Open-ended,
Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of the Hebrew Bible Readings from the
Australian Prayer Book.
Jeremiah 23: 1-6...Christ the King / The Reign of Christ, C...(For Lk
23:33-43,
scroll.)
NOTES: 1]Read the Hebrew Bible in the light
of our Christian understanding of God revealed in Jesus.2] Born
about 646BC, JER was
called to be a Prophet in 626-7, &
lived through the siege of
Jerusalem & the captivity of its people by Babylon in the mid
580's. 3] After an attack on 'false
shepherds' (rulers & leaders, religious & political) JER soars
in vv.5-6 to one of the highest peaks of the H.B.
WARMING UP: Do we really
trust any of our would-be rulers / leaders? (There's a Federal Election
in Australia on Nov.24th!)
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
1-4 Would our political leaders
be amazed (both our old ones if returned & new ones if they 'get
in') if we or anyone else 'on God's behalf' accused them of 'destroying
& scattering the sheep of my pasture'? How might our religious
leaders react to such an accusation? What kinds of leadership 'destroy'
people? What kinds of leadership 'scatter' people as distinct from
bringing them together? As 'Oneness' is the very nature of God
(something at the heart of our Faith) oughtn't making & keeping
people one be a top priority for leaders of every kind, at every level?
Does our nation suffer as a people from: a) that free & easiness
that sees God as only one option among many, & b) that when we
threw our old bath-waters out we also threw out God in any definitive
sense? How much destruction & scattering of our people can be
traced back to leadership in church & state that let this happen?
Even encourages it?
How much do we believe our
leaders of any kind 'attend to us'? Maybe our political systems lead to
politicians looking after themselves more than us? Is this where we
need a radical break with 'human nature'? Are there more 'folds' than
just the church into which people need to be brought back, made
fruitful, & multiply?
Given Jesus' portrayal of Himself as the 'Good Shepherd', why is his
model of compassionate leading & caring so unattractive to people
(including us?) & so hard to accept today? If God were to raise up
new shepherds - in any sense - over us, what would we look for as a
test of their commitment to the kind of God-agenda JER spells out here?
How many of us realise we are afraid, dismayed, missing in God's eyes?
5-6 It's
all very well that God 'raised up for David a righteous Branch', but
that was 2000 years ago & what's changed? Can we expect God to do
it all over again? Might the so-called 'Second Coming' be more about
Jesus becoming real in us again than some of the other interpretations,
including the hell-fire, destruction & damnation ones? In today's
so-called democracy, do we all have the same responsibility as our
leaders to 'execute justice & righteousness in the land' so far as
it is within our power? If we are to be 'saved' & 'live in safety'
can we really leave it to our leaders today any more than God could
leave it to Hebrew ones back then according to JER?
If 'the Lord is our
righteousness', what on earth are any of us doing looking elsewhere for
our true leadership - not to
mention our true Salvation?