May 24, 2020, Jeremiah 22:1-10 – Post 3 – ISSL Reflections

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You can find this week’s Scripture here –
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+22%3A1-10&version=NRSV

VII.
What have you heard from Jeremiah this week?

Did you hear his call to justice and righteousness?

Did you hear who he calls the King and Kingdom to act with justice and righteousness toward?

Do you feel called to live as a citizen of such a Kingdom?

Or maybe you look for that kind of Kingdom to dwell in? If so, how do you journey toward it and recognize it?

VIII.
Or maybe what captures your attention is Jermeiah’s delivery of words of judgement.

He sees what can be a Kingdom of justice and righteousness, but tells those who listen that it can become a place of desolation, a desert, cut down and uninhabited.

And if that is not enough, he sees people, “… who go away … [and] shall return no more to see their native land” (Jeremiah 22:10).

IX.
Do you have a vision of that native land? A land where justice and righteousness abide? Or do you count yourself among those Jeremiah counsels us to weep for?

Yet, Jeremiah gives us hope for even in speaking of judgement, he tells us desolation comes, “Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.” (Jeremiah 22:9)

WIth those words, Jeremiah points the way for us to move away from desolation. He points us toward serving the God who is the God of justice and righteousness and life and not a god of death and destruction.

Again and again Scripture reminds us we have a choice to make. Are we to seek the Kingdom of God Jesus spoke of, or another?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

May 24, 2020, Jeremiah 22:1-10 – Post 2 – ISSL Reflections

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You can this week’s Scripture here –
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+22%3A1-10&version=NRSV

IV.
A couple of things particularly caught my attention this week.

In last week’s reading Jeremiah told the King “… deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed…” (Jeremiah 21:12). This week we hear him speaking not just to the King –

Thus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah sitting on the throne of David—you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. (Jeremiah 22:1-2)

He calls “… the King … your servants, and your people who enter these gates” to pay attention to how they live out the call to justice.

And speaking of that call to justice and righteousness, last week we heard mentioned those who are robbed and this week we hear –

Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place. (Jeremiah 22:3)

V.
Notice he calls attention to “the alien, the orphan, and the widow.”

Does that sound familiar? If you did a search in Scripture for where those three are mentioned together you would find our attention called to them in several of the prophets, in Deuteronomy and in Psalms.

Who are they? Certainly we take this to mean literally The Lord calls for the protection of anyone who falls into one or another of those groups.

But might it be taken even more broadly than that?

A couple of days ago as I was reading the notes in The New English Translation, I came across this –

These were classes of people who had no one to look out for their rights. The laws of Israel, however, were careful to see that their rights were guarded (cf. Deut 10:18) and that provision was made for meeting their needs (cf. Deut 24:19-21). The Lord promised to protect them (cf. Psalms 146:9), and a curse was called down on any who deprived them of justice (cf. Deut 27:19) (NET Bible: Full Study Notes Edition, p 1428)

VI.
“People who had no one to look out for their rights”

We might think of them as folks who had lost their support system, they were cut off from the people who recognized them and counted them as family, they were “displaced,” that is, no longer on “home ground” and were in the midst of people who talked and acted in ways that were not familiar to them.

Can you think of times when you might have felt “displaced” and cut off from what is familiar and makes you feel secure?

What did you need? What might you pray for? Who did you look for? How would you want people to treat you?

Turn over those questions for a while and see where it takes you.

We’ll get back together later.

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

May 24, 2020, Jeremiah 22:1-10 – ISSL Reflections

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I.
We continue this week listening to the Prophet Jeremiah. We’ll start this week as we do most weeks, placing this week’s passage in front of us, reading it slowly and with care so we hear the words of the Prophet as best we can.

As you’re taking time with the passage, open your mind so you notice anything that sounds familiar.

II.
Jeremiah 22:1-10 (New Revised Standard Version)

Thus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah sitting on the throne of David—you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place. For if you will indeed obey this word, then through the gates of this house shall enter kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their servants, and their people. But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:

You are like Gilead to me,
like the summit of Lebanon;
but I swear that I will make you a desert,
an uninhabited city.[a]
I will prepare destroyers against you,
all with their weapons;
they shall cut down your choicest cedars
and cast them into the fire.

And many nations will pass by this city, and all of them will say one to another, “Why has the Lord dealt in this way with that great city?” And they will answer, “Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.”

Do not weep for him who is dead,
nor bemoan him;
weep rather for him who goes away,
for he shall return no more
to see his native land.

III.
What did you hear that you have heard before. Maybe even this past week.

You can find last week’s reading, Jeremiah 21:8-14, here –
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah+21.8-14&version=NRSV

… and this week’s reading here –
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+22%3A1-10&version=NRSV

You could open them side-by-side online or in your Bible and notice what is repeated and what is expanded.

Who is the audience? How is justice described? Who is asked/commanded to act justly? What kind of future(s) might await those to whom the Prophet is speaking? When will judgement come and how?

Spend time paying attention to Prophet Jeremiah noticing what he speaks both in an ancient time and what he still speaks to us.

We’ll talk later,

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

May 17, 2020, Jeremiah 21:8-14 – Post 3 – ISSL Reflections

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You can find Jeremiah 21:8-14 here –
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+21%3A8-14&version=NRSV

VII.
Let’s see, what was the second question –
How do we know what in a Scripture passage is time/place specific and what should be universalized as we understand our lives lived as God’s people?

We might ask that in another way – “What applies to me today, in my daily walk, in my communities, in how I conduct my life?”

Some matters in our passage this week may be easy to discern.

First, let’s notice some things that I suspect we are pretty quick to pick up on.

For one – “the way of life and the way of death” (Jeremiah 21:8)

A theme in Scripture we see repeated.

What follows that, that is, what specifically is the life path and what specifically is the death path may change from context to context but the overarching theme is the same – God’s desire for us is to live with God, come near to God and allow God’s kind of life/living to inhabit us and be lived out through us. Can you buy into that?

Sometimes we may be presented with hard choices on how to live that in a specific situation but the goal is always the same.

A few sentences later the Prophet tells the King, “Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed …” (Jeremiah 21:12)

Don’t you think we can recognize this path is not just for the King or rulers or those in leadership but for all of us?

So we probably already can draw some universally applicable principles from this passage.

VIII.
Second, there is at least a hint if not an obvious clue in the question and answer exchange between the King and the Prophet as how to apply this to our lives.

The King hoped to draw a conclusion from the past as to how his confrontation with the Caldeans would work out, that is, God comes to the rescue in the imminent battle.

The Prophet said “No!”

I also hear the Prophet saying, God will rescue, there is life after this, but not in the way you hope and expect, but a life that God leads you toward.

Do you think that promise is contained in the Prophet’s words?

If that is so, it suggests to me that we pay attention to the past, notice how God has accompanied us in our lives and then trust (ok, big word, hard to do sometimes, especially in the middle of difficult situations) – trust God is still present, and as we seek the Kingdom, God can lead.

Maybe not a “1-2-3 steps” method for us or a “do it this way every time” rule, but a way forward, maybe even a light on the path.

What do you think?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

PS –
Often I spend most of our time together asking questions, today, I have offered a more specific take on the passage. I trust I have not been to “preachy” and even in my thoughts and interpretations, I hope I provoke you to examine the passage for yourself and talk it over with God.

May 17, 2020, Jeremiah 21:8-14 – Post 2 – ISSL Reflections

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You can find Jeremiah 21:8-14 here –
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+21%3A8-14&version=NRSV

IV.
When we left off the other day, I asked you to consider two questions –
1. How do we handle disappointment with God?
2. How do we know what in a Scripture passage is time/place specific and what should be universalized as we understand our lives lived as God’s people?

It would be great for us to talk with one another about how these questions strike us, how comfortable or uncomfortable with them we are, and how we respond to them. As we ask such questions in the presence of one another, and respond to them honestly, we all have opportunities to become maturing disciples of Jesus and discover ways to live more fully in the Kingdom he ushered in. Often, is not in answering questions but in living with the questions that we come nearer becoming the people God calls us to be. Do you think that might be part of what it means to “trust God”?

V.
Was the King disappointed with the Prophet’s response to his inquiry?

It seems clear he had an answer in the mind he was hoping for and do you think expected? Past history for him provided examples of God coming to the rescue of the nation, so why not once again?

But not this time.

Why? Had things gone too far? Had they moved too far away from living as God’s people? But still, they had failed in the past and God came to their rescue.

VI.
For me, there is no easy answer. At least not one that ties up such things in a nice little package that we can take out every time life doesn’t go our way, open the package and say, “See, this explains it all.”

That being said, maybe there is something of a way to move forward. After the Prophet said the rescue the King wanted (maybe expected) was not coming, then he told the King,

To the house of the king of Judah say: Hear the word of the Lord, O house of David! Thus says the Lord: Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed, or else my wrath will go forth like fire, and burn, with no one to quench it, because of your evil doings. – (Jeremiah 21:11-12)

Is Jeremiah saying, “You know how the Lord wants you to live, you know what the Lord calls you to do – Go Do It!”

Do we keep trusting The Lord even in our disappointments? Do we keep moving toward the Kingdom The Lord establishes?

Some days, it’s hard. Very hard.

What would you do?

Charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

May 17, 2020, Jeremiah 21:8-14 – ISSL Reflections

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I.
The words we hear from the Prophet Jeremiah this week are set up by the inquiry King Zedekiah sends to the Jeremiah,

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malchiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, saying, “Please inquire of the Lord on our behalf, for King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the Lord will perform a wonderful deed for us, as he has often done, and will make him withdraw from us.” Jeremiah 21:1-2

If it’s true as I have heard before that most questions have the answer – or expected answer – held within the question, is it too much to see what the King wanted to hear? Or maybe even expected to hear?

What answer did the King receive?

As you spend time with this passage notice not only the answers that Jeremiah give, but also the different parties to whom he directs the Lord’s answers.

II.
Jeremiah 21:8-14 (New Revised Standard Version)

And to this people you shall say: Thus says the Lord: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Those who stay in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but those who go out and surrender to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have their lives as a prize of war. For I have set my face against this city for evil and not for good, says the Lord: it shall be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

To the house of the king of Judah say: Hear the word of the Lord, O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

Execute justice in the morning,
and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
anyone who has been robbed,
or else my wrath will go forth like fire,
and burn, with no one to quench it,
because of your evil doings.

See, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
O rock of the plain,
says the Lord;
you who say, “Who can come down against us,
or who can enter our places of refuge?”

I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings,
says the Lord;
I will kindle a fire in its forest,
and it shall devour all that is around it.

III.
As we begin our reflections on this passage, I can’t help but wonder about two things.

First, how do we handle disappointment with God?

Does that sound irreligious to you? Or maybe you think it borders on the blasphemous?

But have there been times when you expected one thing of God, or God’s people, and an entirely different thing came about? Something you thought was wrong to happen? Especially to happen to you?

When God’s people disappoint us, do we sometimes blame not just the people but God for that?

Second, as we hear Jeremiah speak of the “disaster” awaiting the nation, what aspects of this are worthy of us applying to situations today? Said in another way, how do we know what in a passage such as this is time/place specific and what should be universalized as we understand our lives lived as God’s people?

Would you give that some thought, before we get back together?

We’ll talk,

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

May 10, 2020, Zechariah 8:1-8, 11-17 – Post 3 – ISSL Reflections

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This week’s Scripture passage –
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zechariah+8%3A1-8%2C+11-17&version=NRSV

VIII.
Do the words of the Prophet offer you hope? Encouragement? A vision of a place, a home to get back to?

IX.
How does the prophet describe where the people are?

How does he describe where The Lord of Hosts wants them?

How does he describe what The Lord of Hosts wants for them?

How does he describe how The Lord of Hosts wants them to live?

X.
How do we take the instructions on how the people are to live?

Is it for the future restoration, redemption, return to the Kingdom, the coming of a New Kingdom, or maybe even the present time and place they find themselves in?

Do we wait for Kingdom living or do we live there now?

And, more to the point, perhaps, how do we begin to live there now?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

May 10, 2020, Zechariah 8:1-8, 11-17 – Post 2 – ISSL Reflections

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This week’s Scripture passage –
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zechariah+8%3A1-8%2C+11-17&version=NRSV

IV.
These words were first heard and later read in a world far distant from our own.

The passage as we find it in our Scriptures was selected to be read for this coming Sunday several years ago by the editors of this lesson series.

Yet …

Do the words have any contemporary ring for you?

V.
How does the Prophet speak to you in our “shelter-in-place,” “keep your distance,” and world in which the common place has been so disrupted.

Can you hear him speaking to people who long to go back to a world that was familiar and comfortable for them? A world from which they had been separated? Maybe we could even say, a world that was torn from them?

VII
Do the words of the Prophet (that he reports come from the Lord of Hosts), give you any reason for hope in your world today?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

May 10, 2020, Zechariah 8:1-8, 11-17 – ISSL Reflections

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I.
Zechariah tells us, “The word of the Lord of hosts came to me saying …”

Where is the Prophet Zechariah? The Lord of Hosts? The people who are receiving this Word?

First, read the passage through slowly and with an openness to hearing and seeing what the Prophet hears and see, what the Lord of Hosts hears and sees, and what the people hear and see.

Enter the passage for a moment, at least, and live in that time and place

II.
Zechariah 8:1-8, 11-17 (New Revised Standard Version)

The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.

But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lord of hosts. For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.

For thus says the Lord of hosts: Just as I purposed to bring disaster upon you, when your ancestors provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, so again I have purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; do not be afraid. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.

III.
What sounds and looks familiar to you? What do you identify with in these ancient words written for a people very distant to us in time and place?

Why not read the passage again with an eye and ear to notice the familiar and for what seems very near to you?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

May 3, 2020, Zephaniah 3:14-20 – Post 3 – ISSL Reflections

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VII.
Before we end our time with Zephaniah, let’s notice what he says about homecoming.

“… The Lord, your God, is in your midst …
… I will remove disaster …
… I will save the lame …
… [I will] gather the outcast …
… I will bring you home …
…. I [will] gather you …
… when I restore your fortunes ..,. “

Restoration, returning to Zion, is a theme in many of the prophets.

How many times can you recall the lame, the outcast, the despised being included in this homecoming, this reclaiming of Zion?

I suspect you will find it is often mentioned in the prophets, in the Torah, and in the Gospel.

VIII.
This passage began with the invitation for the people to “Sing … shout … Rejoice and exult.”

Then we told,

“The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
as on a day of festival.”

This homecoming finds the people rejoicing and God rejoicing and singing with them.

It seems to me this kind of time “when [God] restores your fortunes” must extend far beyond material fortunes.

How does it strike you?

Take time today to envision the time and place Zephaniah calls – Home.

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}