Today’s reading from Jeremiah 30 begins, (v18) “I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place.”
Whenever any sort of event damages or destroys created structures, the decision must be made whether to rebuild in the same way and style or to change. There are usually reasons on both sides of the argument. Restoration may intertwine history and modernity; for example, an original aesthetic might be created using a modern technique. The almost completed rebuilding of Paris’s landmark Notre Dame Cathedral, after the fire some years ago, is an example.
Biblical history tells many stories that develop an overall picture of ancient times. What we lament now in the terrible struggle over land and occupation in and around the places Jesus knew about combines the ancient fortunes of Jacob and the political will of modern leaders. Onlookers are dismayed at carnage and heartbroken by human suffering. How can it be rebuilt into something beautiful, and what is beauty anyway – it is a bigger definition than tents and palaces, dwellings and ruins. Yes, I mean Gaza, but I could also mean the mess of human lives, our lives.
Next week is Holy Week. We see a blend of triumph and disaster, joy and pain. We see introspection and unimaginable openness. Nothing ever can or ever will compare with the events we remember next week. Their purpose was restoring the fortunes of God’s people. It is not concerned with the aesthetics and structures of tents, dwellings or palaces but it is concerned with you and me.
As next week unfolds, take its steps carefully and remember that all of it is intent on enabling and restoring your relationship with God to make it everlasting. If you have not made the Holy Week journey before, ask for someone to guide you. It is the most astonishing journey you will ever take.
A Prayer
Lord God, you are stability and sanity in a world where there is much need for restoration. You know that which is why your Son lived here, died here and rose again here before returning gloriously to you. May your Spirit help me to prepare to follow his journey into Jerusalem and todays his cross, remembering that the journey was not for his own good but for mine. May he who was good enough already, take me with him and may I be ready to go; for his own sake. Amen.