and follow God’s Law. Then when calamity would befall them, they would blame God. “How could you let this happen to us, God?!”

            In that moment in time, the Assyrians were in decline and the people of Judah were experiencing a rise in their national pride. They were mixing that national pride with the practice of their faith, and Jeremiah warned them.

            With the decline of the Assyrians, the Babylonians were on the rise and spreading their empire toward Judah. The king of Judah tried to make a deal with the Egyptians to help push back against the Babylonians … and Jeremiah warned them.

            Finally, in the year 587 BCE the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the city, and destroyed the Temple. Just as Jeremiah had warned would happen. And did Jeremiah say, “See! I told you so!”?

            No. In fact, it was just the opposite. This passage comes from the portion of Jeremiah called the “Book of Consolation.” Jeremiah was offering a word of hope to the people. Jeremiah was delivering a message of rebirth and deliverance to a people that were standing in the rubble of their lives and their heritage.

            This would not be a political renewal. It would not even be a spiritual renewal. Instead, Jeremiah spoke of a personal renewal. God was going to establish a whole new covenant. God was going to create a whole new person with God’s law and God’s will written on their hearts. They would know God completely, just as naturally as they knew their own families. And that knowledge came with another promise from God. God would expunge … forgive … and forget all of their former sins.

            Last week, we explored the steadfast love of God as we looked at Psalm 107. The psalm assured us that the steadfast love of God was with us in every situation, in every circumstance.

            THIS is the steadfast love of God at work.

            That new covenant would not be written on tablets of stone. It would be written on their hearts.

            That new covenant did not ask for obedience as a response to an external commandment. It would be a natural response that is part of their inner nature.

            God, with the power of God’s steadfast love, will write a new covenant on the hearts and souls of humankind. This new covenant will draw from the inner power, the very DNA of the people, to motivate them to live lives or righteousness and faithfulness. This was not a new LAW; a new watered down, easier to follow law. It was the same law that had been part of the covenantal relationship for generations. Instead, it was a new way of knowing and keeping the law of the covenant. It would be a new way for humanity to uphold their end of the relationship with God.

            But the question remained … would humanity succeed? Will we be faithful? Will we be able to live godly lives?

            If Jeremiah were here today, what would he think? What would he say?

            It is definitely an open question. God knows that there is always uncertainty in any covenantal relationship. Will the people who had fallen away and broken the covenant time and time again be faithful this time?

            Would they? Will we?

            That is the question that we must ask ourselves every day. It is a question for us to consider as we continue our Lenten journeys … are we being faithful in our relationship with God?
            Are we living as God desires us to live?
            Are we loving as fully as God has loved us?

            May we … each day … look at the path that we are walking and ask ourselves, “Is it leading us closer to God? Is it building and strengthening relationship with God? And with one another?”

            May God bless us on the way. And may God forgive us when we stumble.

            Amen.

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