Jeremiah 33: 14-16
We know that Jeremiah was either born or began his ministry in 627 BC. During his life, Babylon succeeded Assyria as the dominant power in the Middle East. He was a witness to the return to worship of the Lord (instituted by the Judean king Josiah), and then (after Josiah's death in battle in 609), the return of many of the people to idol worship. When Babylon captured Jerusalem in 587, Jeremiah emigrated to Egypt. God called him to be a prophet to Judah and surrounding nations, in the midst of these political and religious convulsions.
Jeremiah ministered around the time when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC. In bad times, he told of God’s love for his people. The restoration of the city is mentioned in...this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory ...”
Now we hear that it is a certainty that a time will come when God will complete his obligations under his covenant with the Israelites. The “righteous Branch”is a king (or messiah) of David’s line; both kings and the messiah were expected to be just and righteous .Judah will be restored to prosperity ; Jerusalem will be protected. In the NRSV, it is the city or the “Branch” that will be called “The Lord is our righteousness”, but this may be the name of a king. verses 17 and 18 foretell the permanence of the Davidic monarchy, and of priests offering sacrifice. God’s covenant with his people is forever, or at least until the end of the age, i.e. to the start of the messianic era. God will never break the pact even if the people deviate from it.
Reflection:
Jeremiah was a prophet in a hard time. His times were dark and so were his warnings. Who are the "dark" prophets of our day? What dire warnings do we hear?
Where do we, in this era, look for hope? here do we turn,or who do we look to,in search of hope and inspiration?
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
This letter is perhaps the oldest book in the New Testament. Paul (with Silvanus and Timothy) founded the church in Thessalonika during his second missionary journey, and as is recorded in Acts 17, was forced to leave the city due to persecution. Many Greeks who already worshipped God, many people including "important women" became Christians. The letter was written from Athens to strengthen the new Christians in their faith.
Paul predicted, when he was in Thessalonika, that some Christians there would be persecuted. This has now happened; he has sent Timothy to “strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith, so no one would be shaken by these persecutions”. Timothy has now returned to Paul in Athens, and has conveyed to him “the good news of your faith and love” . In fact, their faith has encouraged Paul in facing persecution himself.
Now he considers their prayer for him to be a debt to be repaid . Even though he lives continually in gratitude to, and dependence on God, “all the joy” their faith brings to him is hard to repay, but he does give thanks. He also prays that he may visit them to “restore” what is missing or forgotten in their knowledge of the faith, to give them further instruction in specific areas ). And he prays, intercedes with God, on their behalf:
Reflection:
Where have you been that you would like to return to? What person, place or event do you wish you could revisit?
Do you correspond regularly with anyone? Is there someone who encourages you, or someone that you encourage, from a distance?
Is the second advent of Jesus something you think about often? Worry about? How do you picture this happening? Where does that image come from?
Luke 21:25-36
Jesus has foretold the destruction of the Temple. Some have asked him when this will occur and what will indicate that it is about to happen. Given that “all the people were spellbound by what they heard” and that the religious authorities “kept looking for a way to kill him” , the destruction must have spiritual meaning. Jesus tells of events commonly expected at the end of the era, and adds some which are specifically Christian. First, Christians will be persecuted by religious and civil authorities . Then there will be “wars and insurrections”, but “the end will not follow immediately” (as people expected). Disastrous natural phenomena, cause for great distress, will occur and when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies , the city will soon fall: either physically or spiritually. Again the end will be delayed: the killing and deportation of citizens will continue “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” , i.e. until non-Jews have had the opportunity to come to Christ.
Now Jesus foretells unnatural events and the resulting confusion among nations and people. But the “Son of Man” the ideal human, Christ, will come from heaven (“in a cloud”, a symbol of divine presence, as at the Transfiguration) with power to control events. Then “redemption” will be near. Just as the leafing of trees shows that “summer is ... near” , so the occurrence of all these events will show that “the kingdom of God is near”: this time will be evident to the faithful. The signs will be as striking as is seen in fig trees: in winter, they look dead but in spring they sprout. In spite of the delay, the era will end before all those alive now have died Finally, he advises vigilance: do not be so “weighed down” with day-to-day earthy matters that you are unprepared for the final call.
Reflection:
How patient are you? We live is a world where we make instant coffee in microwaves. We chafe at waiting for computer downloads that take seconds. How impatient are wa as a society?
Is patience a virtue? Why or why not? How do we develop patience?
Have you ever had to endure a time of waiting? How do you get through a time of waiting?
For some, the end of the world as we know it is something to look forward to... Can you think of people or groups who are longing for a new world order?
What "worlds" have come to an end in your lifetime? South Africa's apartheid...the iron curtain...
All good things come to the end? How do you handle big changes, major transitions?
What is the role of faith as we face big changes?
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