Jeremiah 31:7-14 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 31:7-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel." Verse 8See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. Verse 9With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Verse 10Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock." Verse 11For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. Verse 12They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Verse 13Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. Verse 14I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.
Devotion
This week’s lessons resonate with images of the story of “salvation,” ranging from Jeremiah’s words of praise for God’s deliverance to John’s magnificent poetic vision—from the Word present at the creation of the universe to the Word “made flesh” for us in a manger. Songs do not always spring from our lips on “autopilot.” By now the frantic activity our Christmas celebrations or the beautiful carols no longer cover the “noise” of the world—the real daily concerns of warfare, the economy, and health. Jeremiah does not ignore that for those in exile there are causes of “weeping” (9), but schooled by the promises of God, Jeremiah teaches the people to sing aloud of the “shepherd” who will make the life of his sheep “like a watered garden.”
Prayer
O God, be our shepherd and teach our lips to sing your praises. Even in the midst of times of weeping remind us that you will turn our mourning into joy, and lead us to dance by the watered garden of your love. Amen