Jeremiah 29:1-7

9These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²This was after King Jeconiah, and the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem. ³The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said: ⁴Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. ⁷But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Anyone who has ever moved can tell you that moving to a new place is always stressful. But the people that Jeremiah was writing to had to move and did not have any choice in the matter. These were people who had been deported from their homeland to the land of the conquerors of their nation. It is very possible that they were held as hostages in order to insure good behavior of those still back in Israel. This passage is a letter to the exiles. For many exile is a difficult concept to grapple with. The vast majority (if not all) of us were not forced to live here. We moved here for a variety of reasons, but regardless we had a choice in the matter.

Jeremiah's recommends two things to those who are in exile. First, continue with the "normal" rhythms of life: work, marriage, birthing. All of these are a throw back to the very beginning in the first two chapters of Genesis where God tells Adam and Eve to tend the garden and to be fruitful and multiply. This basic pattern of creation in which God sends people to be the image of God for the creation is not diminished by the people being in exile.

Secondly, he tells the people to pray for the city that they are in, and to work for its welfare. This would have been difficult for the people who Jeremiah was speaking to. This would have been so difficult. To pray for those who worshiped other gods, who had forced them to live in foreign land, who would eventually attack and overthrow and sack Jerusalem was probably farthest from their minds. Because when we pray for someone, the way that Jesus tells us to do, we are called to pray for their benefit, not for them to be like us. Doing this changes us. We begin to see these others as people who are created, loved and cherished by God.

In doing this, Jeremiah is encourages the people not to let their present difficult circumstances determine how they relate to the world around them. It is understandable why we can become bitter and angry with the world when things do not go the way that we believe they should. But God shows the people the way of life. Even in the midst of tragedy life goes on. We can let the brokenness of our lives warp us. Many do. But what God calls us toward is the life that is shaped by God's vision of the future and not the past that is filled with our own shortcomings. This is not the act of the power of positive thinking. This is the aligning of ourselves with the vision of the One who wishes and wants the best for all of humanity. When we do this we raise thankful hands to God in Christ who makes all things new, who takes us out of exile and takes us home.