No Exchange Policy

Jeremiah 2:1-13, 29-32
Romans 1:16-25
Portions of two of today’s readings intersect to offer a word of warning for those whose attention is not on God and the divine will. “Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look,” we read in Jeremiah, “send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the LORD…” (Jeremiah 2:10-12). In his letter to the Romans, Paul makes the same point clear, saying, “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever!” (Romans 1:25). In each case, the issue is one of idolatry, the placing of anything – any aspect of life, any activity, any idea or concept – between ourselves and God. The people of Israel had “changed gods,” according to the prophet, had chosen to serve “the creature rather than the Creator,” in the words of Paul. As a result, the heavens should be “appalled… shocked… (and) utterly desolate,” according to Jeremiah.

While it is easy to place such comments in the past tense and therefore to see them as historic failings, we ourselves must continually be aware of our own focus, that in which we place our ultimate allegiance. The problem, even within the Christian community, is that we find the idolatries of others to be so much worse than those we carry. We easily remove the speck from the eye of fellow believers while the log remains firmly lodged in our own. Why is that? Why is it that people of faith have so much trouble finding common cause on this issue? If nothing else, we Christians should be able to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our day to day lives and God’s help in our effort to cast aside whatever it is that blocks our view of God’s will. We all fall short of God’s intentions. We all have “changed gods” at some point in our lives. We all have been bedazzled by the creature and lost sight of the Creator, if only for a season or for a moment. We all stand in humble need of God’s forgiveness and grace, and it seems to me that prayers of confession should replace words of accusation and acrimony on all levels.

Then, perhaps, once we have recognized our common plight as sinners in need of redemption, we can pray for one another, humbly and honestly seeking what is best even for those with whom we disagree strongly, for God’s glory is certainly not served in our willful disregard for the hurts and needs of others any more than by our inability to remain focused on the one by whose grace we all live.

Prayer: Lord of light and life, we confess that we have not always followed you and your will for our lives. Forgive us when we allow anything to distract our attention from your glory, and restore us in our faithful obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.