Pastor's Newsletter Article for August 2017

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” --Jeremiah 29:11

               Jeremiah is one of my favorite prophets from the Hebrew Bible. Part of this favoritism is how I see elements of my own call story in Jeremiah’s call. Jeremiah struggled with his call to be a prophet much like I initially struggled with my call to become a pastor. Yet God empowered Jeremiah to go and live into his call and I am grateful for the Grace of God through Jesus Christ that enables me to live into my call to be a pastor. Jeremiah’s story continues to encourage me and move forward in my everyday calling.

               The other part of my love for Jeremiah comes from Jeremiah’s situation. Most of his prophetic career was spent in a time of exile. The people of Judah, or the southern Kingdom of Israel, found themselves conquered and cast away from their homes. Many were sent to live in Babylon, the capital of their conquerors, the Babylonians. Yet, Jeremiah was still needed and called to serve, even in captivity and exile.

               There are many times in my life I can feel exiled or cast away. Plans might not work right. Challenging situations can arise in work or school. An illness can appear out of nowhere. A unfamiliar new experience can be on the horizon, while may be exciting, can be scary all at the same time. While we may not physically be exiled we certainly feel and experience these moments of not being where we want to be in life. But hope is not gone.

               In our faith story, there was coming hope for the exiles in Babylon. Jeremiah reminded people of hope constantly in his work. He even encouraged the people to even hope for the future of their captors! In time, the captives were able to go back home and live as God called them to live. There hope was always there and was coming.

               For us today, what is our hope? What do we hope for in our lives or in our future? What are experiencing that seems to be in the way of that hope? My encouragement is that we do not cave in to the fear or discouragement but look for our hope in God and in Christ. Our hope in Christ supersedes any fears we may have or questions of the unknown. Christ experienced hopelessness on the cross but experienced the Resurrection a few days later. That is our story as Christians!

               My challenge for us as we move forward in our lives and ministries together is to break loose of whatever may keep us in exile. Let us live into the hope that God has for us and may we share this hope with others. We are people of hope and resurrection so let us embrace it and live it each day of our lives.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Travis K. Walker