Seeking the Welfare of the City
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Jeremiah 29:1-7
Have you ever been in a place in life where you never thought you would be, an exile from all that was familiar. If you have, and if you know those who have, perhaps you can resonate with the words of Frederick Buechner, who writes, "We carry inside us a vision of wholeness that we sense is our true home that beckons us." He adds, "…woe to us if we forget the homeless ones who have no vote, no power, nobody to lobby for them, who might as well have no faces.” He also says, “Woe to us if we forget our own homelessness.” Many in our world know true exile and homelessness, either because of extreme poverty or because their home lands have become unsafe. And many more live with what Walter Brueggemann calls a sense of dislocation, a sense that we are not “home”. And how we respond to all of this is a vital spiritual issue.
Jeremiah spoke to those who were living in exile, surely not a desired experience. But the prophet offers some unusual advice. He urges them to build houses and have families, a clear implication that they are going to be there for a while, and they should brace themselves for that. But more, Jeremiah tells them to “seek the welfare of the city” where they have been sent into exile. We’ll talk about what this means in worship on Sunday as the sermon is titled, “A Primer for Seeking the Welfare of the City”, arising from Jeremiah 29: 1-7. In the service, we will also recognize and honor the long service of Dennis Morgan, our head custodian, who began work at St. Mark’s in 1983, and is now retiring. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday.