Sermon:
I have a song I always listen to when I really need to relax or calm my nerves. It’s a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by the folk group The Wailin’ Jennies.
The three women of this group sing this song with perfect harmony. It starts with great realism. “It’s been a long dark night, and I’ve been waiting for the morning. It’s been a long hard fight, but I can see a brand new day a dawning.” And then there’s the refrain: “Everything’s gonna be alright. It’s gonna be okay.”
All of our lessons this morning match this sentiment, especially Jeremiah and Psalm 126. Both are written in a dark moment in Israel’s history. These readings are written for the Israelites when they have been conquered by other nations and driven away from their homeland. In fact, the reading from Jeremiah is placed right before the Babylonians begin to siege Judah.
But the message in both these readings is one of hope. Jeremiah assures the Israelites in Judah that this is not the end. They will return to their homeland. And Psalm 126 is a song praising God for their restoration and the renewal of their relationship with Him.
These things were done because of the special relationship the Israelites had with God. Since the time of Abraham, and even before that to the time of Noah, they had entered covenants with Him. They saw the siege and take-over by other nations as the result of their breaking that covenant, of their chasing after other gods and following their own ways.
But God never broke His end of the bargain. Even when it seemed like He wasn’t there, He never truly abandoned them. Even when they were in exile, He was still with them. And He helped them return safely home. In the end, thanks to His help, they were able to see that brand new day a dawning.
And it is not just for the entire nation of Israel that God helps to see the dawn breaking. In the Gospel today, there is the blind beggar Bartimaeus. Not being able to actually see what is going on, he relies on the crowd around him to learn that Jesus is walking in front of him. He shouts to the Lord to have mercy on him! Have mercy. The crowd is against him, telling him to be quiet. Trying to prevent this blind man from seeing Jesus.
And even with everything against him, Jesus still calls Bartimaeus to Him. And He doesn’t assume what Bartimaeus’ needs are. But He asks him, “what do you want me to do for you?”
And in the end, all is all right. And Bartimaeus can now see the brand new day a dawning.
In all our readings today, God has made all things well for those in dire situations, whether as individuals or as groups. And Hebrews explains why this is so.
It is because Jesus isn’t just a man who lived and died 2,000+ years ago. He isn’t a normal human being, subject to sin and weakness.
He is the Son of God, neigh, even God Himself. He is not dead, but risen and alive. And He is not only alive, but He “continues forever.” And He “always lives to make intercession for” us.
He is always there to offer the support we need in the long dark nights we may face. He is there to have our backs in the long hard fights we find ourselves in.
There are many hard times we must face in life. They may be the changes we did or didn’t expect to encounter along the way. They may be to period of adjustment we have to endure. They could be the personal tragedies that befall us as individuals, or to those we love. They could be long-term ailments, such as the blindness Bartimaeus lived with. They could be the recovery from healing, such as physical therapy or simple rest and relaxation. Or they could be communal hardships we weather through together, like the Israelites in exile. Or dealing with the aftermath of a return, as the Israelites did in developing their new culture after their return to Jerusalem from Babylon.
But whatever it is we face, we have the assurance, that even when the fight gets rough, even when the enemy is at the gate, ready to siege, or when it seems our blindness will never end, God is there.
That is the message of all these readings today. God cares for us. In fact He cares so much that He was willing to die on the cross for us, to be the sacrifice offered “once for all,” as Hebrews tells us. And as Hebrews also tells us, He is there for us, always.
In the end, God will be with us until that brand new day comes a dawning. Because thanks to Him, thanks to the sacrifice He was willing to make, thanks to His continual presence with us always, even when it doesn’t seem like it, “everything’s gonna be alright. It’s gonna be okay.”
In the end, God will be with us until that brand new day comes a dawning. Because thanks to Him, thanks to the sacrifice He was willing to make, thanks to His continual presence with us always, even when it doesn’t seem like it, “everything’s gonna be alright. It’s gonna be okay.”