Jeremiah 15:15-21 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 15:15-21 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult. Verse 16Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. Verse 17I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation. Verse 18Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail. Verse 19Therefore thus says the Lord: If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them. Verse 20And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. Verse 21I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.
Devotion
This is a week of new beginnings. A new school year. Faculty are gathering around a conversation about the importance of the humanities for a democratic society and students are exploring a novel about Zoli Novotna, a young poet and musician who stretches the boundaries of Soviet society in the 1930s.
But mostly this week is about beginning again. The academy is gifted with regular beginnings and endings. They are markers along the way of faithful living.
Jeremiah invites us into an interesting vision of that journey. Is it a journey of personal spiritual renewal or a call to communal discipleship? Should we be surprised that the old debate creeps into our new beginnings? God's faithfulness is central to both. Students are blessed by study, worship, an active prayer life, but also need the balance of community, play and service. The God of Jeremiah's prayer offered words sweet and joyful for the prophet, but also hope for an exiled Israel. New beginnings welcome such sweet, joyful hope.
Prayer
God of our journey, be with us in the packing, and whisper your encouragement of grace and hope along the way. Amen.