Prior to the readings, there is a short section showing where Jeremiah is on a timeline, and giving a little background.
after the Bible reading, a reflection From Spill
the Beans: I Never Wanted to Live Here
this sermon is followed by a hymn, then my reflection on 2 years of ministry
...
Sometimes
life is confusing, the things that happen to us do not make sense.
In
this passage, Jeremiah is telling the people in exile, that they will be there
for a while, so get used to it.
build your house
raise your family
build your house
raise your family
Plant
gardens
let your children marry, even locals
let your children marry, even locals
The
welfare of the exiles is linked with the welfare of the community.
I
wonder if that is true for us today?
In
what ways is our welfare linked with that of the poorest in our area?
In
our day there are so many voices competing for our attention. Advertisements
tell us we need to buy particular clothes or shoes or furniture or car that
will make us happy.
If
only we lived in a different suburb or region, we would be satisfied.
And
when election time rolls around, we will be offered a variety of reasons to
vote for each candidate, often to do with how we will personally benefit.
Jeremiah,
as with the other prophets, has told the people they are not following God’s
commands, they are worshipping idols and sacrificing children.[i]
This is not the way that God’s people live.
What
we consider commandments, are more like signs.
Because
the Lord is your God, this is how you will live, you won’t have idols, you
won’t curse God, you won’t kill or steal or cheat others from what is theirs.
Sure,
they are good rules to live by, but when we live by rules, we look for
loopholes.
When
we live in relationship with God, our lives are changed.
Because
God is God, we don’t need idols
Because
God is our God we don’t need to cheat each other
Because
God is our God we don’t need to steal or murder
Etc.
The
people of Israel and Judah had forgotten what it meant to live as God’s people,
they had abandoned the ways of God,
of helping the poor, the orphan and the widow
they had abandoned the ways of God,
of helping the poor, the orphan and the widow
of worshipping only the Lord
of valuing all life
of valuing all life
and
the consequence was destruction of the city and temple
exile
of the leaders, and later others.
The
prophet Jeremiah was still in Jerusalem, when the section from Chapter 29 was
sent to the exiles in Babylon.
Even
with the pain and anguish of exile, and Jeremiah’s words to settle in for the
long haul – there is also hope in this reading.
“For
surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare
and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me
and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find
me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord,
and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all
the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to
the place from which I sent you into exile.”
[Jeremiah
29: 11-14 NRSVA]
God
said: I will bless you with a future filled with hope
Seek
me and I will let you find me
Sounds
like hide and seek to me, except God is in clear view
Next
week we begin Advent and the theme for the first week is traditionally hope.
What
will you hope for this year?
Where
do you find God in that hope?
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