Date: 9/30/2004
Time: 8:10:54 AM
From Jerusalem during the years of exile, Jeremiah sends a letter to those in Babylon encouraging them, while they live in this strange and alien place, to be in ministry for the sake of their Babylonian neighbors.
The prophet is painting a picture of God's mercy in this reading. The people are given a vision of hope in the midst of exile: they will plant and live fruitfully in the foreign land. Though the understanding of the exile is that it is the judgment of God for their unfaithfulness, and it appears that it will be long-standing (their children's children will have children), here the prophet affirms that God is present to them to guide them. They are instructed to seek the welfare of the city, thereby securing their own welfare.
Date: 10/1/2004
Time: 7:23:55 AM
What would it mean for us to pray for our enemies? Could it be that our welfare is tied up in the welfare of those whom we call terrorists?
Date: 10/3/2004
Time: 9:40:29 PM
possible title: "Bloom Where You're Planted" Newbee from Okee
Date: 10/4/2004
Time: 4:10:42 AM
God given directions in a time of disaster is a good thing!
Keep living, be faithful, multiply, talk to God!
When Jerimiah wants prayer for the city, is He pointing to Jesus, or to the actual welfare of the city, with God given implications for all it's citizens?
Please respond if you have any insights, either of these options has interesting ramifications!
RZS in Pa.
Date: 10/4/2004
Time: 5:09:41 AM
Oops, I misunderstood where the prayer was directed to in verse 27. At first reading, I thought it refered to Jerusalem. Upon more study, I see they are directed to pray for the neighborhood they presently live in. In some ways we are all in exile from God, due to our "condition" (sin). Through the church (people in our neighborhood), can edify and help stengthen our bonds with God. We, too, need to pray for the city to which we have been sent, our neighborhood, our church, state, country, etc.
Again, it shows that although God knows everything, He still likes to hear from us!
RZS in Pa.
Date: 10/4/2004
Time: 5:49:27 AM
seek the welfare of the city where they're in exile - now that's where the rubber hits the road.
sally
Date: 10/4/2004
Time: 11:55:31 AM
Last Sunday, we focused on the Lamentations and Psalm 137 passages--written when the sting of exile was still fresh. A lot of complaining and bitter revenge language, and rightly so.
This week, we look at Jeremiah, who seems to be communicating from God, "Get over it! Stop complaining and make the best of a bad situation!"
I've been working with the theme these two weeks of faith in exile--a state many of us find ourselves in from time to time, whether externally imposed or internally imposed. What implications could this passage have on the way we interact with the culture and society around us? What are the issues of welfare that need to be fought out by Christians in today's world, and how do we go about it?
Newbee--thanks for the reminder of "Bloom where you are planted." I have a poster on my wall that says that!
I'm taking "Looking After #1" as my title (#1 being the concerns of those around us, rather than ourselves, as we are inclined to do)
-David Mac in Ohio
Date: 10/4/2004
Time: 5:25:49 PM
An interesting passage for one who is wondering if their town is dead, not worth living in, a dead end for ministry. For those that feel exiled where they live, Does God want you to give up just yet?
Date: 10/5/2004
Time: 1:19:10 PM
I think it's entirely appropriate for us to interpret this in the light of Christ's teaching, to pray for those among whom we live, even though they are our enemies. But I think, in context, something else is going on here. After all the words of condemnation and impending doom, doom has finally arrived. It would have been very understandable if the people had believed that, since God's threatened punishment was upon them, God had surely abandoned them.
Jeremiah's words to them were words of great hope. God tells the people "multiply there, and do not decrease." (v.6) If they were truly abandoned by God and no longer God's people, then God surely would not have cared if they disappeared into oblivion, completely absorbed into their captors. But God tells them to multiply and prosper. They are still God's people! God may be punishing them, but has not abandoned them! Therefore, the message to pray for Babylon's peace isn't so much for love of neighbor as it is to preserve the people of God who live among them.
As I said, we see this through the teachings of Jesus, and that is good. But there is another message here for the Church: we live in perilous times, times when we see very clearly that this world is an alien land. We are not to grow despondent, nor say "how can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land" (last week's psalm. Everything is as God has told us it would be; but we are not abandoned. God is still with us. We are called to make our homes here for now, to prosper and grow. And how does the church grow? Never by inheritance alone. We are to call our neighbors from out of Babylon, and into the people of God. Ken in WV
Date: 10/6/2004
Time: 7:43:08 AM
Thinking entitling my sermon: Live where you live. Where are our people in "exile". Do we keep living when confronted with despair caused by any number of reasons? It takes faith to 'trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not in vain. Deke of the North
Date: 10/6/2004
Time: 11:09:16 AM
Hi all, I'm also preaching on exile. I am a chaplain in a retirement community. Many people find themselves here to be nearer to daughter or son only to find that family members have a busy life. They come to have community but this is not "home". When poor health visits with a permanance...one can truly feel in exile. Exiled from the life they once knew. Especially when the driver's licsense is gone. But we feel in exile when we are depressed. get married and move away from family, find a new job, find ourselves in a place where we don't seem to fit or belong. Bootcamp, Iraq, Afghanistan. Misionaries working for God with all the good intentions in the world find themselves outsiders and lonely. Pastors in a troubled church feel misunderstood, persecuted, isolated. There are many times when we feel like an exile. New kid, new school...and so on. Where is God in this? Where is my faith? Where is my relationship with God. Sometimes we need a word from someone who knows us. Someone from "home" who can encourage us to lean on our faith, take courage, and move forward. In other words I think Jeremiah is saying get on with life. Quit pining for the past and look at the blessings of the now. There is work to be done in this new place. Maybe being sent into exile is really a calling and a way that God has of shaping and growing us. It's all in how you frame it. Colorado Chaplain
Date: 10/6/2004
Time: 6:09:40 PM
How does this scripture relate to those who are forced into exile today (literally)? The message of "bloom where you are planted" is good, practical advice. But how about the question of justice? Should we quietly accept the lot of exiles without trying to return them to their homes?
DGinNYC
Date: 10/6/2004
Time: 6:12:43 PM
We have a good number of immigrants in our congregation, or people who are in the US temporarily for work. We are helping them to learn English and get involved in the community while they are here. It's good for them, and good for us. But that is not quite the same as being forced into exile, with no option to return home.
??? DGinNYC
Date: 10/6/2004
Time: 8:15:09 PM
Any insights about how this relates to the lepers in the gospel? Like Deke in the North my sermon is entitled, "live where you live" and I love this text from Jeremiah. I think there is more than a thread that is connecting the two passsages but I am going to sleep on it for now. Avis in MA
Date: 10/6/2004
Time: 11:34:43 PM
I am more and more aware just how much the church has been unwilling to "pray for the welfare of the city" The church I serve started in a predominantly rural area, and the area around us still regards us as a small country church, even though we are now located in the fastest growing part of town- where all the doctors and lawyers live- but we are steadily losing members.
Part of it is an attitude that the church's job is to take care of the members (Jesus to his disciples "make sure you've got a nice building, some congenial people, take good care of yourselves and forget everybody else- oh, and be sure not to charge the members anythng to use the church building. but be sure to charge non-members- after all, thery're not paying to support the the church" Isn't that what Jesus said?)
If I keep banging on the need for change, maybe someone will listen. This passage says to me that you don't get to choose the where, the when, or even the way where you serve God. One guy is mad at me because I haven't been picking out hymns that he knows (but will he help pick them out?- no, but he really doesn't sing the songs he knows either. Will anyone else help me pick them out.- no-no. Do some of the ones that some of the people want to sing really stink?- oh, yes
I was at a presbytery sponsored event two weekends ago, and on of the workshops was on energizing the church for the 21st century. One of the leaders described the kind of worship that we do where I serve, and he said, "How nineteenth century.
Long way of saying, that we need to pay attention to the times that surround us.
grace and peace;
revgilmer in texarkana
Date: 10/7/2004
Time: 7:32:11 AM
Wow! If you want to read about exile (Jer.), and leprosy (gospel), and cause for praise(Psalms), do what I just did...type kaluapapa into your search engine and read about the exile of sick Hawaiians (How do you spell that word?) and the life of those who have various skin diseases. I did so after reading a post on the Psalms thread. lkinhc
Date: 10/8/2004
Time: 6:30:16 AM
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7)
From U2: Heaven on Earth We need it now I'm sick of all of this Hanging around Sick of sorrow I'm sick of the pain I'm sick of hearing Again and again That there's gonna be Peace on Earth
When I think of exile, my first thought is that I have nothing in common with people who have been forced from their homeland, that there is nothing in my life experience to equip me to understand what the feeling of exile must be like. And that’s very true to a certain extent. But in stepping back and looking at the big picture and at the world around us, it becomes clear that the way I can relate to the concept of exile is that I know what it is like to be in a place where I don’t want to stay. We know what it is like to live in a place that is far from perfect, far from heaven. We know what it is like to yearn for greener pastures and better times.
There are daily reminders that we are living in a time and place that fall short of what God’s vision for our world is. We are confronted with poverty, injustice, violence and brokenness all the time. And even for all the beauty, comforts and blessings of this life, we are not in the Promised Land.
Then I'm playing with images of: -- "Two Seperate Americas" -- "City of God / City of Man"
But wishing we were someplace else isn't going to get us there. Pretending that we've reached the promised land when we really haven't isn't going to work. Punshing the place we are for not being hat we want it to be isn't going to work. -- What are we to do then?
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7)
Heaven on Earth We need it now I'm sick of all of this Hanging around Sick of sorrow I'm sick of the pain I'm sick of hearing Again and again That there's gonna be Peace on Earth
Pray for our city. Pray for our country. Paricipate in seeking justice -- in politics, in the Church, in service, in prayer, in education...
Thanks for the thoughts! Carrie in NY
Date: 10/8/2004
Time: 4:12:10 PM
Isn't it interesting that Jeremiah is saying to Isreal that they needn't occupy the land of Palestine to worship God. Would'nt it be interesting to apply the words of Jeremiah to Isreal today? hmmm ColoradoChaplain