Recently, Pastor Ben preached a sermon about community from the book of Jeremiah. God told Jeremiah to tell the children of Israel, who were physical exiles in Babylon, to put down roots. “Build houses, plant gardens . . .” in other words, live life…you are going to be here for a while. That place was their temporary new normal. This was not what they wanted to hear, but it was where they were.
This past year we have all felt like exiles in this virus-infected world, where every day we have been met with new challenges. If you think about it, for followers of Christ, that means we are exiles in a new exile. We are citizens of heaven living in a temporary home that has suddenly shifted into a new world.
Wow.
So, how might the message from Jeremiah speak to us today? “Build houses...” This makes me think of the story Jesus told about the wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7). Because its foundation was built on solid ground, it withstood every storm. “Plant gardens…” This reminds me of his parable of the sower (Matthew 13) where a farmer scattered seed. Some fell on the path, some on rocks, some among the thorns, all of which failed to take root and were eaten or died. But some fell on good soil, took root and flourished.
In this time of perhaps feeling displaced, what a wonderful encouragement to continue to build our “house” on the firm foundation of the Word. Let that Truth be what shapes and directs our lives, not the shifting sands of this world or the circumstances around us. And let our hearts be soft and pliable as we receive the Word so that our lives will produce fruit that will last forever, when we will no longer be exiles but will finally be home.
~~ Nita Hallman