So I sit in my office and look out at the park across the street. Right there on the corner of the park, right in the middle of my window view, is a flag pole with old Glory flapping in the wind.
Now, this is a post for another day, but let me be clear about something: I think there is a very real danger of losing sight of God's Mission when we wrap that Mission in the zeal of patriotism. Patriotism and Faithfulness are not necessarily the same thing, and sometimes they can be polar opposites.
BUT, that's not my point. Today as I look at the flag, I am remembering the words God spoke to Jeremiah: "Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
Pray for peace and prosperity. For your city.
Today, that just really strikes me as a cool idea. God actually wants our city to prosper. God wants our businesses to do well. God wants our streets to be free of pot-holes. Ok, so maybe I'm totally ripping this passage out of context.
Because the truth is that the prosperity is not really for the rich. It's for the exile. The Isrealites had been shoved out of their homes and marched to a foreign country where they are living with nothing...exiles. Prosperity is for them. God's promise is for them. Peace is for them.
I hope we do pray for the prosperity of our city. But I hope that pray grows out of our heart breaking for the ones who live in exile. Right here at home. Like the guy sitting out there with his suitcase, on the park bench, under the American flag.
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