Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: We begin today with a parable of the figs: some good and some so bad that there is nothing that can be done about them…not even good enough to turn into Fig Newtons. Jeremiah continues to preach exile and wrath for the nations and is once again threatened, this time with death, until some …
Continue reading “Figs, Seventy Years of Exile, Jeremiah Threatened and Defended”
Read: Jeremiah can’t help but preach what God has put in his heart and as a result he bears physical pain at the hands of those who don’t want to hear his message. In the midst of the reading today, we see a ray of hope, the coming Righteous Savior, a sermon that must have been …
Continue reading “Jeremiah Beaten; Prophesy of Exile; Promise of a King”
Read: From prayers for relief during a drought to remembering the Sabbath, Jeremiah reminds us to turn to God for all of our needs. He even pauses to ask God for consideration for himself as his ministry is not so popular (to say the least). No doubt there are seasons in our lives when we …
Read: Jeremiah sees plainly that both Israel and Judah have broken their part of the covenant with God, they continued to worship gods of their own making, so the Lord makes it clear, he will not listen to these people. “Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because …
Read: It seems that God’s people are struggling with the first two commandments once again. Perhaps we, as a nation, continue to struggle as we push God aside to make way for the work of our own hands. In ancient times we clearly saw objects of worship that cause us to wonder how intelligent people …
Continue reading “There is No One Like Our God; Jeremiah’s Prayer”
: Sin and Punishment This rather somber reading may be characterized by : “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.” So many times I’ve joked at the wrong time and wrong place, words that burned because I didn’t weigh the thought before speaking. I forget how serious ministry is …
Read Jeremiah’s message is direct, blunt and forceful. He is trying to wake the people from their senseless state, God’s people, our ancestors. Hear his relentless words of persuasion that seem to fall on deaf ears: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, …
Read: A psalm of David that invites all to praise the Lord as we pray for help. I will sing praises to the Lord! I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. …
Read: Here are the bookends to this psalm that invite us to give thanks to God for his unfailing love, even when we fall flat on our faces: 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 43 Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the …
Continue reading “Psalm 107: Give Thanks for Unfailing Love”
Read: I can’t help but read the history of Israel and wonder if this foretells our own story as we see our nation, our friends and family slip away from God. I don’t want to be one who reads the word and does nothing. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. …
Continue reading “Psalm 106: Israel’s Rebellion; Standing in the Breach”