Emphasis Preaching Journal

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
There's an intense bitterness to the ending of Psalm 137, the lament over the destruction of Jerusalem and Temple and the loss of land and identity in exile. At the end of that psalm, with its evocative phrases calling to mind the heartfelt grief of those wrenched from their homes, that God would see to it that the infants of their tormentors would be dashed to death against the rocks.

We are to live among our neighbors, like and unlike. Jeremiah encourages the people exiled to Babylon to prosper in a foreign land, without becoming that foreign people. Paul counsels Christians to observe the social code of the Roman household, with its patriarchal structure and its slavery, which they are powerless to change, yet transform it. Jesus sets the example by recognizing the piety of Samaritans, a foreign people, which proves to be greater than our own.

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

Contents
“Letting Go” by Keith Wagner
“How to Be Wise” by Keith Wagner


Letting Go
by Keith Wagner
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

Although the Israelites were in exile they needed to accept their new situation and build community. I believe that the Lord was telling Jeremiah to tell the Israelites to accept their new situation and trust that God was with them.

“He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (v. 16a)

Good morning boys and girls,

Thank you, thank you for being here today. I am so grateful for many things in my life, and this morning, I am especially thankful for you. You are God’s beloved children.

I am God’s beloved child. Together we are sisters and brothers in Jesus. Wow!

You have heard the story of the Good Samaritan? (children respond) (review if necessary) This morning we hear the story of the Grateful Samaritan.

There was a celebrity game show on British television in which selected celebrities were expected to face their own worst nightmares. Thus someone with a phobia for snakes had to put his arm into a tank full of writhing snakes, someone with a phobia for spiders was expected to handle a tarantula and someone with a fear of heights was asked to perform a parachute jump. Needless to say, the publicity was enormous and the pay immense, but even so I could not have done some of the things those celebrities were asked to do.

What a bunch of ingrates, those guys -- all nine of them! It's not like a little "Thank you" would have killed them. It wouldn't even have taken up all that much of their precious time. All they had to do was turn around, make a quick jog back to Jesus (maybe not even all the way back), and give a little wave from the distance; a shout of, "Thanks for the healing" and they'd have been back on their merry way, the requirements of polite society all nicely filled. What would have been the big deal?