Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1

¹⁸ My grief is beyond healing;
      my heart is broken.
 ¹⁹ Listen to the weeping of my people;
      it can be heard all across the land.
   “Has the Lord abandoned Jerusalem?” the people ask.
      “Is her King no longer there?”
   “Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols and their worthless foreign gods?” says the Lord.
 ²⁰ “The harvest is finished, and the summer is gone,” the people cry, “yet we are not saved!” ²¹ I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief.  ²² is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?

^9:1 If only my head were a pool of water
      and my eyes a fountain of tears,
   I would weep day and night
      for all my people who have been slaughtered. 

The last thing LaShanda Calloway saw before she died was people literally stepping over her to continue shopping as if nothing had happened. Calloway had stopped to shop in a convenience store in Wichita, Kansas, when she was stabbed in an altercation. As she lay dying, a surveillance camera recorded no less than five people stepping over her to continue down the store's aisles. Only one stopped briefly—to take a picture of Calloway with a cell phone camera. 

Police spokesman Gordon Bassham said, “It was tragic to watch. The fact that people were more interested in taking a picture with a cell phone and shopping for snacks than helping this innocent young woman is, frankly, revolting.” 

Wichita police chief Norman Williams had even stronger words: “That's crazy! What happened to our respect for life?”[1]

On August 31, 2005, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) regional director Marty Bahamonde emailed the FEMA director regarding the situation in New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina.

Bahamonde wrote: “Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical. Here [are] some things you might not know. Hotels are kicking people out, thousands gathering in the streets with no food or water. Hundreds still being rescued from homes. 

“There are dying patients at the DMAT [disaster medical assistance team] tent. Estimates are many will die within hours. Evacuation in process. Plans developing for dome evacuation, but hotel situation adding to problem. We are out of food and running out of water at the dome, plans in works to address the critical need. 

“FEMA staff is OK and holding own. DMAT staff working in deplorable conditions. The sooner we can get the medical patients out, the sooner we can get them out. “Phone connectivity impossible.” 

The director responded: “Thanks for update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?”[2]

I share these two illustrations anticipating what your response would be. Sadness, disbelief, frustration. And while I’m uncomfortable in setting up any dichotomy that concludes that we are ‘better’ than anyone else (and that is not my intention here), nevertheless, I know that within the culture of this congregation, had we been in a position where we could have responded with compassion, mercy, and love in either of those situations – we would have. 

The mission statement of this congregation, which we view week after week on this wall, states that our reason for being is ‘to share the love of Jesus Christ with a hurting world.’ And further, that we are committed to doing that through our words and actions. 

This is a tough assignment that we have taken on. Tough, because in one sense, we will never be able to finish the work. The hurts of the world come in many sizes, shapes, and varieties. Sometimes they come in the form of one solitary person who needs help. Who needs love. 

Other times the hurt of the world is on a much larger scale – at times such a large scale that we don’t have any idea as to where to even start. But in my 13+ years as a pastor in this congregation I’ve learned one lesson very well: we may not meet every need, we may not even hit the mark at times, for the ones we’re aiming at! But we will continue to try to make every effort we can to fulfill our mission. Its in our DNA! 

One of the beautiful things about establishing a mission statement for an existing, healthy, church, is that when it is done right, it ends up not so much leading that church in a new direction of ministry, but more so, it focuses a church in the direction that God has been leading for quite some time. 

In other words, a mission statement doesn’t say, “Here’s where we need to go as a congregation”; rather it says, “This is who we already are… how can we keep it up?”  How can we do this better, more consistently? And that has been the case with this statement. 

We didn’t suddenly become interested in sharing the love of Jesus Christ with a hurting world after adopting this mission statement! This congregation has a long history of involvement in the needs of the world – both local and distant – through acts of service, through its support of missions that are specifically meeting needs through preaching and teaching (words) and also through ministries that help with food for the hungry, medical needs, creating healthy environments, counseling, support ministries, and more (i.e., actions.) 

One of the most effective ministries in our church in that regard, is our Stephen Ministry (established before our Mission Statement!). We have had more people commissioned over the past 12 years than I can remember. And even though not all of them are currently active in that ministry (i.e., working with care receivers) the fact that we have so many trained listeners, and people who have honed their spiritual gifts of mercy and encouragement through Stephen Ministry has changed the very fabric of this congregation, and have helped us move forward in our mission. 

Jeremiah, who has been called ‘the Weeping Prophet’ because of the passage that we read a few moments ago, had the heart of a Stephen Minister. He not only heard the cries of the pain of his people, he felt that pain as if it were his own. 

¹⁹ Listen to the weeping of my people; it can be heard all across the land…^9:1 If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people… 

Jeremiah didn’t step over the people who were suffering. He didn’t send an email in the midst of disaster asking if there was anything he could ‘do or tweak.’ He lived among the people, sharing the truth of God with them, (even when that was difficult). He gave them signs of hope, even when – for the time being – they weren’t able to see it or accept it. 

In other words, as God enabled him, Jeremiah did what he could with what he had. He got involved. He served. 

Dr. Scott Kurtzman, chief of surgery at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut, was on his way to deliver an 8 a.m. lecture when he witnessed one of the worst crashes in Connecticut history. A dump truck driver lost control of his truck which then flipped on its side and skidded into oncoming traffic causing an accident that involved 20 vehicles; four people died. 

Thanks to years of emergency-room experience, Doctor Kurtzman immediately shifted into trauma mode. He worked his way through the mess of people and metal, calling out, “Who needs help?” 

After about 90 minutes, when all 16 victims had been triaged and taken to area hospitals, Dr. Kurtzman climbed back into his car, drove to the medical school, and gave his lecture—two hours late.

Now, this was not the first time Dr. Kurtzman has assisted those in need. Over the years, he's stopped at a half-dozen crashes and assisted at three.  Listen to this: “A person with my skills simply can't drive by someone who's injured,” says Kurtzman. “I refuse to live my life that way.”[3]

Those who hear God’s call to become a Stephen Minister are chosen, then trained to come alongside and assist not all, certainly, but some hurting people. They, in this important ministry, are doing in a specific way what we all are called to do as Christians in a hurting world in some way. As God leads us, we do what we can with what we have. 

We are pleased in this service today to commission three more helping warriors to our SM ranks. 

So I’m going to ask them to come forward at this time. As we share in this commissioning liturgy, I want you to especially take note of the part where as a congregation you not only affirm their ministry among us, but also affirm your willingness to call on them when you need someone to stand with you.  Because the Lord knows, sometimes we all could use a little help.