Jeremiah 29:1,4-14: The Importance of Being Earnest
Sermon preached at Barclay Church, Edinburgh by Fiona J. Tweedie

3 November 2002

This service is the latest in a series of activities surrounding the Church Without Walls process. The report was presented to the General Assembly in 2001; earlier this year we heard a series of inspiring sermons from our Minister. In May we held a congregational day conference and many house groups are currently studying the Church Without Walls process further.

The passage that Lesley read to us was written by Jeremiah from Jerusalem, then capital of the country of Judah. It is part of a letter written after the Babylonian invasion in 605BC. After an uprising, Nebuchadnezzar had marched in, and after installing a puppet king, marched away again with Judah's best citizens. The country had been stripped of its royal family, its civil servants, its artisans, its movers and shakers. It was the end of business as usual.

The times were turbulent, 2 Kings 21-25 describes the history of the hundred years or so preceding this letter. King Manasseh did great evil - it is written that Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with innocent blood. He built pagan altars throughout the land, and even within the Temple in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 33 tells how God was so incensed that he sent in the armies of Assyria and Manasseh was humbled before repenting in his Babylonian prison. He was allowed to return to Jerusalem where he removed the idols and foreign gods, yet the people still worshipped at the pagan sites.

After Manasseh's death, his son Amon did such evil that his own officials assassinated him. They were in turn killed by the people so that Amon's son Josiah could be crowned. Josiah, however, was cut of very different cloth - he immediately turned to God, the Book of the Law was rediscovered, and the covenant was renewed. Josiah's 31-year rule saw the destruction of pagan worship throughout Judah. The Lord had promised Josiah that he would not see the destruction of Jerusalem, and only four years after his death, Babylon marched in, and marched off with the first exiles.

Those exiled to Babylon found themselves with culture shock - a new language, new customs, new food. The temptation must have been great to hope for a swift return to Judah - why bother building a house you won't live in for long, why bother planting a garden that you won't be there to harvest? But the Lord tells them, through Jeremiah, that they will be there for a lifetime. They are told to settle and become part of Babylonian society, AND YET to hold to their God. At the end of verse 7 they are told "Pray to the Lord for [Babylon], because if it prospers, you too will prosper". The exiles are also told not to listen to the Babylonian prophets and diviners, or mediums. "I have not sent them" declares the Lord.

As Christians today, we are often faced with culture shock, even when just turning on the television or walking down the street. The opinions, the attitudes are so different from Christian opinions or attitudes. Yet, we are in this world, we must settle and play our part in society, AND YET hold to our God. We must pray for our country, as it prospers, so do we. And yet we must not accept its attitudes, its morals, its values. Society's prophets and diviners are false, "I have not sent them" declares the Lord.

Yet, despite the cultural dislocation, the exiles were not forgotten by God. They are assured "I will come to you ... to bring you back to this place". While they couldn't see it, their exile was part of God's plan, they WOULD be returned to Jerusalem, Jerusalem's walls WOULD be rebuilt, her Temple restored. They are assured in verse 11, "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, plans to give you HOPE AND A FUTURE". As David put it in Psalm 23 - plans for green pastures to lie down in, plans for deep pools to be led by.

At this point in Barclay Church, the members of the Church without walls team are opening their minds, opening their hearts, to try to discern the plans that God has for this church. These will be plans to PROSPER US, plans for our HOPE and FUTURE.

But how can we find these plans of God? The exiles are told in verse 12 "You will call upon me and come and pray to me and I WILL LISTEN TO YOU". The New Living Translation gives verse 13 as "If you look for me IN EARNEST, you will find me when you seek me". As a congregation we must look IN EARNEST for the plans of God for us. They will be plans to prosper God's kingdom and not harm it. If some of our earthly traditions, central though many seem, must be put aside for the growth of God's kingdom, we must trust that there is a reason. Even if Barclay bear has to be sent on missionary work or into a well deserved retirement, it is because the Lord has bigger and better plans for us, and maybe even for him.

As we have heard, the Church Without Walls team is looking at books and local examples of the plans of God in action. We will need perseverence to see this process through, we will need courage to make decisions, But the most important thing this group needs is your PRAYER.

The exiles faced change in Babylon. The world seems to change faster and faster. At the congregational conference in May, we explored the issue of change within the church. Change can be worrying, terrifying even. Nicky Gumbel reports a church sign as reading "Why pray when you can worry and take tranquilisers?" The New Testament church faced many changes, Paul tells the Philippians "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by PRAYER and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." What is the promised result? "The peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus".

If you have never prayed for this congregation, this church, this parish, PRAY for it now! Set your alarm 10 minutes early and pray for this congregation, if you wake in the night, pray for this church, if you're stuck in a traffic jam, pray for this parish. Pray by yourself or pray with others - Let the people at the prayer breakfast and the intercessors group be stunned by the number of people who come in the next four weeks. Bathe this group in prayer, drown it in prayer and we will come close to the plans of God for us, for this church and for this parish.

Let us look for the plans of God IN EARNEST and we will find them.

Amen