However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.” – Jeremiah 40:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 4, 2017) Jeremiah 40

Lewis Carroll once said that “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Carroll, speaking from the 19^th century seemed to have a great handle on the 21^st century. We appear to be running a lot of places, but we aren’t sure where we are going.  We are busy, but we aren’t really getting much accomplished. We seem to have no idea where to be.

I am a somewhat solitary individual. I love people, and being with people, but I am also fairly shy. As long as I have a place to be, a purpose to be somewhere, I am okay. But when I lose that place to be, I am lost. I don’t know where to be. There is nothing more frustrating than to exist in a place, but not have a place where you feel secure – a place where you belong – a place to simply be.

As Jeremiah closes in on the end of his tale, we meet him on the road with a Babylonian man named Nebuzaradan. Jerusalem is gone, the people are scattered. For most of Jeremiah’s life, his story had centered around Jerusalem and the temple – and now it was all just a memory. It must have seemed as if Jeremiah’s purpose in life had disappeared. As he stands with this Babylonian official, Jeremiah is a prophet without a place to be. And at that moment I am sure that he felt as awkward standing on the road with Nebuzarden as I do when I no longer have a place to be.

There is no doubt that Nebuzaradan respected Jeremiah, and he wanted Jeremiah to return with him to Babylon, not as a prisoner, but as an honored guest. But for Jeremiah, there was no purpose for him in Babylon. We get the sense in this exchange that Jeremiah’s mind and heart were still looking back at the destroyed city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the only place that Jeremiah wanted to be. Jerusalem had always been Jeremiah’s purpose. It was home. And so Nebuzardan tells Jeremiah to follow his heart.

But then Nebuzarden realizes his mistake. Jerusalem was no longer a safe place to be. The city had been destroyed; the walls had been torn down. The city was now inhabited by dangerous animals, and even more dangerous humans. And so he stops Jeremiah and says that if he does not come with him to be his guest in Babylon, then he should go and attach himself to Gedaliah. Gedaliah was a prince of Judah who had left the city before the fall of Jerusalem and had attached himself to the Babylonian army. To the people of Jerusalem, Gedaliah was probably a traitor. But to Nebuzarden, Gedaliah was honored and respected. And Nebuzarden knew that all Gedaliah had done was follow the instructions of Jeremiah. And therefore, Jeremiah would be safe with Gedaliah. And he might find a place to be.

That was important to Nebuzarden. Because he knew that this man that he respected would never be healthy until he found that place to be. He needed a safe place where he could examine everything that had happened – and Babylon could have been that place for Jeremiah, but if he would not go there, then maybe the next safest place would be in the court of Gedaliah.

We need a safe place to be. I am convinced that that place of safety was exactly what God intended as a model for his Church. But the church has not always remembered this thing that they are supposed to be. But in a time where things are changing, the Church needs to stop judging (that has never been our job) and just be a safe place where people can come and be. I can think of no better place to simply be than in the Church that understands what their role is in a changing world. And that is the job to which we have been called.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 41