“A SEASON OF WAITING” (10/17/10)

SCRIPTURES: Jeremiah 29: 1, 4-14 & Luke 17: 11-19

KEY CONCEPTS: Following Christ is counter cultural to our larger world because God’s
workings & solutions take time & spiritual waiting that few of us are willing to give.
OPENING ILLUSTRATION:
How many of us stayed up late this week watching the amazing rescue of those 33 miners in
Chile? Maybe you all know the story…For 69 days, these 33 miners were trapped in a
Chilean mine some 2,000 feet below the earth’s surface. They were presumed dead for the
1st 17 days. Then on Wednesday, October 13, the miners were placed in a metal capsule &
pulled – one by one – up to safety. It took roughly 24 hours to pull all 33 men plus 5 rescue
workers up to safety.
This morning as we examine our monthly worship theme, “TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A
SEASON”, I use this real life story as a jumping off place as we consider what it means to be
“IN A SEASON OF WAITING”.
WILL YOU PRAY WITH ME? PRAYER:
ILLUSTRATION APPLICATION:
Talk about having to wait for a long time…those 33 men lived under the earth in close
quarters for over 2 months – 69 days total - & had to depend on people above the ground to
get them out safely. Of course there will be a myriad of conversations about this event in the
coming weeks AND I’ve also given some thought to parallels between this real life situation &
maybe where some of us in our own spiritual lives. Join me in considering:
BAD THINGS DO HAPPEN TO DECENT PEOPLE:
Like the miners, some of us were just “doing our jobs” when a personal disaster struck. How
many times have we gotten a phone call that brought news that we wish we’d never had to
deal with?
WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN, HELP COMES IN A MYRIAD OF FORMS:
One of the things I love about this story is that the Chilean leaders were willing to accept help
from all over the world in order to accomplish what was needed – which was to rescue those
33 men trapped underground. They didn’t point fingers or push their political agendas;
instead they asked for help & weren’t too proud to say they didn’t know all the answers. As a
result, numerous countries were involved & the rescue was a success.
From a spiritual life perspective, when we’re in the midst of “our season of waiting” it might be
wise to ask for help & then allow God to bring people in to help us through. People can’t read
out minds & life is so busy that most people don’t push into your life to help; however, they
will respond & help you IF you ask them to.

RESCUE TAKES LONGER THAN WE WANT IT TO – BUT WE ARE RESCUED IN TIME:

Actually, the miners were rescued almost 2 months ahead of schedule! Originally, the
prediction was that the miners would be out in mid-December. Thankfully, the rescuers made
better progress than expected & the men are all safe. Yet, in our lives, how often do we need
to be rescued & it takes forever (or so it seems)? It is true that the miners STILL had to
endure 69 days of over 90 degree heat with 32 other men BUT after a shorter than expected
period of time – they WERE all safely rescued. It may seem like forever – for us – and, at
some point, we, too, will be rescued – life will get better & a new way of seeing the world will
emerge for us all. Speaking of waiting a long time…
HEBREW READING – JEREMIAH 29: 1, 4-14:
If you add 70 years to your life, how out would you be? I’d be 118 years in 70 more years.
Seventy years represented “a lifetime” in Hebrew readings.
Why do I focus on the 70 years? Because it’s the “season of waiting” for the Jewish exiles
mentioned in today’s Hebrew reading. I wonder if sometimes many of us erroneously think
we serve a God that’s more like a microwave in his/her timing than the actual God of
Scripture. In our society where delayed gratification is usually nowhere to be found, we think
God should “hop to it” & solve our problems & life issues within moments of our prayers.
And yet, the reading from the prophet Jeremiah paints a rather grim picture for God’s chosen
ones who had been taken away to Babylon. Even though the exiled people were anxious to
get home, Jeremiah was instructed by God to tell them by letter that while they waited to:
• Build houses & live in them (v. 5)
• Plant gardens & eat from them (v. 5)
• Take wives & give your sons & daughters in marriage (v. 6)
• Marry off your children in order to have grandchildren (v. 6)
• Multiply & don’t decrease your numbers (v. 6)
• Seek the welfare of the city “where I have sent you” – for its welfare is now your
welfare (v.7)
• For you will be in this location for 70 years (v. 10)
And then in the latter verses of today’s reading, we hear the crux of God’s promise to
God’s exiled people.
1. I will fulfill my promise to you (v. 10)
2. I will bring you back home (v. 10)
3. I have a plan for you, a plan for your welfare (not your harm), a plan to give you
a future with hope (v. 11)
4. When you call, come & pray to me…I will hear you (v. 12)
5. When you search & seek me wholeheartedly, you will find me (v. 13)
6.You’ll find me & I’ll restore your fortunes & gather & bring you back (v.14)
SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS:
These verses epitomize a long season – 70 years/a lifetime – of waiting. And you know
what? Some of the people who received the prophecy from Jeremiah NEVER returned
home. They died in exile. AND if they followed God’s instructions (to build, to love their
children, to seek the welfare of the city) they died being obedient to God’s call for their lives.
They died in exile – but they did NOT die estranged from God.
So, what about us? What about our “seasons of waiting”? A number of us are in what seems
like a “season of waiting” – we’re wanting something better to happen, maybe a better job,
better friends, a better season with less grief, stress or money worries. What if the season
we’re currently in has a spiritual component attached to it? AND the primary purpose for our
“season of waiting” is so we’ll search & seek God wholeheartedly?
For you see, many times, our life goals are to be happy, comfortable & at ease. However,
sometimes, in order for us to mature – just a bit more – spiritually, God has to stir the nest or
trouble the waters so we’ll turn toward God & acknowledge our need of God. Our troubled
times are not the end of the story…it’s a means to a greater end…a means to move us closer
to God & other people AND it’s a means to help us grow up.
GOSPEL READING – LUKE 17: 11-19: (Online)
In today’s Gospel reading, ten men with leprosy had been exiled from their community, family
& friends because of an incurable disease that caused mass hysteria among the villages.
Reportedly, 9 Jews & 1 Samaritan (usually political, religious & cultural enemies) were
clustered together because of a common disease. See how misery will bring even the
staunchest enemies together?
All 10 men call out to Jesus for mercy. He told them to go & show themselves to the priest
(who proclaimed someone cleansed from leprosy). Luke 17:14 noted “that as they went they
were made clean…” Yet only one man – the Samaritan, the half breed, the illegal – was the
one who turned around & said “thank you”. Who knows why the other 9 new came back to
say “thank you”. Instead they probably DID go to the priest because he was the only one
who could pronounce them clean & allow them back into society.
APPLICATION:
So, the 9 men with leprosy, returned to a priest to pronounce them “clean” even though that
same religious organization had been the sole cause (as enforced by cultural norms) for their
exile. Maybe these 9 men were actually gay men? Lord knows the GLBT community – to
this day – believes the words of a few radical church leaders who proclaim them unclean &
exile them beyond the city gates. Even family members listen to religious leaders over the
cries of their children & family members when it comes to GLBT issues. And maybe this lone
Samaritan – would came back to say “thank you” because he knew the source of his healing
was the first truly “queer person” of faith? He knew Jesus was special & he said “thank you”.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
Indeed, “seasons of waiting” are not fun or easy. They’re inconvenient & stressful. They
cause us to question ourselves, God & maybe even our faith. And yet, while we’re waiting for
God’s next great “reveal” in our lives, we might as well allow God to work in us – to help us –
to see what “new thing” God might be doing in our lives.
It couldn’t hurt….especially since all we seem to be doing is waiting anyway. We might as
well invite God to wait with us…for in the waiting, we might find out something new about
ourselves & God.