Greetings friends!
As we continue to learn in this season of quarantine to find new ways to connect with each other, we thought it would be a good idea to dust off the old blog, and try to connect with each other a bit that way. So for my part, I have a series in my mind to run on Tuesdays, and some other voices will chime in on the blog here on Thursdays. Also, don’t forget that we do frequent videos over on our YouTube page that will help in your devotional life. That’s it for the announcements today, so let’s dive in!

As we continue to examine what re-opening the church building looks like in these strange times, I came across an article by the great N.T. Wright where he comes to the conclusion that the church is living in a kind of exile in these COVID-19 days. He puts it this way:

“Part of the answer to that prayer, as many have seen, might be to recognize the present moment as a time of exile. We find ourselves “by the waters of Babylon,” thoroughly confused and grieving for the loss of our normal life.”

Bingo.

In fact, the biblical story of exile I think has much to teach us in these strange days. To make an extremely long story short, Israel had essentially forgotten what it means to properly live as God’s people, and after countless warnings from the prophets, the consequences of those actions were a time of exile, where the people of Israel were carried off to the foreign land of Babylon. The comforts of their normal life were gone. The routines of their families had been dramatically disrupted. The familiar sights and sounds of their lives were far, far away.

Try to relate.

If it is true that in fact we are living in a season of exile in the church, I wonder what we might be able to learn from our time away from our normal comforts? God sends his people in to exile so that they will learn something, that they will learn to come back to God and live in his light. And so, what are we meant to learn?

So I started digging, and came across what is probably the most popular Scripture to deal with the theme of exile. Some of you may even have a piece of this passage on a coffee mug or a bumper sticker, it is so popular among us as Christians. And yet, we can really dig in to this one, to plumb the depths, and see what God has to teach us in this unique season we find ourselves. So my encouragement to those of you who are going to follow along is to read this passage, study it deeply, and then we’ll come back to it next week to talk about seeking someone’s welfare. Enjoy!

The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to the few surviving elders among the exiles, to the priests and the prophets, and to all the people Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon from Jerusalem. The letter was sent after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the government leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and smiths had left Jerusalem. It was delivered to Babylon by Elasah, Shaphan’s son, and Gemariah, Hilkiah’s son—two men dispatched to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar by King Zedekiah.

The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims to all the exiles I have carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; cultivate gardens and eat what they produce. Get married and have children; then help your sons find wives and your daughters find husbands in order that they too may have children. Increase in number there so that you don’t dwindle away. Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare.

The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: Don’t let the prophets and diviners in your midst mislead you. Don’t pay attention to your dreams. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I didn’t send them, declares the Lord.

The Lord proclaims: When Babylon’s seventy years are up, I will come and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. When you call me and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me. I will be present for you, declares the Lord, and I will end your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have scattered you, and I will bring you home after your long exile, declares the Lord.