“Where are my people at”Main point: Jesus' message divides the unrighteous and the righteous.BLESSING THE CHILDRENELW 798SERMONIntroductionIn our First reading from the Prophet Jeremiah we heard, “Is not my word like fire, says the lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”In our Gospel we hear that word speak, "I have come to cast fire upon the earth, Jesus says, and how I wish it were already ablaze!”When Jesus brings the fire, he calls people to righteousness. When righteousness is in conflict with the systems of our world, Jesus's message will divide, not unify. (Repeat)Make no mistake, God stoops down low and comes to us to meet us in our need. The Good Shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep. Over and over again God comes to us with a steady and reliable invitation to join Jesus in the work of turning our world into the place God always intended it to be. (Pause) But the invitation is never an invitation to stay exactly the way we are and to leave the world exactly the way we find it. The invitation is to join God in transforming the world so that all of creation may become what God intended it to be - holy, righteous, and in perfect unity with the Father where only goodness exists. When Jesus brings the fire, he calls people to righteousness. When righteousness is in conflict with the systems of our world, Jesus's message will divide, not unify.The PeopleThe people in Jesus’ day expected a time when God would come close to his people. The signs are there. Jesus is standing in front of them. God has come near to set the world right - and the people were missing it.The people with Jesus that day were hypocrites - just as he called them. They were actors, pretenders, posers, and worse. They said they wanted God’s blessing, but they couldn’t see God when he was standing right in front of them.Two Examples of UnfaithfulnessThey are just like the prophets we read about in Jeremiah. The prophets had one job! - speak the words of God in truthfulness and faithfulness. Instead, they made up dreams and said they heard from the Lord. They said they were speaking for the Lord, but they were liars. And now they are being held accountable for their wickedness.(Jeremiah 23:26)How long, O Lord? Will those who speak for the Lord ever return to him? The people in Jesus’ day were just like the “small-g” gods, we read about in our Psalm, who were judged by the Most High in the Divine Council. Before the flood of Noah, the gods were given territories on the earth and charged with the task to administer justice for the weak and the orphan; service to the lowly and destitute; protection for the needy; and shelter for the vulnerable. But they rebelled against the Most High and abdicated their responsibilities. They demanded worship and penance from the people they were charged to serve. And now they are being held accountable for their wickedness.(Psalm 82:8)Arise, O God, and judge the earth! For you shall take all nations for your own. In the same vein, Jesus is saying, “I have come to transform the world and you say you want what I want, but your actions speak louder than your words. You are just like the prophets who lied and the gods who neglected the orphans and widows.

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