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Yesterday we were reminded that it takes all of us working together to take care of our communities. And I believe a good analogy of this is baking a cake.
Baking a cake requires many different ingredients in order for it to taste good. However, most of us would not eat the raw eggs, flour, or sugar by themselves. The ingredients taste totally different then they are mixed together. In the same way, each of us has a specific purpose in the body of Christ and in our communities. And when we work together, we create something that people are drawn to.
A wise pastor once told me, strong individuals create strong families, strong families create strong churches, and strong churches create strong communities. This has certainly been my experience as a pastor. And if this is our community, and you’ve been planted in your community, we have to realize that all of this starts with you and me.
Jeremiah 29:1-10 (NIV) This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Could we agree that right now many of us feel as though we are in exile. Nothing feels right. Most of us are still staying home, hoping for an end in sight. Hoping for the time when can we all go back to normal, when can we go back to church.
If we’re not careful, we can focus so much on the fact that we don’t want to live in exile – or be in circumstances that we don’t want to live in – that we forget God has called us to BE – to BE – to BE – the Church.
In this Scripture, what did the prophet say that God wanted the people to do? The Lord gives instruction to Israel about the way they are to live and honor their new city, even though it is foreign and not their homeland. They are to honor their new community even though the Israelites must have felt terribly out of place and homesick. The Lord tells them to make the most of it and he will bless them. They must build homes and plant gardens. They are to marry off their children and make sure to increase in number. You know, sometimes we have to learn how to make the best of our living situation. And know that the community we live in is ours (at least for now) and should be seen as a blessing by God.
No matter where we are, this is a place that God has given us a chance at life. So we must worship, give honor and glory to God, and be thankful for the community we live in. This is our community.