Proper 16 / Pentecost 14 / Ordinary Time 21
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
... I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
-- Jeremiah 1:5c
While the earlier prophets focused their words on God's people, Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nations. As the threat to the existence of Israel and Judah became critical, their faith expanded their understanding of the sovereignty of God. It is natural at times of uncertainty and chaos to want to narrow your focus, but Israel did the opposite. They began to ask what it was that God was doing among the other nations and what their role was in God's work. At the same time, Jeremiah expanded his understanding of his call backward to before he was born. The sovereignty of God encompassed both time and space and was not to be defined by national boundaries or the limits of time. When we sense the call of God in our lives, we are invited to ask what God's intentions are for our lives in the larger context of God's work. What was the purpose God intended in our birth? We are asked to look beyond our personal and private lives and seek to understand where we belong in the larger context of history.
It is so tempting to keep silent in the faith and to feel inadequate in the face of the complex issues of our society. There is always someone who knows the Bible better than we do or has a better argument about the issues. Jeremiah was called by God to proclaim the faith at a time when society was falling apart. He was called to challenge the experts of faith and politics and boldly interpret what God was saying in the midst of chaos. His first response was to resist the call and point out his youth as an excuse. Like Moses before him, he felt overwhelmed by the challenge. God's response was that God would be present and provide him the words and the courage to respond.
Many Christians have withdrawn into a private faith and have refused to provide our society with a framework to understand what God is doing in our midst. While it takes courage to speak in the midst of our chaos, Christ has promised to be with us as we teach the nations (Matthew 28:19-20), and God touches our mouths so that we might provide understanding in the midst of confusion.
-- Jeremiah 1:5c
While the earlier prophets focused their words on God's people, Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nations. As the threat to the existence of Israel and Judah became critical, their faith expanded their understanding of the sovereignty of God. It is natural at times of uncertainty and chaos to want to narrow your focus, but Israel did the opposite. They began to ask what it was that God was doing among the other nations and what their role was in God's work. At the same time, Jeremiah expanded his understanding of his call backward to before he was born. The sovereignty of God encompassed both time and space and was not to be defined by national boundaries or the limits of time. When we sense the call of God in our lives, we are invited to ask what God's intentions are for our lives in the larger context of God's work. What was the purpose God intended in our birth? We are asked to look beyond our personal and private lives and seek to understand where we belong in the larger context of history.
It is so tempting to keep silent in the faith and to feel inadequate in the face of the complex issues of our society. There is always someone who knows the Bible better than we do or has a better argument about the issues. Jeremiah was called by God to proclaim the faith at a time when society was falling apart. He was called to challenge the experts of faith and politics and boldly interpret what God was saying in the midst of chaos. His first response was to resist the call and point out his youth as an excuse. Like Moses before him, he felt overwhelmed by the challenge. God's response was that God would be present and provide him the words and the courage to respond.
Many Christians have withdrawn into a private faith and have refused to provide our society with a framework to understand what God is doing in our midst. While it takes courage to speak in the midst of our chaos, Christ has promised to be with us as we teach the nations (Matthew 28:19-20), and God touches our mouths so that we might provide understanding in the midst of confusion.
