Some of you may recall that Dan once commented about feedback he gets after he assigns Scripture texts to those of us that are on the preaching rotation. I’ve felt that I’ve been pretty cooperative over all and haven’t complained too much, but let me tell you–when I read Jeremiah 3 and part of 4 (my sermon text), I thought, “Great, Dan! You go off with the men on retreat and talk about sexual purity and leave me to talk all about how Israel is a whore. There is something not quite right here…."

As a teenager in the early 70’s, I was just at the beginning of the existence of praise songs. They had yet to fully come into their own, and there was some rough going in the beginning. There were instances where melodies were borrowed from popular rock songs of the time and then attached to lyrics of well known hymns. For example, there was the unique combination of the lyrics of Martin Luther’s hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God sung to the melody of Come on Baby Light My Fire by the Doors. Singing A Mighty Fortress to this tune brought up images of black light-shows of high school dances and psychedelic posters more than it did a mighty and powerful God.

I first learned the hymn Amazing Grace to the tune of the House of the Rising Sun by the Animals, which was a song about a house of prostitution. In fact, I didn’t know another melody existed for Amazing Grace until years later

As I grew in my faith past my teenage years and after I learned the more familiar and original tune to Amazing Grace, I’d look back on this updated rock version of the song and think of how inappropriate it was to associate God’s incredible grace with a house of prostitution. I thought that linking God to a life of debauchery may have, in some way, distorted my picture of God.

Not exactly a great theological fit.

Or so I thought...until I read the Old Testament prophets and Scripture passages like Jeremiah 3. This Old Testament passage actually links the song by the Animals to the almighty God. Well, sort of. More precisely, it links God’s amazing grace to wanton prostitution.

This chapter contains perhaps the most graphic description of Israel at her worst, and perhaps the most glorious description of God’s grace at its best.

Continuing a theme in chapter 2, where we read Israel is like an ass in heat, sniffing in the wind (v14), in chapter 3:1-2 Israel is described as “the whore with many lovers in many places, with the exclamation, “where have you not been lain with?” “By the waysides (she) has sat waiting for lovers”(v2). Israel is further described in verse 13, as “scattering her favors among strangers under every green tree” Judah is described as even worse (vs. 9). Though she should know better having seen the dire consequences of her sister Israel’s sin, she still took her whoredom lightly, and the text goes on to say she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree.

Pretty strong imagery.

These are graphic images of God’s people’s unfaithfulness at its worst.

And yet, there are also very graphic images of God’s promises to his people:

Verse 14-15: I am your husband. I will choose you--one from a city and two from a family--and bring you to Zion. I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Verse 17-18: At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your forefathers as an inheritance.

This text speaks of God providing godly leaders who will nurture and give to Israel what she needs. Verse 18 says God will unify his people. Not only that, God’s presence will be known to all–all nations will be drawn to Jerusalem, then be called to the throne of the Lord, because the presence of the Lord will be so strong and obvious. It's a glorious picture of God’s guidance and presence with his chosen people living in unity, as God draws all nations to himself.

Here in one chapter are two extremes in Jeremiah. First, Israel the wanton whore who has abandoned her first love. Second, God, the husband, who loves and restores his people so completely and dwells with them so powerfully that all the world is drawn to Jerusalem. How do we fit these 2 pictures together? How did Jeremiah fit them together?

The connection between these 2 extremes is found in a single word: “Return.” This word is the centerpiece of the text. Everything hangs on this word. It comes up 10 times in this one chapter. Return to me. She did not return. Return faithless Israel. Return, oh faithless children. I thought you wouldn’t turn from following me. The list goes on.

In Hebrew, “return” is derived from a root word “shoob.” This root word can mean return, turn or come back, or with just a little twist in it it can mean the opposite: backslidden and faithless. For example, verse 12 with a play on words can be translated, "Come back, backslidden Israel." Or, in our text, “Return, faithless Israel.” We also see this play on words in verse 22 which reads: "Turn back, backsliding children. I will cure your backslidings." Or, as our translation reads: "Return, oh faithless children. I will heal your faithlessness."

The obvious question then is "What does it mean to return?" Returning is the link between this awful unfaithfulness and these wonderful promises of God. What does returning look like? And, how does it happen?

At this point, I find Jeremiah 3 intriguing. He really gives us two sets of answers to these questions about returning. They depend, in part, on the perspective you bring. I'm sure that some of you have seen the optical illusion where you look at a picture and you see a white vase against a black background. Then, you might look at it again and see a picture of two dark faces looking at each other against a white background. The two different images jump out at you depending on how you approach the picture.

There are two such ways of getting at Jeremiah 3. On the one hand, the text seems to tell us that the returning is really all God's work. On the other hand, the text suggests the returning is dependent upon Israel’s work. Two pictures.

First picture: it is God's work.

Jeremiah 3 opens with a rhetorical question:

If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him, and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her?

Now, anyone familiar with the Mosaic Law would immediately respond to that question.

Of course not. It is against the law.

Once she has been unfaithful, has another husband, that’s it. No coming back. The question goes on:

Would not such a land be greatly polluted?

The response would be of course it would. The following line isn’t surprising:

You have played the whore with many lovers.

But then comes the surprising next line:

And would you return to me?!

Here God as husband is saying would you still come back? Would you still return? Even though it is against the Mosaic Law to do so, God says, I want you to return to me.

Do you see how radical this is? God is actually saying he will break the law out of love for his unfaithful wife because he wants so much for the reconnection, the restoration of relationship, to occur. We see lots of emotion in this passage, even anger on God’s part, but that is because God cares. There is emotional investment in the relationship. God, in this chapter, is very emotionally invested.

What this passage shows us is that when it comes to returning from God’s point of view, returning is animated by God’s desire for reconciliation. God is even be willing to break the Mosaic law to make it happen.

Listen to the imagery in verses 19-20:

And I thought you would call me, My Father and would not turn from following me. Instead, as a faithless wife leaves her husband, so you have been faithless to me, O house of Israel, says the Lord.

Walter Brueggeman says this about God in this text:

Yahweh is hurt, Yahweh is open to restoration, yearning and indignation locked in deep tension.

This view of God is difficult for me to picture. My picture of God is far more stoical, certainly with far less emotion or pathos. My God is probably Scandinavian. The God of Israel isn’t. Yahweh feels the separation deeply and longs to be restored to a right relationship with Israel.

Moreover, not only does God desire it, God points the way. Yahweh promises to guide Israel by sending shepherd leaders who will nurture, feed and provide direction to Israel. Perhaps most fundamentally, in the middle of all this God seems to promise more than just pointing the way. He actually enables Israel to return. In vs. 22 God says “I will heal your faithlessness.” In effect, God promises to make the returning happen. Quoting Bruggeman again: “The restored relationship is not out of our doing but out of Yahweh’s resolve.” God will do it. Period.

What can we take from this?

When we look at the passage from this perspective, it can fill us with gratitude. As much as we may think we need and want God, we can be incredibly thankful for how much more God wants us.

When we focus on God's actions, they can also remind us that ultimately our faithfulness is itself a gift of God. This should warn us against the boasting about our spiritual state mentioned in Ephesians. It can also lift the heavy mantle of responsibility we may carry- responsibility that makes us feel like the process of sanctification is up to us. Ultimately, from this perspective, our faithfulness as Christians is God's work and we can trust God for it.

For me though, what I take most from focusing on God's action here is how inherently relational God is.

I was reminded of this while in Kenya. You’ve heard Dan and Jeff talk about Kenya. Now it is my turn. I’m a weenie when it comes to being in uncomfortable places. While in the slums of Nairobi I needed to put Vicks vapor rub around my nose (hopefully in a subtle way) so the smells of poverty wouldn’t cause me to throw up. I spent lots of energy just trying to act normal in an environment that didn’t feel normal.

Frankly, during the time I was there I kept asking God "Why am I here?" Near the end of our time it was our group’s opportunity to "give.” There was a pastor’s conference followed by gatherings for folks interested in learning more about micro enterprise business. We were fortunate on this trip to have some fabulous teachers: Dan, Kerry Tim, and our world vision partner Tobin to name a few. So I didn’t need to teach at the pastor’s conference. And I certainly didn’t facilitate the business seminars. I sat and watched and wondered how God was using me.

During the last night we spent with the Nairobi World Vision team. However, I was surprised by what they said. While having dinner, they mentioned that they had been very nervous about our coming.

They said their common experience with American Christians is that they come to Nairobi with a "fix it" mentality. Now no one argues or disagrees that there is much that needs fixing. But I gathered that their experience was that American Christians come more to fix problems they see than to listen and learn. American Christians tend to place a high priority on doing things much more than simply being with people and getting to know them and understanding why they do what they do. This Word Vision staff doesn’t like it when folks come in to fix things. It isn’t what they want or need.

Dan had explained to them early on that we came for relationship. And they told us that the simple fact that we came to them not in fix it mode but with a willingness to listen to them, simply wanting to learn from them and to get to know them, was different from what they normally experienced from Americans... and it meant tons to them.

The simplicity of what they said caught me off guard. And yet, isn’t that the gospel? Isn’t that precisely what God desires-to be in loving relationship with us? God’s love isn’t first to fix us. God’s love is first to be in relationship with us. That comes first. Out of that love is to flow healing and wholeness.

As I think about the lengths that God would go to be in relationship with Israel, I am reminded of God’s love and desire for us.

Second picture: It is our work.

But as I suggested at the outset, this picture of God doing it all is just one of two possibilities. From a different perspective, Jeremiah suggests that whether or not returning is possible will depend-at least in part-on Israel. From this perspective, what does Israel need to do?

1. Israel needs to repent, that is, to choose to turn around. As I said, shoob in the Old Testament is often translated return– turn back, turn towards. The Greek counterpart in the New Testament is often translated repent. In fact, even in the OT, there are some times where the Hebrew word shoob is also translated “repent,” not return. The first thing God calls the Israelites to do in returning is to repent.

We see in verse 13 that for Israel to repent is to acknowledge her guilt; to acknowledge that she had rebelled against God. Up to that point, words apparently acknowledging guilt were understood as insincere. God says in verse 10, “ Judah didn’t return to me with her whole heart, but only in pretense.” This doesn't cut it. God’s people were called to sincerely repent.

2. Israel is called to recommit... to re-identify herself with God. If we look at the beginning of chapter 4:4, we read the exhortation for Judah to “circumcise yourselves to the Lord, remove the foreskins of your heart.” You may wonder (as I did) what God meant by that. This is a section where the sincerity and honesty of heart that God desires is taken one step further.

Circumcision was a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham that held the promise that Yahweh would be their God and that they would be God’s people. What God is talking about here is a renewal of that covenant made with Abraham: A re-identification of that relationship. It was not enough for Israel simply to admit she had turned against God and violated the covenant. She needed to take a step toward God in a recommitment of the relationship, a re-identification of being God’s people.

3. Perhaps most intriguing, in chapter 4:3 Israel is called to "break up the fallow ground." What does this mean? Fallow ground is dirt that has once been used...been plowed...but now lies empty, barren, unfertile. Nothing grows in it. In order for the ground to be capable of growth again, it needs to be broken up, softened, cultivated.

Many of you may be familiar with the parable in the New Testament where the sower sows seeds on different types of ground. In each case, the seed and sower are the same. What accounts for huge differences in the results is the condition of the soil.

As a child I’d frequently visit my Grandma’s. She lived on a farm that my mom grew up on in the Salinas Valley–the area that is getting lots of coverage these days with the spinach scare. I remember there being lots of different machines hanging around for the various jobs needed in farming. But when it came to getting the dirt ready for planting there were two machines–the plow and the harrow. The plow is what turned the dirt over and loosened it and the harrow smoothed and leveled the dirt. There was quite a preparation process just to get the dirt ready.

God calls his people to break up the fallow ground of their lives. In effect, God calls on them to create the right conditions that would allow God to plant and grow in the soil of their lives.

Israel ’s returning involved her repenting, re-identifying with God and breaking up her fallow ground. As we think about the text from this perspective, let us ask again what we can learn. What we are being called to? Like Israel, we may have wandered from God and are called to return. Jeremiah reminds us that returning involves acknowledging our guilt, re-identifying with God and breaking up the fallow ground of our lives.

What does it mean to repent, to acknowledge sin?

1. It means being honest. Acknowledging that we are not heading in the right direction and turning around. When we come to God, when we communicate with God, he longs for authenticity. We see from the text that God isn’t enamored with our going through the motions...when we simply pay lip service to Him. God is big on a sincerity of heart. Repentance involves a simple act of honesty, acknowledging our guilt.

2. To "return" is to recommit or re-identify ourselves as God's children. What does that mean for us? What does it look like for you or for me to re-identify ourselves with God? At baptism we are reminded that our identity is found in being a child of God. In our world, there are so many other suggestions as to where to look for our identity.

We are told to find our identity and our worth in our work, in our marriage or in other relationships.

We are encouraged to find our identity by what we have done, have achieved, or by what our kids have achieved, by the adventures we've experienced or by what we own.

At least a piece of recommitment or re-identification involves a conscious reaffirmation that before anything else, we are God's children and will live primarily out of that reality... that relationship.

3. Like Israel, we are asked to "break up the fallow ground." What does this mean? Well again, it can take different meanings. One meaning relates to spiritual disciplines

My favorite book on spiritual disciplines is called Soul Feast, by Marjorie Thompson. In it she begins her discussion of spiritual disciplines by speaking of them as garden tools. She reminds us that garden tools don’t cause growth. They simply prepare the soil. So too with spiritual disciplines. They don’t cause the growth; they merely prepare the soil of our lives to be open to growth.

I think God’s call to break up fallow ground is-at least in part-a call to use the tools of spiritual disciplines in our lives. Disciplines like:

• prayer
• being in Christian community
• reflection on Scripture

Spiritual disciplines can take the hardness of the fallow ground of our lives and soften us up to be open to God. God is the one who causes the growth. Not us. But we are called to play around in the dirt of our lives...play with spiritual disciplines...to be fertile ground for God’s love to grow.

I’d encourage you to ask yourself what spiritual disciplines may be helpful for you? Might God be inviting you to practice something you’ve let go of– something no longer in use-and pick it up again? Might God be inviting you to a new spiritual discipline to explore? Perhaps prayerfully reading Scripture in the style of Lectio Divina, perhaps honoring the Sabbath? I’d encourage you to ponder and pray what might be helpful in your life to break up your fallow ground–to be fertile ground for God’s love to grow you.

Let me suggest one other way of breaking up fallow ground. I wasn’t just troubled in Kenya by wondering what I was contributing. While others in our group (my husband included) were taking in all we saw and experienced, much of my experience was more in a defensive mode. I’d pray,

God let me experience what you want, but let it happen in a way I can handle – I really didn’t want to emotionally fall apart in front of everybody.

I was on sensory overload much of the time. My introverted self didn’t respond to the extroverted African welcome of kissing, hugging and being grabbed to dance with the same enthusiasm of some others in our group.

At one point, our van went over a deep rut in the road and I banged my head on the car and (though this had happened a bit before), I surprised myself by I reflexively yelling out an “ow”...much to the embarrassment of our driver...and then began to quietly cry. Now it hurt a little, but not that badly. I just had had enough. I couldn’t hold anymore.

At times, for me just showing up was about all I could handle. I was just there. Experiencing what I could take in and hanging out with our team and World Vision staff. And you know what? As I have thought more about it, I have come to believe that that was enough. Sometimes, all we can do is just show up. We have nothing else left to give. But that's okay because sometimes that's all God asks of us.

For me, just showing up in Kenya was part of breaking up fallow ground. I didn't do very much except just go. But I do believe my soil was being made more ready for God's planting in the process. Given it hasn’t been that long since I’ve been back, I can’t readily articulate what this looks like, but I do believe it is happening.

To return is to repent, re-identify with God and break up our fallow ground.

As I said at the outset, Jeremiah gives us two ways of looking at "returning" that don't necessarily fit easily together. Today we celebrate communion-and marvelously, these two pictures come together at the Lord's table. This is a table made possible by God’s initiative. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This table reminds us of how much God loves us and longs to be in relationship with us. Indeed, the very act of gathering around the table is inherently relational.

But the table also reminds us that we have a role to play in "returning." The table reminds us of Christ's death on the cross, a death made necessary by our sins. An invitation to the table is also an invitation to repentance. At the Lord's table, we symbolically accept our identity as children of God, forgiven by God. We re-identify ourselves with God. In some mysterious way, we receive God in the partaking of the elements.

And finally, the act of coming to the table itself is part of breaking up the fallow ground. Something mysteriously wonderful happens here. We are met by God here in a unique way. A way that would not be possible if we did not come forward.

So, let us come to the table. Amen.