so close, yet so far
by winn collier
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christian living,
compassion,
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difficult relationships,
enemies,
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God's love,
love,
neighbors,
oppressed people,
peace,
persecution,
prayer,
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serving others,
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suffering,
The Church (5 comments)
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Jeremiah 29:1-7
Work for the peace and prosperity of the city (v.7).
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Read Matthew 10:39-42, 25:34-40 to see some of the practical ways our faith can become active.
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In what part of your life have you struggled to make your faith active? How can you keep a God-centered focus as you live out your faith?
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Tom Shadyac, the director of the films Patch Adams, Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, and the Ace Ventura series, recently purchased an old downtown church building in my hometown. He converted it into a shelter for the homeless. When I asked him about his impulse to create The Haven, Tom recounted his college years in Charlottesville, Virginia and how he didn’t understand back then that many of the university workers he encountered were struggling to pay their bills. But when he returned years later for a film shoot, Tom says, “I became awake to all of this,” and he felt compelled to work for the good of the city.
The prophet Jeremiah lived during one of Israel’s most difficult eras. God’s people had been captured and were being carried off as slaves to Babylon. Jeremiah gave them God’s instructions for the harsh days to come. What do you think His message should have been? What should God’s people have done in a pagan land, under the rule of cruel oppressors? Should they have gone on strike? Should they have initiated guerilla warfare? On the contrary, the prophet told them to “work for the peace and prosperity of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7). They were to work for the good of Babylon.
They were not only to work for Babylon, but also to pray for Babylon. Even more, they were to work and live as if their own well-being was enmeshed with their captor’s well-being—because it was. “Pray to the Lord for [the city],” says Jeremiah, “for its welfare will determine your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7).
God’s call to His people, wherever we find ourselves, is to love and bless and pray for the city (the people, the communities) where God has placed us. He is looking for people who will seek the peace of their home—their city.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: John 16:5-33
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Nice one, Winn. Sometimes one gets the message that the only Christian response to the world is either to avoid it or protest against it. Avoid sin, yes, but work for the blessing of the city. Then our words will be taken seriously also.
Niebuhr talked about the church as a pioneer community (taking the lead in moving a society toward God) and a pastoral community (caring for the edges and the marginalized). I like both of these, as ways to bless the city. I particularly like the notion of the church being a pastor to the city, that vocation taking on the community as a whole.
I felt what prophet Jeremiah told the Israelites in ( Jeremiah 29:7) because I myself working in foreign country Saudi Arabia that is, and away from home. It is true, I pray to the Lord as it said in (Jeremiah 29:7) that for its welfare will determine my welfare and work for the good on them. I’ve been blessed for that, and even get to know them better and occasionally share my God them. Thanks Winn such ascriptural verse.
Eduardo, I think you are embodying this passage much more than I could hope to. I pray for the peace of your city, alongside you.
Thanks Winn, I know God is moving here his way that we can not comprehennd but His here in this city . Thanks again