Remembering the Good Old Days of the Future

Well I'm up an hour later than normal because I go into work an hour later this week.  And no Sunday Blog because I decided Sunday was going to be more personal reflection and journaling.  Trying to keep my commitment, be an example and still make this very personal.

I read passages like today's (see below) and I read in the Gospels where the only people that ever really pissed off Jesus were the religious leaders - Clergy.  Sometimes it's a bit overwhelming.  Being a leader of the flock is a huge spiritual commitment and while it is really good to remember than, it's also good to keep reading the passage.

Right after God talks about cruel and ineffectual shepherds, God promises to send Jesus.  That's the antidote.  If I ever fear being ineffectual because I am bi-vocational, or if I ever fear that I'm just not good enough I have to remember to simply "Give them Jesus"

I love how this passage ends.  People always say oh I remember the heyday of this church when it was always full blah blah blah.  Sometimes people, nations, organizations go through seasons of captivity and decline.  But here, God promises his people that someday soon, people will quit saying "I remember those old days of Moses" but they'l say "Remember when" and they will be talking about the days of Jeremiah.  That's a great promise to look to for the church.

But that requires patience, faithfulness and leaders who will stand up and speak God's word no matter what else is going on.  Which brings us back to God's dissatisfaction with ineffectual clergy.  (see how I brought that full circle!)

Anyway . . . .

Dear God, I pray for my denomination.  We are a church in captivity.  We are held captive to old structures and processes that don't allow growth.  We are held captive to controversy, anger and confusion around some social issues.  And we see numbers declining.  This is true of much of Western Christianity.  God I ask for Jeremiah's promise to be true for my church.  Let a day be coming when WE will be the grand days of revival and glory.  When people will look at our era and point to it as a high-water mark of faithfulness and blessing.  Let me as a leader be faithful no matter what the season and help me to be a good shepherd to your people.  Amen.



Jeremiah 23:1-8

1-4 “Doom to the shepherd-leaders who butcher and scatter my sheep!” God’s Decree. “So here is what I, God, Israel’s God, say to the shepherd-leaders who misled my people: ‘You’ve scattered my sheep. You’ve driven them off. You haven’t kept your eye on them. Well, let me tell you, I’m keeping my eye on you, keeping track of your criminal behavior. I’ll take over and gather what’s left of my sheep, gather them in from all the lands where I’ve driven them. I’ll bring them back where they belong, and they’ll recover and flourish. I’ll set shepherd-leaders over them who will take good care of them. They won’t live in fear or panic anymore. All the lost sheep rounded up!’ God’s Decree.”

5-6 “Time’s coming”—God’s Decree—
    “when I’ll establish a truly righteous David-Branch,
A ruler who knows how to rule justly.
    He’ll make sure of justice and keep people united.
In his time Judah will be secure again
    and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name they’ll give him:
    ‘God-Who-Puts-Everything-Right.’

7-8 “So watch for this. The time’s coming”—God’s Decree—“when no one will say, ‘As sure as God lives, the God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt,’ but, ‘As sure as God lives, the God who brought the descendants of Israel back from the north country and from the other countries where he’d driven them, so that they can live on their own good earth.’”