Jer. 2:1-13
Rom. 1:16-25
John 4:43-54
Jer. 2:1-13
1The word of the LORD came to me, saying: 2Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD: I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. 3Israel was holy to the LORD, the first fruits of his harvest. All who ate of it were held guilty; disaster came upon them, says the LORD. 4Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5Thus says the LORD: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves? 6They did not say, “Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?” 7I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. 8The priests did not say, “Where is the LORD?” Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not profit. 9Therefore once more I accuse you, says the LORD, and I accuse your children’s children. 10Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing. 11Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. 12Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the LORD, 13for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.
Jeremiah is called by God to speak to the people. God’s first words are not condemnation, but love—the love of a husband to a bride. “I remember the devotion of your youth… Israel was holy to the LORD.”
God is calling us—you and me—back to relationship on this Lenten journey. We are called to be “Holy to the Lord.” Do you remember your first love of the Lord? Was it when you were baptized? Did you find God on a retreat or reading the Bible?
That was a wonderful feeling, indeed like that of the love of a bride and groom. The pair has eyes only for each other. They are in their own special bubble of mutual adoration and the outside world is virtually ignored. Over time that intense closeness usually dissipates and ‘life’ creeps in to interrupt the single-minded devotion.The same thing happens in our relationship with the Lord. Day-to-day events and problems, joys and sorrows slip between us and God. We don’t consciously “forsake the fountain of living water,” but we gradually let other things get in the way of our adoration of God.
Do you feel that you are still close to God or do you feel more like the “cracked cisterns that can hold no water” spoken of by Jeremiah? Do you want to regain the intimacy you once felt?
Maybe one way is to just repeat what Sue Downing says in “The Moses Complex: Lord, I am Slow of Speech”:
Here I am—I Will Try
Lord, you have called me to minister in a way I never have before.
I feel so inadequate to this task.
My qualifications are few, and my reasons to say no are many.
Are you sure You have connected with the right person?
Maybe You need to talk with a more likely candidate.
Lord, You have called me to minister in a way I never have before.
I feel afraid and unsure of what to expect and of what I’m to do.
What if I don’t like the job I’m involved with? What if I’m a failure?
What if? What if?
Lord, it’s not too late to say no, is it?
Lord, you have called me to minister in a way I never have before.
I am overwhelmed by the mere thought of what you have asked me to do.
It requires considerable time and effort to walk on unfamiliar ground.
How about letting me choose something else to help you with that feels more comfortable?
Lord, you have called me to minister in a way I never have before.
You say that You will be with me each step of the way.
You ask me to remember Moses and countless others who though that they were the wrong persons to serve.
You remind me that I’m the one you want, in spite of my excuses.
Lord, you have called me to minister in a way I never have before.
Hesitantly, I take that first step of faith.
Here I am, Lord. I will try.
Amen
For your journal: Journal about the feelings of your first love for the Lord. Were they like the adoration of lovers? How can you be joined to the “fountain of living water”?
Perhaps you want to write a prayer recommitting yourself to the love of God.
