Kingdom Building

September 9, 2019

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the desert towards my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse—a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgement against them.
‘For my people are foolish,
   they do not know me;
they are stupid children,
   they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil,
   but do not know how to do good.’ –Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22

I can assure you that this scripture is not what I wanted to read after watching the morning news where I saw flyover pictures of a Jamaican Island with splintered trees and bare foundations of buildings were all that was left. I saw this same image in Moore, Oklahoma in 1999 after a level 5 tornado struck them. The scene was eerily pristine as if the skies had swept slab foundations readying them for building to begin. Gone were the homes and their histories that had previously filled the land.

I do trust Jesus’ statement that it rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) that storm could have ravished any of us. I also believe that we must face the consequences of our own actions and our own actions are not good enough regarding addressing the issues of climate change and its impact on all the earth.

Prayer: Father, forgive us for we are denying what we are doing. Help us learn from tragic scenes that we must be proactive regarding our responsibility of having dominion over the earth. Help us learn quickly and respond immediately. Amen.

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.