“I Can’t Do That” February 2, 2025
“I Can’t Do That”
Jeremiah 1:4-10 17-1
Psalm 71:1-17 or (1-6)
Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30
It’s a funny thing, but now that I’m back at home, I’ve come to realize that I have spent a good portion of the last few years in hospitals and rehab centers. My main concern lies in the fact, but I can’t help but worry that living in my own little world for so long may have caused me to lose touch with the real world just a bit. But I learned a lot along the way. I learned that doctors are only human, just like the rest of us. And I came to understand that if anyone Should automatically be given a shot at saint hood, it would be the nurses and care staff that work in our hospitals and nursing homes. They are about as close as we can get to angels here on earth. In particular, I developed a real affinity for the therapists that I encountered. They seemed to have the best sense of humor. When I made sure they knew the difference between a therapist and a terrorist is that you can negotiate with a terrorist, they never took offense to my ribbing; in fact, we usually got a good laugh out of it all. like I said, they have a great sense of humor.
Another thing I learned about therapists is that you never, ever, ever say the words, “I can’t do that.” They will usually tolerate a good bit of whining and sniveling, but the instant that you make the mistake of declaring it is no way and no-how possible to do this thing that they want you to do. When you say those words, “I can’t do it,” you’re going to notice a change. At first their eyes will go into a hard squint. This tells you that this decision you have made is not necessarily what they had in mind.
Next, comes the hand rubbing and that smirky little smile that always starts at the corner of the lip. And then, before you know it, you’ll find yourself doing all sorts of weird stretches and pulls with colored rubber bands and some really strange looking equipment.
But here’s the thing: That thing that you swore you could never do- that thing that was beyond the realms of possibility? Well, eventually you are able to do it and do it well, I might add. Meanwhile, your therapist – that cruel inflictor of pain – that heartless taskmaster, is beaming with joy at your success.
Beaming with joy at your success….. This is why they do it you know? This is why they have chosen this profession: to help and to heal – this is why they do it: to help and to heal.
Jeremiah tells the story: “The Lord said to me, 5 “I knew you before you were formed within your mother’s womb; before you were born I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.” Now, we need to keep in mind that Jeremiah was probably 13 or 14 years old when the Lord spoke to him saying some of the scariest words that a young man would ever want to hear: I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the world. If that had been me, I am sure that my answer would have been somewhere along the lines of, “What, are you nuts,” and “You’re kidding me right?”
But young Jeremiah replied stating the obvious when he said, “O Lord God,” he said, “I can’t do that! I’m far too young! I’m only a youth!”
But God had other plans and as the story unfolds, he tells the young man:
17 Get up and dress and go out and tell them whatever I tell you to say. Don’t be afraid of them, or else I will make a fool of you in front of them. 18 For see, today I have made you impervious to their attacks. They cannot harm you. You are strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar and heavy gates of brass. All the kings of Judah, its officers, priests, and people will not be able to prevail against you. 19 They will try, but they will fail. For I am with you,” says the Lord. “I will deliver you.
All the kings of Judah, its officers, priests, and people will not be able to prevail against you. 19 They will try, but they will fail. For I am with you,” says the Lord. “I will deliver you.”
Jeremiah was delivered just as the Lord had promised, and he went on to live a long life. However, it was a hard life. This from Wikipedia: .’He was called as a prophet to warn Israel of the severe consequences of breaking their covenant with God through idolatry and injustice. He predicted that the empire of Babylon would come to destroy Jerusalem and carry them into exile. And sadly, his words became reality. He lived through the siege and destruction of the city and witnessed the exile take place .’
So let me get this straight: Jeremiah was called at a very young age to warn the nation of Israel that they had better get their act together or there would be severe consequences. Try to imagine his frustration when after taking this new job, Everything fell apart. The armies of Babylon showed up just as he had predicted, And then they destroyed the temple, just as he had predicted, after which they took all the surviving members of the once proud nation of Israel, and hauled them off into exile…. just as he had predicted.
I don’t know, but if I were a prophet sent by God to get the nation of Israel back on its feet, then I would be feeling pretty rotten about then. Imagine the social pressure Jeremiah must have received from his countrymen once he was hauled off to live as a slave in Babylon. I can just hear them on the streets: “Hey Jerry, nice job by the way. This is going to be a lot better than bondage in Egypt.”
But if it makes you feel any better, our prophet Jeremiah, often called “”the weeping prophet,” redeemed himself in the end. It was a long and gruesome journey, but eventually the nation of Israel was restored and the temple was rebuilt; thanks mostly to a young prophet who was getting a lot of help from the God of Israel. “For I am with you,” says the Lord. “I will deliver you. All the kings of Judah, its officers, priests, and people will not be able to prevail against you. They will try, but they will fail. For I am with you,” says the Lord.” For I am with you,” says the Lord;”
I’m hoping to try and spend more time with th. e “weeping prophet, and when I find myself wondering how in the heck he was able to withstand all the abuse and disappointment and frustration, I remember the words that were spoken to him as a very young man: “and people will not be able to prevail against you. They will try, but they will fail. for I am with you,” says the Lord.” I am with you. The scriptures are full with stories of men and women who believed, who truly deep down believed that if God tells us “I am with you”, then we can rest assured that his promise is good. This is when remarkable things happen. This is when we learn of the true strength that God offers to us; Strength that is there in times of joy and Strength that is therein times of despair; Strength that is there in times of Strength and in times of weakness. And strength that is there in times of fear and in times of victory.
So I have to ask, when have we felt the nudge, and when have we heard that quiet voice that calls us to the peace and the love of Christ? This calling can be like the winds of a hurricane or as gentle as a tiny puff of smoke, but he calls to us nonetheless. There have been times when, I confess, Jesus has called to me. Too often I made excuses: Oh, I’m just not comfortable doing that“ or “I won’t be able to find the time” or my all time favorite, “let me look at my calendar.”
You know, our God calls to us whenever and however; in our times of stress and in our times of leisure he calls to us. There’s no good time or bad time, But one thing is for certain: our God has never asked me to do something that I thought I just couldn’t do. Now, if he were to ask me to go sing with The sopranos, I might show a little concern. This is, after all, a feat that I positively and absolutely cannot do and trust me, it would take divine intervention to make this happen. And when I was asked if I might consider a career late in life as clergy with the United Methodist Church – when I was asked this, I had a million good reasons why I couldn’t do such a thing: I needed to get my bachelor’s degree I can’t do that because I’m too old and have been diagnosed with a treatable cancer and it might be just too much. So you see, I can’t do it. However, that was not meant to be and thanks to the love and support of a community of clergy and many friends with a few sponsors along the way, I was able to find a way to do this thing. “I can’t do that?”
I can understand the statement of, “I don’t want to do this, or even, “I’m just not comfortable doing that.” but one thing is for certain, our God will never place a task before us that we cannot do; that’s the main message that we hear from the prophet Jeremiah-we can tell the police and we can tell the Internal Revenue Service. We can tell the guy at the four way stop and we can tell the plumber after we flooded the basement but when we say, “I can’t do that,” to a loving God who loves us unconditionally and wants nothing more than for us to know the peace of Jesus Christ can we do that? Yeah, we can do that. We can do that easy as pie.
Amen and Shalom
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