Jeremiah 1.4-10 The Message Version
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying,
“Before I shaped you in the womb,
I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations—
that’s what I had in mind for you.”
But I said, “Hold it, Master God! Look at me.
I don’t know anything. I’m only a boy!”
God told me, “Don’t say, ‘I’m only a boy.’
I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there.
I’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it.
Don’t be afraid of a soul.
I’ll be right there, looking after you.”
God reached out, touched my mouth, and said,
“Look! I’ve just put my words in your mouth—hand-delivered!
See what I’ve done? I’ve given you a job to do
among nations and governments—a red-letter day!
Your job is to pull up and tear down,
take apart and demolish,
And then start over,
building and planting.”
Reflection We have been given a job to do on this red letter day. A terrifying job description born on the lips of Jeremiah. Who can possibly do this tearing down and building up of nations and governments?
Six hundred years after Jeremiah repeatedly chastises God’s people for turning away from God, in their pride and corruption, complacency, injustice and grossly unfair behavior, the itinerant Jesus enters the scene. Swapping hats as healer, exorcist, rabbi, friend, dinner party host, and thorn in the side of religious and political officials, Jesus generates a movement affirming the goodness and worthiness of all people.
We who claim to be people of God are meant to continue leading the movement, affirming the goodness and worthiness of all people. This is our God given job, the job of transforming all nations and governments on this red letter day.
Here is the thing, the work of radical reformation does not involve throwing our weight around with hair raising rallies, fiery tweets or flashy weapons. The fingers we would point to the blameworthy must make a U-turn toward our own faces asking;
How have I turned away from God?
How have I neglected to treat my neighbors as I wish to be treated?
How have I used my words to stir anger, fear, mistrust and division?
How have I contributed to uncivil unrest and the undermining of democracy?
How have I capitalized on resources without regard for the consequences to the community, country or planet?
How have I fulfilled my God given job?
I believe our first step is to remember God as the source and the sustenance of all that we are and all that we do, second, examine our selves and determine how we have or have not fulfilled our job description, and third, act decisively to do better.
Have I turned away from God? Yes
Have I neglected to treat my neighbors as I wish to be treated? Yes
Have I used my words to perpetuate anger, fear, mistrust and division? Yes
Have I contributed to uncivil unrest and the undermining of democracy? Yes
Have I capitalized on resources without regard for the consequences to the community, country or planet? Yes
Relying on my own wit and will I miss the mark, I fall short affirming the goodness and worthiness of all people. But thanks be to God there is hope because God promises, “ I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there. I’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it. Don’t be afraid of a soul. I’ll be right there, looking after you.” All we have to do is make a U- turn toward God.
Turning toward God our heads settle soundly in our hearts, boosting our wit and building our will to affirm the goodness and worthiness of all people. With God right there, looking after us we find our selves delivering blessing to every stranger, foreigner and reprobate we encounter every single red letter day.
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