"Building the Peaceable Kingdom"

Jeremiah29: 1, 4-7 (New Living Translation)

Edward Hicks, a Quaker preacher and painter who lived in the late 1700s-mid 1800s. His most famous work is perhaps the painting Peaceable Kingdom which shows a world in which animals and children are existing peacefully together.  The scripture Isaiah 11 (most recognized from Advent and Christmas readings) talks about a utopian place of camaraderie among all creatures.

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
    the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
    and a little child will lead them all.
7 The cow will graze near the bear.
    The cub and the calf will lie down together.
    The lion will eat hay like a cow.
8 The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
    Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
9 Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
    for as the waters fill the sea,
    so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.

Edward Hicks' 62 versions of this painting inspired by these words visually reminds us that this is what God wants for us.  And the passage for this week in Jeremiah is in the same vein. God wants us to live peaceful lives no matter where life takes us.  The passage in Jeremiah is perhaps my favorite passage in the Old Testament.  Jeremiah was a prophet and what prophets have to tell us, we often don't want to hear, but I cannot imagine why these words would not sing sweetly in anyone's ears.

He is speaking to the people in exile. They have been sent from Jerusalem to Babylon and so life is unsettled and uncomfortable. They are not in the land of their birth but in a place that they didn't expect to go.  And they are trying to make life manageable somehow.  And this voice says to them,

"Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

The words of God that Jeremiah hears and shares with the people is not one of anxiety or stress or discomfort or peril, but one of hope and promise.  Build homes. Plant gardens. Eat. Find spouses. Have children. Have grandchildren.  And perhaps most importantly, seek the welfare of the city where you are... for in its welfare you will find your own.

We do not exist in a vacuum.  God clearly says to the people in exile in Babylon that despite the unexpected twists and turns in their roads, they CAN be filled with hope, they CAN be joyful.  How? By immersing themselves in good work... in the city where they now find themselves.  Making that place their own place, finding a place for themselves in their neighborhoods and seeking to make the neighborhood their own.

We are called to create a community that would first and foremost be described as peaceful. But that does not mean we turn a blind eye to unrest and protest. In fact quite the opposite. We sometimes have to create peace through standing side by side in protest with those who have been denied peace.  So peaceful community is possible. But it requires sacrifice and work. And that is what we read here in Jeremiah. The seeds of faith planted here in Jeremiah allow us to think that such a thing as the peaceable kingdom is possible.  How do we do create it?  Thoughts?  Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or click on the comments link below to leave a public comment.