Living in the Spirit

August 22, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Jeremiah 2:4-13

Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord:
What wrong did your ancestors find in me
   that they went far from me,
and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves?
They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
   who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us in the wilderness,
   in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
   in a land that no one passes through,
   where no one lives?’
I brought you into a plentiful land
   to eat its fruits and its good things.
But when you entered you defiled my land,
   and made my heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
   Those who handle the law did not know me;
the rulers transgressed against me;
   the prophets prophesied by Baal,
   and went after things that do not profit.

Therefore once more I accuse you,
says the Lord,
   and I accuse your children’s children.
Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look,
   send to Kedar and examine with care;
   see if there has ever been such a thing.
Has a nation changed its gods,
   even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory
   for something that does not profit.
Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
   be shocked, be utterly desolate,
says the Lord,
for my people have committed two evils:
   they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living water,
 and dug out cisterns for themselves,

cracked cisterns
   that can hold no water.

While this scripture was written sometime between 626 and 586 B.C, it could have been written yesterday as it describes well the turning away of God’s people today.

But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit.  . . . and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.

I invite you to join me in reading it, and considering how the world’s ways distract us from what is really important. Some people are profiting from our getting caught in the chaos they create, not just to our detriment but to the realization of the Beloved Community we are called to be.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get caught in the world’s distractions. Surround us with your love so we might be examples of your love for others. 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.