Jeremiah: Prophetic Call and Commission
(Note: As preparation, invite worshipers to read Jeremiah 1 in advance.)
Call to Worship: (All read together slowly)
"Jeremiah, before I, Yahweh, formed you in the womb I knew you; And before you were born I consecrated you; I Yahweh appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4-5)
Song:
"Here I am, Lord"
Dialogue – Scripture Reading and Commentary: (based on Jeremiah 1:1-10)
Jeremiah: Here I was, son of Hilkiah, from a priestly not prophetic family, living in Anathoth. Anathoth is today's Arab village of Anata, three miles north of Jerusalem. And then this call came. This word of Yahweh came to me! Can you possibly imagine how I felt?! My response was certainly understandable: "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." I mean, I was born around 645 BC and this call came in 625 BC, so you can see I was barely 20 at the time. But Yahweh vigorously overruled my excuse of being too young to speak publicly.
Group: (slowly) "Do not say, Jeremiah, 'I am only a boy;' for you shall go to all to whom I, Yahweh, send you. (pause) And you shall speak whatever I command you. (pause) Do not be afraid of them, (pause) FOR I AM WITH YOU TO DELIVER YOU." (Jeremiah 1:7-8)
Jeremiah: So you see, Yahweh detected the real reason for my strong inner resistance to the prophetic call. It was fear. Because I had grown up in an atmosphere of political and religious turmoil, my sensitive nature reacted to the prospect of public prophetic involvement. Many questions swirled in my mind. How could I not be afraid of the powers?! Imagine speaking to a series of kings like Josiah, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah! Public witness was just not my thing. Not be afraid when I would be warning of disaster and destruction? Not be afraid of my nation's princes and priests and people? Not be afraid of confronting other nations, including Babylon? And all this extending over a period of forty years! Of course, I didn't know that at the time of the call. It took some time for me to realize in my gut that my authority came from Yahweh. It was after all a Divine Commission. And furthermore, the whole thing was not my idea. I had not asked for this. So in some sense, it was incumbent upon Yahweh to assure me that God's presence and message would be there, including my itinerary. Then, as if to solidify the call, Yahweh continued with a highly unusual installation service – God's hand reached out and touched my mouth and God said to me...
Group: "Now I, Yahweh, have put MY words in your mouth. (pause) See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, (pause) to pluck up and to pull down, (pause) to destroy and to overthrow, (pause) to build and to plant." (Jeremiah 1:9-10)
Jeremiah: So that was it! My message from Yahweh was to be initially destrutive, then constructive - sort of like a verbal wrecking ball, smashing into erroneous traditions (chapter 7). Or put another way I was to be endowed with spiritual power to carry out seemingly contradictory assignments. To focus on oppositie poles like judgment and hope; grief and rebirth; doom and redemption. How symbolic the message was to be. My name YIRMEYAH in Hebrew means both "Yahweh Exalts" and "Yahweh Throws Down." Well, I've surely given you modern 21st century aspiring prophetic peacemakers enough for today.
Silent Reflection:
1. What impresses you about Jeremiah's call?
2. Think of others to whom God's call came. (Moses, Miriam, Deborah, Isaiah, Mary, Paul, Lydia, Luther, Anabaptists, King...)
3. How does God call for prophetic voices in our time?
4. Consider your own call.
Sharing
Prayers of a Believing Heart: (select a portion of Psalm 139 to be read in unison as a group prayer)
1. God's all-knowing (1-4) – "O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely."
2. God's presence (7-10) – "Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from you presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me fast."
3. God's creation of humans (13-14) – "For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well."
4. Petition for guidance (23-24) – "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Song:
"Here I am, Lord"
Call to Worship: (All read together slowly)
"Jeremiah, before I, Yahweh, formed you in the womb I knew you; And before you were born I consecrated you; I Yahweh appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4-5)
Song:
"Here I am, Lord"
Dialogue – Scripture Reading and Commentary: (based on Jeremiah 1:1-10)
Jeremiah: Here I was, son of Hilkiah, from a priestly not prophetic family, living in Anathoth. Anathoth is today's Arab village of Anata, three miles north of Jerusalem. And then this call came. This word of Yahweh came to me! Can you possibly imagine how I felt?! My response was certainly understandable: "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." I mean, I was born around 645 BC and this call came in 625 BC, so you can see I was barely 20 at the time. But Yahweh vigorously overruled my excuse of being too young to speak publicly.
Group: (slowly) "Do not say, Jeremiah, 'I am only a boy;' for you shall go to all to whom I, Yahweh, send you. (pause) And you shall speak whatever I command you. (pause) Do not be afraid of them, (pause) FOR I AM WITH YOU TO DELIVER YOU." (Jeremiah 1:7-8)
Jeremiah: So you see, Yahweh detected the real reason for my strong inner resistance to the prophetic call. It was fear. Because I had grown up in an atmosphere of political and religious turmoil, my sensitive nature reacted to the prospect of public prophetic involvement. Many questions swirled in my mind. How could I not be afraid of the powers?! Imagine speaking to a series of kings like Josiah, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah! Public witness was just not my thing. Not be afraid when I would be warning of disaster and destruction? Not be afraid of my nation's princes and priests and people? Not be afraid of confronting other nations, including Babylon? And all this extending over a period of forty years! Of course, I didn't know that at the time of the call. It took some time for me to realize in my gut that my authority came from Yahweh. It was after all a Divine Commission. And furthermore, the whole thing was not my idea. I had not asked for this. So in some sense, it was incumbent upon Yahweh to assure me that God's presence and message would be there, including my itinerary. Then, as if to solidify the call, Yahweh continued with a highly unusual installation service – God's hand reached out and touched my mouth and God said to me...
Group: "Now I, Yahweh, have put MY words in your mouth. (pause) See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, (pause) to pluck up and to pull down, (pause) to destroy and to overthrow, (pause) to build and to plant." (Jeremiah 1:9-10)
Jeremiah: So that was it! My message from Yahweh was to be initially destrutive, then constructive - sort of like a verbal wrecking ball, smashing into erroneous traditions (chapter 7). Or put another way I was to be endowed with spiritual power to carry out seemingly contradictory assignments. To focus on oppositie poles like judgment and hope; grief and rebirth; doom and redemption. How symbolic the message was to be. My name YIRMEYAH in Hebrew means both "Yahweh Exalts" and "Yahweh Throws Down." Well, I've surely given you modern 21st century aspiring prophetic peacemakers enough for today.
Silent Reflection:
1. What impresses you about Jeremiah's call?
2. Think of others to whom God's call came. (Moses, Miriam, Deborah, Isaiah, Mary, Paul, Lydia, Luther, Anabaptists, King...)
3. How does God call for prophetic voices in our time?
4. Consider your own call.
Sharing
Prayers of a Believing Heart: (select a portion of Psalm 139 to be read in unison as a group prayer)
1. God's all-knowing (1-4) – "O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely."
2. God's presence (7-10) – "Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from you presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me fast."
3. God's creation of humans (13-14) – "For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well."
4. Petition for guidance (23-24) – "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Song:
"Here I am, Lord"