Sunday, December 3, 2000

Read Jeremiah 33: 14-16

Christ will Fulfill the Promise

These words of hope were written to a people in utter hopelessness: they were living in exile and wanted to go home. In a sense, that is our situation today. We are in a spiritual exile because we have gone to worshiping other gods materialism, power, and fame. We have gone from gratitude to God for many blessings to a culture of entitlement. We have forgotten that our personal welfare is inextricably intertwined with the welfare of the rest of God's children. Many of us live in a state of unease about our selves, our situation, and our world. We long for a feeling of at-one-ness with God and with the world; we long for our spiritual home where peace and joy and love prevail, but we have given up hope of attaining it in our lifetime. Jeremiah says "Don't give up hope yet; it will happen.

There are so many contradictions in our world today. We hear we are in a time of unequaled prosperity, yet our food pantries are swamped with more requests than they can fill, and our homeless shelters are overflowing. The housing industry is booming, but many of the working poor cannot afford the housing that is available. Many families own three or more vehicles, yet many urban poor cannot get transportation to jobs that are available. There are more doctors and medical clinics than ever before, yet many people cannot get health care because they do not have insurance. The plight of the poor is the shame of the rich, but the rich just don't get it.

When this seems overwhelming, read Jeremiah again and remember: Christ was promised; Christ came. Christ promised he would come again; keep the faith. The days are surely coming. Are you hopeful? Are you ready? --SFG

Prayer: O Christ, I believe; help my unbelief. Give me hope, give me power, give me love. Amen.

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