December 13 – Jeremiah 14:1-22

So what does this passage have to do with Advent? That’s the question I asked myself several times while reading and reflecting on this passage. Advent is about hope, joy, anticipation, love, and all the other things that make the weeks before Christmas wonderful, right?

Upon reading Jeremiah the first time I was struck by the hardships Judah is undergoing. Some [false] prophets were proclaiming that the Lord would deliver Judah from their hardship; they proclaimed a message of peace instead of war. Jeremiah’s prophesy was one of hardship “The Word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts…” Jeremiahs prayed to God and pleaded with God on the basis of God’s name and character, particularly His role as the Hope and Savior of His people. Unlike the troubled Jeremiah, the people were unrepentant and reverted back to worshiping false idols rather than worshiping the Lord.

So what does this passage have to do with Advent? We as Christians worship the Jesus of the New Testament don’t we? Advent is all about Christ’s love and hope, right? The easy answer is yes to these questions, but this answer ignores the embrace of the triune God. In the Gospel of John we are reminded “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word [Jesus] is also part of the God of the Old Testament, The character of the God of Hope and the Savior of His People from Jeremiah is part of the Jesus of the New Testament. God wants; no he demands our complete and full attention. Jesus wants us to become his disciples to learn, practice and demonstrate the marks of discipleship so that when our season of Sword, Famine and Pestilence comes, we will be steadfast like Jeremiah standing strong, confident and focused on God’s grace. Otherwise, we could become like the people of Judah searching for the quick fix, seeking out the feel good, and putting our hope on the false prophets of this world.

So what does this passage have to do with Advent? Judah was unrepentant. “Thus says the Lord to his people: Thus they loved to wander; they have not restrained their feet.” Jeremiah 14:10a. In the New King James Revised Study Bible, which I referred to, to help me understand this passage, Loved describes voluntary desire. Wander describes a repetitive back and forth movement – of seeking every possible occasion for sin, in this case. Am I holding onto something that has become an idol perhaps a stand in for Christ – trust in myself, trust in my government, trust in my church? Are the traditions of Christmas superseding the meaning of Christmas? Is the comfort of having everything go my way – in the way – of becoming a disciple of Christ?

Advent is a season of forgiveness. Christ’s coming brings the Hope and the Savior into this world, for this world, and through his death and resurrection saves us from this world. As we journey through Advent, we can begin again to learn, practice, and demonstrate the marks of discipleship. We can strip away the idols that interfere with our relationship with Jesus and we can trust in God to create in us steadfastness, strength, and confidence in our faith so that as we leave the season of Advent we are prepared to enter the next season in our life. Amen.

by Valorie LaCour