 |
| Photo: Greg K Dueker |
I teach students preparing for Christian ministry. Some share that they struggle with the lack of opportunity in the church for younger leaders and it causes them to doubt their calling. At the same time, I see other more experienced pastors and ministry leaders who are struggling with their own long-term ministry resiliency. So many sense a calling, even having some kind of "vision" for how they will participate in the work of the kingdom, at the beginning of their ministry but then they seem to lose clarity and confidence over the years. The last couple of years (2020-21) have been especially hard on ministry students and established pastors alike. So many of us have been in survival mode. However, in seasons of difficulty, when other needs and noises are stripped away, we may hear God reassuring us of his invitation, and empowerment, if we will listen! He has not stopped working. At the beginning of the prophetic book of Jeremiah, we have a record of how God first called, then confirmed, and encouraged the young priest Jeremiah to step out of his comfort zone into a world-shaking prophetic ministry. As I read this passage afresh, this week, I was moved to consider how it might be applied in our contexts today.
Let's take a look at Jeremiah 1:11-14 together in light of ministry in difficult times...
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Jeremiah, what do
you see?”
And I said, “I see an
almond branch.”
Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I
am watching over my word to perform it.” (v. 11-12)
 |
Blooming Almond Trees
Photo by Steffen Lemmerzahl on Unsplash |
This first vision comes after the Lord has
spoken that he had put his word in Jeremiah (v.4-10). It almost has the feel of a trial
run or a practice swing before something more complicated comes. Not only was
it a simple vision, but the Lord gave Jeremiah immediate feedback. Is it not
that way with the gifts and calling of the Lord that first, when we are asked to be faithful in a
little before we are entrusted with much?
Once it has been established that Jeremiah had both seen and spoken the vision correctly, we see that the Lord is “watching over his
word” …to bring to pass what he has said. Has the Lord given us a vision that
we are supposed to share with others? A message of repentance calling his wandering children home to the God who loves them? A message of hope that God is working through the very difficulties that we are facing? I am convinced that we all have a part to play if we will lovingly trust and obey.
Do you wonder why God started Jeremiah off with a vision of an
almond branch? Well, it is a homophone that sounds like the word for watching.
The almond is also the first tree to bloom in that part of the world and is referred to as the "wake-up tree". This is powerful as a metaphor for the prophetic role. However, doesn’t
this remind you of something else that was inside the ark of the covenant? Is it
possible that the vision of the almond branch might have reminded Jeremiah of Aaron’s staff that budded in Numbers 17:8? That staff was a sign that God has chosen Aaron
and his sons for the priesthood (as opposed to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram et al) and should have encouraged Jeremiah, the uncertain
young priest, that God’s choice to use him to speak a wake-up call to the people was settled.
The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying,
“What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from
the north.” Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north disaster shall be let
loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. (v. 13-14)
 |
| Photo by 🇮🇳Saif Ali on Unsplash |
The second vision God gave to Jeremiah was also pretty straightforward. It was a simple, "See the vision and report what you see" type of assignment. As a teacher, I can appreciate the Lord's pedagogy here. Jeremiah was being given the
prophetic equivalent of baseball’s Spring Training before he would have to
preach these messages to the public. In the process, the Lord dealt with any
possible fear or dismay that might want to discourage Jeremiah.
As we try to recover from more than a year
of viral conflicts and Covid-19 challenges and we wonder about the future of our
ministry and calling and whether we have the strength to press forward I hope
that we can all find a bit of hope in the commissioning of Jeremiah. He was called to a
task that required resiliency. He would be attacked, both verbally and physically,
and yet he was commissioned to speak the truth to the people. He was not alone in this mission and neither are we.
And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of
Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will
fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you. (v. 18-19)
When I think through this narrative of a young and somewhat
reluctant prophet, there are many ways that it resonates with me…though I am no
longer young. I think that as Jeremiah leaned into the call of God, he must
have been moved by more than duty. He must have been responding to the amazing love of
God! My mother’s favorite Bible verse which she regularly slipped into letters
and cards over the years was,
I have loved you with
an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my
faithfulness to you. (Jer. 31:3)
Now that she is no longer able to send such encouragement, that verse means more to me than ever. Jeremiah certainly was privy to the affective-relational heart of God's message but too often we lose sight of love in our pursuit of success and the subsequent boasting related to our efforts and programs. Yet the Lord calls us back to what is most important...
Thus says the Lord:
“Let
not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
let not the mighty man boast in his might,
let not the rich man boast in his riches, but
let
him who boasts boast in this,
that he understands
and knows me,
that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love,
justice,
and
righteousness
in the earth.
For
in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (9:23-24)
So I am encouraged by passages like these to see my calling and my success in terms of faithfulness in response to his steadfast love rather than in more crassly economic measurements.
As the Lord speaks into our lives by the Spirit through his Word, what is it that we see? What will we speak about? When we speak does it sound like Jesus? Will we be moved to respond relationally to God's wonderful love? I hope so. In such love, there is great resiliency.
By the way, there is
one other place where God asked, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
(Jer. 24:3-7ff). If you want to do a little homework, ask yourself how the context of that final
passage relates to what we have experienced in recent months and how might it
speak to the way that we respond to the current ministry challenges we are facing? How does it contrast self-reliance with surrender? I
will leave those answers up to you. But feel free to chime in through the comment section
with your helpful suggestions!
