AN UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM

Reading: : Jeremiah 29: 1-14

At the time these words were written many people still had the mistaken notion that God was a territorial God. In other words he could only be worshipped ‘properly’ in their own land and especially in Jerusalem, in the Temple where God had his special dwelling place. Those who had already been taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar were in mourning. Far away from all that was familiar and dear, how could they sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? Knowing this, Jeremiah writes them a letter with what, at first glance, seems to make several preposterous suggestions. He does not tell them to distance themselves from their captors, nor to keep themselves ‘pure’ by remaining in their own little group spending their time either dwelling on a past seen through rose coloured spectacles or on a future that seems impossible. Instead he says, “Live in the present moment. Build homes and plan to stay. Plant gardens and eat the food you produce. Marry and have children. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!” What comes next is enough to render them speechless with indignation. “Work for the peace and prosperity of the ‘enemy.’ Pray to the Lord for that city where you are held captive, for if Babylon has peace, so will you.” This is not a good idea conjured up by Jeremiah. This is the word of the Lord to his people in exile. It runs contrary to natural human reaction but is a hallmark of that upside down Kingdom that God has planned and that Jesus embodied in his person.

As human beings we have a natural propensity to be ‘against’ things. We find it so much easier to be negative rather than positive. We can weep with those who weep but to rejoice in someone else’s prosperity, especially if they are different from us or if we somehow regard them as the ‘enemy’ is a very different matter. It is almost a cliché now to say that the Church is in exile and, in human terms, it doesn’t seem as if there will ever be a restoration. We can spend our time looking back, mourning for what has been, or feeling impotent as we look to the future. This present moment is what we have been given. Are we being called to engage with people and situations that we would formerly have regarded as alien, even hostile? And not only that, are we being challenged to go the second mile, to pray for their peace and prosperity – pressed down and running over? If, under God, we gave ourselves to such a calling, we could be in for a few surprises – pleasant ones! The upside down Kingdom is nearer than we think as we seek to love our enemies and pray for those who would seek to discredit or persecute us. “If Babylon has peace, so will we.” This present scenario may last for quite some time. The people of Judah were in exile for seventy years, but for them, as for us, there was the promise of homecoming. “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord.

Reflections in this series