Insights
Rev Gav
How do we live the future in the present?
Jeremiah 31.7–14
For thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
‘Save, O Lord, your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
those with child and those in labour, together;
a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.’
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
and they shall never languish again.
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
says the Lord.
Reflect
The physical displacement of God’s people often went hand-in-hand with their spiritual misalignment with God, and so you have a community being gradually formed through a process of exile and return.
Jeremiah was writing to God’s people, some of whom were in exile in Babylon, and in Chapter 31, he wrote to the whole community, promising them a future where they would be restored and forgiven. Jeremiah painted a picture of what it looks like when God’s sovereign grace and mercy reigns here on earth. In fact, what Jeremiah described is what we might call ‘heaven’.
Summing up today’s Bible passage, when restoration comes, the community will be gathered together, and this will include all ages and abilities. There will be enough food and water for everyone, and God will provide joy and comfort for all. Oh, and there will be a lot of singing and dancing!
There are parallels between Jeremiah’s picture and the picture painted in the Book of Revelation where we read: “For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7.17)
It is this vision of the future that brings comfort to those who find themselves in exile — and this includes all who are displaced, discouraged, discounted, or dis-abled by the societies in which they live. In the same way that those Judeans living in 600BC hoped for a future restoration, so we, as Christians have that same hope, but there is one marked difference, and that is that our community is now united in and through Christ. In fact, further on in the same Chapter, Jeremiah goes on to describe this new ‘covenant’ that God will make with humanity.
“The day is coming … when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah… I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people … everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me … and I will never again remember their sins.” (excerpts from Jeremiah 31.31-34)
The story in which we find ourselves is that we are no longer exiled from God, but reconciled to God, and our mandate is to so align ourselves with God’s will that we join in with living out God’s future in the present. Yes, we live in a hurting and broken world, and no, we are not ‘there’ yet, but we know what a fully reconciled future looks like, and we are not so much ‘building a better future’ but ‘living the future now’.
We pray, in the Jesus Prayer, “May your sovereignty come on earth as it is in heaven,” but what does it mean to live a heavenly life in the here and now? Let’s use our summary of today’s Bible passage.
Firstly, the community will be gathered together, and this will include all ages and abilities. We are called to build community and this ‘gathering’ means we dismantle the barriers that keep us separated — treating all humans with (as per the UN Declaration of Human Rights) equal justice, equal opportunity, and equal dignity without discrimination — extending God’s welcome and acceptance to all. God’s community of ‘all ages and abilities’ means we are to embrace inclusivity and celebrate diversity.
Secondly, there will be enough food and water for everyone. The vision of overflowing vineyards, bursting storehouses, and healthy livestock, is a reminder that we are to share God’s abundance with everyone, especially those that are poor and hungry. Under God’s sovereignty, everyone should be well fed and nurtured. Jesus, when describing this sovereignty, said, “Blessed are the poor” and the poor are blessed because under God’s rule, those who have share with those who do not.
Thirdly, God will provide joy and comfort for all. God does this through you and through me. As we are filled with God’s Spirit, and one with God, we extend God’s love to others, bringing them joy, peace, and comfort. If someone is experiencing injustice, we stand with them, if someone is hurting we hug them and care for them, if someone is in the gutter, we lift them out and use our own sleeves to wipe the dirt from their faces. We literally become the hands, feet, and heart of Christ.
And fourthly, we party! We celebrate — rejoicing as we sing and we dance! We write songs of love and devotion to our God, we share in bountiful meals together, we smile and laugh and bring joy to the young and old.
Heaven is not something that happens to us, or for which we passively wait. Jesus described God’s ‘kingdom’ as being within us; able to be expressed in the present, and when we bring heaven to earth, it is credited to us as righteousness and is a demonstration of our salvation.
You are a heaven-bringer, able to bring God’s presence into the midst of a chaotic, hurting, and broken world. Therefore, allow God to work through you, and whenever and wherever you are able, welcome, feed, comfort, and celebrate!
Amen.
Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash
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