Wednesday, March 07, 2007
From AscensionNYC
Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent
Psalm 31:9-16
Jeremiah 18:1-11,18-20
Matthew 20:17-28
What is it about Jeremiah that reaches out to us across the millennia? It's said that he was given to the grand gesture: that when the Lord told him to put a yoke of straps and bars on his neck, he did just that, and wandered the streets wearing it.
For one who lived in an ancient agrarian Hebrew society, Jeremiah is incredibly modern in the way he understand the distractions and temptations of a life of prosperity. "I brought you into a plentiful land…but…you defiled my land," he recites.
While we probably think first of the Psalms of David or the fortieth chapter of Isaiah when we are talking poetry in the Bible, there is no more beautiful passage than Jeremiah speaking of the "new covenant written on our hearts." And how many of us after 9/11 searched for solace in the first words of Lamentations, "How solitary lies the city that once was full of people!"
As the kid who attended his first performance of Macbeth commented, it's full of clichés.
Finally, there's the prophet's confidence. The Lord speaks to Jeremiah. Constantly. And Jeremiah never lets us forget it. "The word of the Lord came to me, saying…" Over and over. "The Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth." Well, that's all fine for Jeremiah. But as we try to interpret the words of Jeremiah, how do we know the Lord is speaking to us?
Jeremiah reaches out to us. All of us. He is a favorite of the people of the word as well as to the people of the spirit. If you're a word person, what does this sound like and where does it take us: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you." Hmmmm. Lots of room for misinterpretation.
So stepping into a comment on one of Jeremiah's most well-known passages is more than a little daunting. Yet, it seems so clear.
This, after all, is not a new theme for Jeremiah. He repeatedly uses the metaphor of the refiner's fire. Taking the material, seeming to reject it, remaking it. Jeremiah's God is not acting arbitrarily. He can destroy, but here he restores. It is never too late to change. God will help those who want to change. Our God is a merciful God.
Thanks be to God.
Jeremiah 18:1-11,18-20
Matthew 20:17-28
What is it about Jeremiah that reaches out to us across the millennia? It's said that he was given to the grand gesture: that when the Lord told him to put a yoke of straps and bars on his neck, he did just that, and wandered the streets wearing it.
For one who lived in an ancient agrarian Hebrew society, Jeremiah is incredibly modern in the way he understand the distractions and temptations of a life of prosperity. "I brought you into a plentiful land…but…you defiled my land," he recites.
While we probably think first of the Psalms of David or the fortieth chapter of Isaiah when we are talking poetry in the Bible, there is no more beautiful passage than Jeremiah speaking of the "new covenant written on our hearts." And how many of us after 9/11 searched for solace in the first words of Lamentations, "How solitary lies the city that once was full of people!"
As the kid who attended his first performance of Macbeth commented, it's full of clichés.
Finally, there's the prophet's confidence. The Lord speaks to Jeremiah. Constantly. And Jeremiah never lets us forget it. "The word of the Lord came to me, saying…" Over and over. "The Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth." Well, that's all fine for Jeremiah. But as we try to interpret the words of Jeremiah, how do we know the Lord is speaking to us?
Jeremiah reaches out to us. All of us. He is a favorite of the people of the word as well as to the people of the spirit. If you're a word person, what does this sound like and where does it take us: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you." Hmmmm. Lots of room for misinterpretation.
So stepping into a comment on one of Jeremiah's most well-known passages is more than a little daunting. Yet, it seems so clear.
"So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, and it seemed good to him."
This, after all, is not a new theme for Jeremiah. He repeatedly uses the metaphor of the refiner's fire. Taking the material, seeming to reject it, remaking it. Jeremiah's God is not acting arbitrarily. He can destroy, but here he restores. It is never too late to change. God will help those who want to change. Our God is a merciful God.
Thanks be to God.
Isabel Spencer
