Jeremiah 8:11 They
dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace. (NIV)
“Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace. (NIV)
Across the United States today, thousands of High
Schoolers are walking out of their classes to collectively express their anger
and distress over the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida. For seventeen
minutes, these young people will gather together at flagpoles, outdoor recess
areas, and beyond the school gates to display their solidarity against the
violence that is sadly too often experienced all over our beautiful nation.
Like the Boston Tea Party members before the War of Independence, they are
protesting about the current legislation which most people agree needs to be changed
but is never truly altered. They are expressing their weariness of politicians
at all levels who promise to make much-needed amendments after each mass
shooting event, but who never get around to fulfilling their words. The
protests, then, are our young peoples’ way of putting our representatives on
notice that when their turn comes to be given the right to vote, they will
remember this day and recall who actually listened to their voices.
Today’s passage from Jeremiah deals with a similar time
in the life of God’s people. The prophet bewails the fact that injustice and
wickedness, corruption and violence are breaking apart the whole community and
diminishing the faith of the nation. Fear and greed, dishonesty and coercion
have contaminated the courage and strength of God’s people. They are drifting
apart from one another and distancing themselves from God. Sadly, they are also
being deceived by the authorities who declare that all is well. In response,
God speaks through Jeremiah with words that cut through the hypocrisy and
hyperbole: ‘They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace,
peace,” they say, when there is no peace.’
I don’t know what the outcome of today’s protests will
be, but I am proud of what our young people are doing and it makes feel better
about the future. In my opinion, they are displaying one of the great freedoms
that our nation gives to our people: the right to freely assemble and protest. May
God bless all of their endeavors.
Point to ponder
How supportive am I of our young people? How am I seeking
to give them a better future?
Prayer: Lord God, there were times and moments in our history
when Your Spirit moved an entire generation of folks to seek life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness. They showed their solidarity and worked for the good
of our people. In the midst of these current days, anoint our young people with
common ideals and personal commitment that will alter our insufficient ways and
change our nation, for the betterment of our society and the rest of the world.
In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to give
some feedback about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s image is one of
John’s drawings called ‘Peacemakers.’ If you would like to view a larger version,
please click this link: Peace.
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