Lent 2014
April 9, 2014
Read Scripture: Jeremiah 32:1-9, 36-41
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah,…Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver— Jeremiah 32:1-2, 8-9
Our scriptural story today tells of the prophet Jeremiah being imprisoned when the overthrow of Judah was taking place. What does God tell him to do: buy his cousins land in Judah. Now I do not know how many of us would invest in local real estate on our way out of town being taken into captivity. Not many money managers would recommend it. But if you read the rest of the story, it was a wise thing to do.
In 1931 during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, while some were throwing themselves off tall buildings and others were loading up and going to California, a group of people from First Christian Church in Oklahoma City had the audacity to buy the Oklahoma City Country Club and plant a new church in it. We as participants at Crown Heights Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are the faith descendants of this group of people. Some of their children still are members. That is some awesome heritage!
These ancestors in faith were the right people at the right time to do the right thing. I believe that we are now the right people at the right time to do yet other right things. I also believe that if additional talents are needed God will send them to us. I do not know yet what direction our journey will take. I do know this: it will include demonstrable evidence of our love for God and our love for our neighbors whoever and wherever they are. This series of devotions is dedicated to praying about answering a call to help Putnam Heights Elementary School, but that is just one step. We are indeed starting a journey even as we continue to serve on the same corner at 40th and N. Western.
Prayer: Guide us Great Jehovah as you guided the Israelites out of captivity and our ancestors who planted the seeds that grew our part of the Body of Christ. Amen.
The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.