We recently celebrated an event on Whidbey Island called Church for the City. Perhaps as many as 16 churches gathered on the Oak Harbor waterfront at Windjammer Park. It had something of the
feel of an Old Testament sacred assembly: elders and neighbors gathering the people to worship, sing, serve, and remember God’s movement in the life of their community. More than a thousand of us came for worship, a day of service to our city, and a shared communion service. And, by the way, I got a T-shirt.
Our day called to mind Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon:
“But 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” (Jeremiah 29:7).
The word translated welfare is the Hebrew word shalom – peace, wholeness, well-being, thriving, and resilience. The repetition matters: seek the city’s shalom, because in its shalom you will find your shalom. This was not a letter to people who had freely relocated after looking up housing options on Redfin. They had been carried into exile after defeat by a mighty military empire. Jeremiah’s instructions were not merely surprising; they must have been terribly upsetting. Read More
