Living in the Spirit
July 19, 2018
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
A political disease of divide and conquer is epidemic in the USA. Rather than doing the hard work of identifying problem solutions by finding common ground for the Common Good, our leaders invest most of their time bickering over who is righter and getting nothing done. Nothing in most cases is exactly what those politicians’ financial supporters want because it allows them more and more room to practice their greed without restraint. The result is a highly unbalanced economic system where the rich get richer and the middle-class shrinks, while those in poverty increase. Our elected shepherds have indeed scattered their sheep leaving them vulnerable and unprotected.
Those of us who identify Jesus Christ as that righteous Branch Jeremiah describes are specifically called to oneness; called to work together in God’s development of a world ruled by love; called to be a branch off the vine of Christ. We are God’s tools each with our set of purposes and skills to attain God’s vision.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
Jesus never said it would be easy, but he did say:
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:28-30)
Prayer: Lord, I do grow weary because of our inability to make our systems work to the advantage of all people. Forgive me when I give into inaction. Make me a doer of your word, and not merely a hearer who deceives myself. Amen.
*Derived from James 1:22