Living in the Spirit
July 13, 2021
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.’
In 2019, Christians represent 65% of the total adult population, 43% identifying as Protestants, 20% as Catholics, and 2% as Mormons. People with no formal religious identity at 26% of the total population*.
That is a drop from 2014 with 70.6% and 2007 with 78.4%**. Why are these numbers shrinking? Jeremiah’s words above surely apply to us today. How diverse in theology are those who identify as Christian? Do we even recognize each other as fellow followers of Christ?
We know what happened to the Hebrews Jeremiah was addressing. They eventually landed in exile, becoming oppressed because of their unwillingness to follow and serve God. So we can learn from the ancient prophets, but we can only know if we are willing to let go of the idols we worship, greed and lust for power, and on it goes.
We have been having flash floods in Oklahoma recently. I keep hearing the warning turn around don’t drown on my TV, warning people not to drive into the water when they do not know how deep it is or if there is even a road left beneath it. We should apply this caution to other aspects of our lives as we bury ourselves in depths that lead away from God’s love.
Prayer: Lord, help us return to your guidance and practice your love. Amen.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States
**https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/
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.