Scripture:
Jeremiah 33:10
Thus says the Lord: In this place of which you say, “It is a waste without human beings or animals,” in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without inhabitants, human or animal, there shall once more be heard the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, ...
Observation:
The predicted conquest is upon the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Jerusalem is under siege. Defeat is imminent. This will be no negotiated surrender with favourable terms (of course the King will survive as is often the case with Kings...).
Utter ruin will follow shortly. Suffering and desolation will rule the day.
What does God speak into the midst of this scene?
There is no heavenly taunt,
"I told you so! This is what happens when you betray or fail me."
There is no last minute wincing rescue,
"Ok, now that you know I'm serious about the rules ... just one more chance."
There is only a promise. Silence will not persist. Destruction is not the end.
Death will never have the last word.
I place my faith in the God who promises thusly and works tirelessly, at times visibly yet often in hidden ways, to fulfill them.
When the situation is dire and our faith fails, we can turn to God who is always faith-full to overflowing.
Application:
I have been pondering the plight of refugees during the past 36 hours along with many of you. I have been trying to understand how to respond. In conversation with others, the suggestion has come up to rally our congregations and sponsor a family of refugees through one of the organizations the ELCIC is partnered with. It is one thing to cry out in general for our governments to accept more refugees, it is another to ask ourselves honestly what we are personally willing to commit to.
I am embarrassed to say sponsorship seems to me an overwhelming task,
to start a sponsorship group, to commit to raising about $20 000...
It's not possible, is it?
Our congregation is struggling to meet our annual budget while at the same time participating in no few mission initiatives both locally and globally. I recognize that this feeling stems from a perspective of scarcity and that the kingdom of God is an economy of abundance, yet I am afraid of bringing such a bold (and quite frankly prophetic) challenge to the congregation I serve. I suspect I am not alone in these feelings.
The situation, as has been so powerfully encoded in the haunting photo of Alan Kurdi's 3 year old drowned corpse, is dire.
Our actions, to wage hope and justice and peace in this world with a special eye to the foreigner, the widow; the least and the lowly do matter. They are vital because they express, no matter how imperfectly, the love of God for all creatures and indeed all of creation. But, to begin with or focus too narrowly upon our actions is to set ourselves up for failure before we begin.
We must begin with the promise. It is as old as Jeremiah - far older in fact. The promise has been perfected in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We do not own or possess the promise, in fact, we have been commanded to share it freely.
So, we must begin and persist in the promissory Word of God.
This relationship, makes us bold and ready to act:
full of hope, yet tethered by the humility of knowing what we are and are not capable of.
Prayer:
Visible and Hidden God, You make and keep your promises. Help us to see that, and as we do, we ask for transformed vision to see what you would have us do in Your service in the world. I long for the silencing of the drums of war around the globe. I ask for peace and rest for all those fleeing violence of many kinds. Even more, I long for the promised resumption of joy and mirth as Your promised reign breaks forth. Until then, grant me good courage and humility to act in ways becoming of Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
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