Jeremiah 29:1-14 and
Psalm 66:1-12
Last week we talked about the Israelite
exiles in Babylon. Our Psalm reminded us
that the people had been carted away from their homeland and by the rivers of
Babylon they sat down and wept. They
hung their harps in the willows, unable to sing the Lord’s song in a strange
land. Through all their lamenting their
hearts were bowed low within them and their spirits were crushed. The writer of Lamentations reminded the
people that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases and in this morning’s
reading they will hear more of the same, although the message is not the one
they are hoping for.
By the time the prophet Jeremiah
writes, the people are settled into exile in Babylon. They are hopeful for word of their return to
Jerusalem and seeking after prophets who will give them good news. Unfortunately, through the letter of Jeremiah
to the leaders of the community of Israelites, the people get a different
message from God. They will not be
returning to Jerusalem in the near future, in fact they will not return for 70
years. Those who are exiles, the captives,
the refugees must settle in for two generations before God consents to return
them to their homeland.
God tells the people to make their
home in exile. They are to settle into
the land. To take jobs and to build
houses. They are to find husbands and
wives, to raise families, and to encourage their children to marry. They are to plan for generations in
Babylon. They are called to accept
bondage, and to make life in exile a life at peace.
Moreover, they are called to pray for
the fortunes of Babylon. They are called
to pray for their enemies, pray for their captors, pray for the wellbeing of
those who have ruined their lives. God
makes it clear that the welfare of the Babylonians, of the faithless captors,
is the welfare of the Israelites. Settle
in, worship in Babylon, pray for your enemies, and accept bondage as your new
way of life Jeremiah encourages.
Jeremiah tells them that the time has come to take down their harps and
to sing a new song in a strange land.
The message that Jeremiah offers the
people of Israel is a very difficult one to accept, but I love it for just that
reason. I think this message, of
accepting bondage, of making a home in exile, can be a truth for many of us as
well. Most of us will not experience an
actual physical exile, of being taken from our home land, but we see it in our
world. Refugees fleeing the violence of
war in Syria are certainly in exile. So
too, are illegal immigrants who are crossing the border to flee the drug
violence of Mexico.
Sometimes we face a physical exile but
more often than not, our exile is emotional.
Life doesn’t work out the way we planned and we can find ourselves
marooned in a strange place. The
doctor’s office calls and the test results are bad. We are in an exile of waiting, of testing, of
treatment, of fear, and of pain. A loved
one suddenly dies and we are in an exile of loneliness, of grief, of broken
spirit. A relationship deteriorates and
we have lost our way, we are in an exile of confusion, of sadness, of strained conversations. We lose our job and we are in economic exile,
stressing about how we are going to make ends meet and provide for our families. Suddenly we are strangers in a foreign land
and we are tempted to hang our harps in the willows and give up. Surely God will save us from this exile soon.
The Israelites certainly hoped
salvation would be sooner than 70 years.
Jeremiah warned them against falling for false prophets who would fill
their heads with dreams and tell them the things they wanted to hear. “Do not let the prophets among you deceive
you, do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie they are
telling you.” We do the same thing when
we fall prey to “miracle” healers or those who would preach a prosperity
gospel. We all want to believe that
since we have faith in God everything will be the way we want it to be.
Jeremiah reminds the people that
everything will be ok; it just won’t be the way that people want it to be. God’s idea of ok, the Israelites settling
into the land of Babylon for two generations, probably doesn’t sound too good
to the people longing to be home. And
yet, God’s blessings will be there, God is able to make life flourish in
inhospitable places. The blessing of
grandchildren will happen in this exile, God will make life when the people
assume that life is over.
I love the picture of the flower in
the sidewalk that I used for the children’s sermon to remind us of this. Even when there is little soil, water, or
nutrients, there is life. God makes a
home where we assume there can be no home.
Another cool example of this is Andy Weir’s book, “The Martian” that was
made into a movie starring Matt Damon last year. The movie is good but the book is
wonderful. It is hard to imagine a place
more inhospitable to life than the surface of Mars. And yet the main character, Mark Watney, is
able not only to survive there but to grow food for his own sustenance. Even more telling is the way that Mark grows
in spirit and strength throughout the story.
Although it doesn’t talk about God specifically, I found the story to be
an amazing idea about God creating a home in exile, God supporting life in
inhospitable places.
The Israelites’ exile into Babylon is not
their first wilderness experience and it won’t be their last. In our reading from the Psalms, the people
remember their exodus out of Egypt. They
praise God when they remember the story of crossing through the sea on dry
land. But they also remember that things
have not always been easy. “You brought
us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs; you let people ride over our
heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a
spacious place.” God has blessed them,
but their lives have been full of trial and tribulation.
Jeremiah too, reminds the people that
after they have served their sentence in captivity, the blessing of God will
return. “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.” Jeremiah
promises that God will return the people to their promised land, just not on
the time table that the people are hoping for.
And so today, we sit and wonder about
where we find ourselves in the story.
Some of us are probably doing just fine.
Our period of exile is over and we have returned to blessed places. Like the writer of the Psalm, we can sit and
remember the hard times and thank God for bringing us through to the other
side.
Others of us though, may be in the
midst of exile. We are longing for good
news of hope and healing, which we may get, or like the Israelites we may hear
another message. We may be told to sit
and wait, to settle in, to make a home in exile. We may be told that God is with us even in
this foreign land, and like the flower in the sidewalk crack, we need to bloom
where we are planted. It may not be
ideal, but it is where we are, and thankfully God is with us in our places of
pain.
As you go out into the world this
week, I encourage you to take stock of your surroundings. If you feel like you are in exile, then have
courage and strength for the journey ahead.
Make a home where you find yourself and look for the blessings of God in
unexpected places. If you feel like your
time of exile is over, than take a moment to praise God and offer thanksgiving
for the Lord who has brought you through difficult times and into the promised
land.
In addition, all of us are called
today to pray. Pray for this town, pray
for this country, pray for our world, and for the people around you. We all see stories of exile on the news, but
we may not know the stories of exile that our friends and neighbors are living
through. The prophet Jeremiah encourages
us to pray for each other, for in the welfare of our neighbor we will find our
own welfare planted. May God bless us and
everyone, this day and every day, even as we make our homes in exile. Amen.
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