August 30, 2020 Text: Jeremiah 15:15-21
Dear Friends in Christ,
Do you remember this story from two years ago? It involves a teenager in the United Kingdom who went deaf and blind due to his junk food diet. Here’s a portion of the article from Fox News.
“The case involves a teen, believed to be the UK’s first such case, who slowly lost his eyesight and hearing after eating nothing but fries, chips, and other kinds of junk food…The then 14-year-old boy, described as a “fussy eater,” complained of experiencing tiredness to his family doctor. By the age of 15, however, his hearing and vision became impaired…At 17, he was declared legally blind…The teen was eventually diagnosed with nutritional optic neuropathy, a result of nutritional deficiencies…The boy’s mother told the Telegraph that the teen’s condition has “devastated his life” and that he’s since dropped out of college. She also left her job in order to care for him.”
What a cautionary tale. Many health situations can be linked to our diet. What we put in our mouths has a bearing on one’s state of mind and health. What are you feeding yourself spiritually?
“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”
If you have been around the Lutheran liturgy for a while you can recall these words: “Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy Holy Word we may embrace, ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which Thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ…”
Inwardly digest the Word of God. Eating the Word is throughout the Scriptures. Eating led to death in the Garden of Eden but eating is also connected to the promise of life. At the Last Supper the promise of the New Covenant there was eating and drinking that gives forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
In our text it is the prophet Jeremiah eating the Word of the Lord. “Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation.” (v. 16-17)
What are we going to eat? A feast on the Word of God or will we open that bag of chips and gorge ourselves on the incessant junk food that is communicated to us daily? You ever sit down with a snack while watching TV and before you know it half the bag is gone? We just keep shoveling it in without a realization of what we are doing? This happens to us spiritually. We skip the daily devotions; we neglect the hearing and reading of God’s Word. We fill our plates with that which does not satisfy.
Listen to this insight from an enlightened author. “Spiritual junk food is comprised of the things we take in, that sometimes provide temporary comfort, but have little to no spiritual value; and once the moment passes, we feel worse than before. Those things are often hidden in entertainment. Many times entertainment serves as a means to distract us from the problems in our lives, escape reality, cure boredom, or make us feel better. The content in entertainment is often high in spiritual sugar, salt, fat, and…empty calories. Most people don’t like to admit that what they watch read or listen to, has an effect on their spiritual welfare. To one who is accustomed to eating junk food, healthy food isn’t very appealing. The same is true for one who is accustomed to enjoying spiritual junk food. And the result of a spiritual junk food diet is a diseased soul.”
What should we be putting into our mouths and minds? God’s Word. When hearing the Word what provided you comfort? As you read the Word think of the grace that helped your trembling soul. In marking your Bible how many times do you come back to that passage that you gives you a spiritual lift when life has you in the doldrums of the basement? As you digest the Lord’s Words you fill yourself with forgiveness and life and salvation that the Lord died and rose again to provide.
God’s Word doesn’t always have to be in a formal setting such as Bible Class or Sunday School. Those are wonderful. I love where Scripture says, “talk about them as you walk along the road.” This puts it in our daily experiences. It is part of our ongoing Christian walk. What we eat we share with others. Don’t always know what to say? God has a word for that. Know your Bible so that what you eat flows out of you to those around you.
You are what you eat. What will it be? It is the prayer from this pulpit today that you choose the food that lasts forever. As Jesus says, “Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” (John 6:27) Amen.