Pastor’s Corner 10-26-2025

Hello church friends!

I was reading this Sunday's scriptures as I prepared for my sermon and was drawn to our reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, which comes from Jeremiah (33:14-16). To understand this reading, we must explore what Jeremiah is talking about. 

To understand this reading, we must explore what Jeremiah is talking about. In chapter 14, Jeremiah writes amid drastic environmental change. There was a prolonged drought in the land (Jer 14:1). People were looking everywhere for water (Jer 14:2-3). Even the animals were acting differently and beginning to die (Jer 14:4-6). There was also a foreboding of war on the horizon (Jer 14:12, 15). The systems of society aren't working (Jer 14:2-4), which worsens the drought. People do not trust or love each other, so they cannot share to get through difficult times (Jer 14:7, 9). God's people are vulnerable to decimation by natural disaster and attack from an outside enemy at the same time. 

Many people may see parallels between Jeremiah's time and our own, as both are marked by instability. Today, crucial institutions in our society are crumbling, leaving places like Alaska vulnerable to natural disasters worsened by climate change. International threats and shifting alliances challenge our borders. These issues highlight that, though history may bend toward justice, progress can be slow and indirect, with setbacks lasting centuries. The reading asks us: Will there be deliverance, as in the stories of old?

In this Sunday's reading, however, the outcome is not immediate deliverance. God says there are natural consequences that even God cannot forestall. Sometimes, people pay for the sins of their ancestors (Jer 14:20). Yet, if you keep reading, you see that God makes a way back even in this desperate situation when they say,

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time, I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days, Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

-Jer 15:19-22

My friends, I hope this reading offers not only reassurance but a reminder of our central calling: to maintain faith and community even in turbulent times. These moments of upheaval echo Jeremiah's message that, even in difficulty, God's people are called to remain steadfast and equipped to respond with faith. Share this hope and strength with others in whatever way you find best.

Faithfully,

Pr. Josh