Death leads to life

June 20—21

Jeremiah 20:7--13            Ps 88:1-10, 16-17              Romans 6:1-11                   Matthew 10:24-39

The prophet Jeremiah reveals the heavy burden of the prophet. His intimate relationship with God has left him helpless to resist. He speaks a hard word to Israel and suffers greatly for it: repent or die.

Ironically, Paul tells us that death is an escape from the power of sin. Through baptism, he says, we enter into Christ, making Him the center. So union with Jesus, means that we have died to sin. It is the death of our ego, that false self which isolates from God. This death begins at baptism, but dying is also the beginning of the resurrection life in Christ. It begins here and now, but it is not completed. It is a beautiful theology of baptism, but the existential reality is a daily struggle. Our wounds, passions and sinfulness continue to draw us from God. The material world, which should be a sacrament of God among us, is more often a veil which hides God, and distracts us. Like ancient Israel, we must hear the prophet Jeremiah remind us, repent or the earthly city will fall to ruin.

The problem is, there is no Jeremiah among us. The church requires us to wear masks at church, but where is the prophet who warns us to shield our heart from sin? We stand six feet apart for physical health, but where is the prophet who cries out to keep away from the near occasion of sin? Church  folks declare “stay home to save lives” but do they take the command to go into the world and proclaim the Gospel just as seriously? If Jeremiah was among us would he feel any less distressed that we seem to more of our attention and energy to almost anything other than the things of God.

Death is the fruit of sin. Sin, our separation from God, makes us vulnerable. Like ancient Jerusalem, we are spiritual wasteland. Our society is splitting. Hopelessness and death threaten us.



We must turn to Jesus, who offers us a covenant relationship with God. Jesus promises that we claim Him before men, He will do the same before the Father. If we deny Him, He will deny us. Jesus must take precedence over everything, particularly our own selves. Jesus has come to save us from the sin which kills our true self. But the false self must die if the true self will rise. Only those who have carried their own cross can receive the Crucified into their hearts. If we die, then we can mediate the resurrection life of Jesus to a world of sin and death, injustice and chaos. We cannot let the fear of death keep us from the love of Jesus Christ. We cannot let the fear of death keep us from union with the Holy Three God. Let us die to our sin and rise to eternal life in Jesus!