the unfolding story of Israel is a story for all of us. It offers so much to the way faithful people meet the day no matter where they might be or what the conditions of the day offer. Bruggemann now writes of resilient hope for regathering.
What most strikes one about Israel in its scatteredness is its resilient refusal to accept the exile as the culmination of its destiny. Thus the great promissory oracles of Israel in exile, in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, are surely oracles addressed to the exiles. But they are also oracles and articulations of hope that arise out of exile. Thus one of the characteristics of Israel in its scatteredness is the insistent hope for a gathering. The oracles in exile, heard in the mouth of YHWH, insist that the scattered may soon be gathered:
Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastland far away; say, "He would scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock. (Jeremiah 31:10)
One of the wonderful gifts God gives to the prophets is the ability to paint a picture that no one is able to see - just yet. Even after long words that deal with how unfaithful the people had been, the prophet is able - at the right time - to speak of a new day. It does not dismiss what is. Rather, in the midst of what is, these words begin the journey back home - back into promise - back into the day-by-day faithfulness that is to be the norm among God's people. Prophets offer us a bit of reality. Uncovering the plight of our brokenness and then uncovering the power of God to heal and bring life back into the realm of a broken people. Amazing grace.
Connection: A word of regathering is always a bit of good news when the world is showing itself to be filled with bad news and disrupted lives. And yet, it can be difficult to hear such words of regathering until the power of separation has taken its toll on us.
O God, who watches how we turn away and follow other powers, we praise you for the many times you open your arms and re-create a home into which we are welcome and at rest. Amen.
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