Daily Devotion – July 14, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

Jeremiah 23:1-6
23:1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD.
23:2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD.
23:3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
23:4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.
23:5 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
23:6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”

There will be consequences to what has happened to my people, the Lord says here through the prophet Jeremiah. There are always consequences.

There are consequences to scattering and destruction. If you break a window, you have to pay for it with cash or with your labor. If you raise a child by over-punishing her, you have to pay for it by watching her either cringe in fear or rebel at authority as she grows. If you sit around doing nothing when danger comes, you and those you could have helped do not survive. If you close off your community to anyone who isn’t like you, you die off, unsullied but weak until your final breath.

There are also consequences to open-hearted faithfulness. If you open your life to a rescue pet or new neighbors, your life gets bigger with more possibilities. If you raise a child by welcoming her explorations, mistakes, and quirks, you learn and grow with her as she continues to bring newness to whatever she touches. If you jump in to help in times of crisis, people will jump in to help you when your turn comes. And If you open your community to change and wonder, you live on in new forms and in new ways.

The Lord is still raising righteous branches that lead wisely and execute justice in the land. Only by pushing through the pain of change does new life happen. Coming out of the era of Covid, we should be watching for the changes and opportunities the Lord is laying right before us. We should not be the sheep who remain scattered and closed off, but we should seek how the Lord is leading us into a new day and new ways and new life. The days are surely coming, the chances are out there, and the risks are ours to take that push us forward into the grander Kingdom of God or scare us into the corners of the familiar. How will we seek the Lord’s calling for us as individuals and as local churches? Let us pray that we see God’s Kingdom and work opening to us. Then let us pray that we step into that future.

Gracious God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for being with us. Help us to pay attention to how you are calling us to see your Kingdom at work and your righteousness in life. Help us to be bold when we can be bold, and participate in your work in the world so that our consequences can move us toward you.  Amen.