The ancient people of Israel had been defeated by the Babylonians, and many of them were taken into exile far north from their homeland into Babylon. Of course they would not be happy about this, and they would continually long for home. They would have prayed night and day to be free to go home. And there were false prophets who said that they would be able to go home soon.
But this was not the message they received from God through the true and great prophet Jeremiah. They would have to stay put for many years to come, actually generations would pass by while they were still there in Babylon ... seventy years they would remain there. These people would, for their own well-being need to listen to the reality that God was putting before them.
Would they need to stay because of their previous ambivalence toward God’s ways and their reckless living? Would they need to stay in Babylon because it would be good for their personal and spiritual development? Would they need to stay because there was a job to do? Probably it was a bit of all of these, but one thing for sure, this was their basic reality, and it was time to make the best of it.
It was time to attune themselves afresh to God. “Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat what they produce [etcetera etcetera]”, said God through the prophet – in other words: ‘settle down and invest your lives in this new place; make the best of it’. These Israelites were to seek the welfare ... seek the best interests ... seek the well-being of their new city and all its inhabitants, despite them being very different to themselves. They would need to deal with any tension in creative and growthful ways. For there is a connection between how our lives turn out, and what we actually invest into our living environment! At the very least they should “pray to the Lord on the [community’s] behalf”! We can all pray for those in need.
And so we pray as Jesus taught us, and I earlier emphasised this bit: “Your Kingdom come; Your Will be done ... on earth as it [already] is in heaven”. We pray this, but part of effective prayer is a willingness to be a part of the answer. So in praying this, “God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, the answer will come as we personally and collectively seek to live the life of God in everyday life. How do we do this? We learn about Jesus, believe in him, and seek to follow his example of love, peace, servant-hood and sacrifice. We indeed have a purpose for wherever we live! The way of God is caring for others and transforming communities to the good.
Recently I read a book entitled “Fear no evil”, which suggested that we write down those important statements that define who we are and what we stand for. Here was what I wrote down: “The Jesus-following life necessarily means initiating and participating in causes and activities that encourage the world to be more reflective about the Kingdom of God as per Jesus’ great prayer, ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’”.
Now as we allow God to work in our lives, and as we seek to follow Jesus, a good aroma can develop about us. This good aroma travels with us and spreads around us; the more people who experience this good aroma ... the wider it spreads and the more places it enters. The reading from 2 Corinthians points this out. There is a picture there of a Roman military procession following a great victory progressing through the city with a big crowd on either side. The crowd is applauding and burning incense and spices and lavishly sprinkling perfume (in thanksgiving for the army’s victory). There is also in view the defeated captives ... trailing in chains at the rear. We could actually be at either end of that procession at different times – we could be part of the victory dance at the front, or part of the anguish and suffering at the rear. But if we know God, there can be an aroma of joy emanating whatever our circumstances – ease or hardship. The aroma of hope can be infectious and spread as life is lived with integrity. We would have to say that this beautiful spiritual aroma doesn’t work for everyone; but it is available to everyone.
So in my new work of planting a church ministry in the growing area of Tarneit, these are the thoughts I take with me. Myself, and the people I am working with, will have to invest their lives in that local area, seek its general welfare, care for people, help those in need, stand up for fairness, walk humbly with God, and pray for all the residents.
But these passages apply to everyone no matter where they are – the truths are timeless: (i) God does have a purpose for our lives right throughout; (ii) and part of this is certainly a prayerful and practical concern for others; (iii) acting kindly is central; (iv) together with developing an aroma that strongly suggests that we have been with Jesus.
Where is the motivation to be thinking like this? The motivation comes from the gracious and graceful God, who has spared nothing and held nothing back in loving us and seeking to have a relationship with us. Through Jesus, God has forgiven our sins, and given our lives hope and meaning. I’m motivated that others might experience God in this way. Amen.
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