Drinking from Broken Cisterns

Read the Word

Text: Jeremiah 2:1-13 (NRSV)

Key Verses:
I remember the devotion of your youth,
  your love as a bride…
Thus says the Lord:
What wrong did your ancestors find in me
  that they went far from me
and went after worthless things and became worthless themselves?
…But my people have changed their glory
  for something that does not profit.
for my people have committed two evils:
  they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living water,
  and dug out cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns
  that can hold no water. 

Text: Luke 14:7-14

Key Verses: 
But when you give a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 
And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you,
for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Reflect on the Message

We humans have a tendency to look for quick fixes to complex problems, and we have the tendency to fulfill our God-given needs (love, relationships, peace, joy) in ways that are sometimes unhealthy and even destructive. (i.e. addictive behaviour).

In what ways, little or large, do you ‘drink from broken cisterns’ – attempting to meet legitimate needs in unhealthy ways?

Babylon, as described by the prophet Habakkuk as well as the prophet John in Revelation, is a city that symbolizes humanity’s obsession with wealth and power. It is an oppressive, commercial and political force or empire that opposes God.

Considering Babylon, verses the Kin-dom of God, what do you think of these 2 statements by theologian Alexander T. Desmond:

• “There is nothing that stands more effectively as a barrier to people knowing God than the desire for wealth that comes through capitalism.”
• “People captivated by wealth and power are divorced from God.”

What do you think of these statements:

• Jesus is the opposite of Babylon because Jesus embodies truth, grace, and God's true kingdom of love. Relationships are key: faithfulness, loyalty, vulnerability, compassion.
• If the ethos of Babylon is to incite fear, to control, dominate by force, what is our response to be?
• How do we break down the walls of independence and isolation?
• How do we stand up for the exploited?
• In what ways can we invite everyone to the banquet that Jesus talked about in Luke 14?

Pray in Response

God, help me see the ways I don’t trust you to meet my needs of love and acceptance. Give me the grace to trust that in God’s economy, there is enough for all.

God, I want to proclaim your kin-dom of peace, love, justice for all, inclusion for all. Empower me, by your Spirit, to be the flow-through of your love to a world in desperate need.

God, I confess I have fears about the rise of authoritarianism and Christian Nationalism. I pray that truth and wisdom would prevail, and I pray for the enemies of your kin-dom who want to usher in systems of dominance through oppression. May those who oppose your kin-dom of peace and justice discover your gracious, empowering, compassionate love.

God, give us wisdom and courage as a church body to proclaim your kin-dom in ways that people can receive it. And in so doing, may the lonely find community, the grieving find hope, the addicted find compassion and grace, and the isolated and rejected find love.