Inscribing the Text: Sermons and Prayers of Walter Brueggemann

On Reading Jeremiah 5

On Reading Jeremiah 5 We confess, gladly and boldly, that all our "times are in your hands." (Ps 31:15) We affirm, with considerable relief, that the NOW of the present time, present hour, present day, are in your hands and you preside with generous sovereignty. We affirm gladly, because we find our present now overloaded with demand, fraught with too much bewilderment, burdened with more fear than we can tolerate, and more pain and more anxiety, and more than enough of inhumanity. And we gladly cede our now over to you. Even more boldly and more gladly, we affirm that our futures are in your hand. We cannot see from here to there—but you can! You can, we affirm, see our future as a place where you will plant and we imagine you planting new community, new social fabric, new networks of well-being. We imagine you building new towers less arrogant, new modes of welfare and care, new practices ofneighborliness. You build and you plant futures that we cannot even hope: we say, "He is coming soon." we say, "Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.'' we say, "Amen. Come Lord Jesus." (Rev 22:20) 215 We gladly, boldly trust our future to you ... And then we return to the reality of now, some heartened, a little healed, glad for our piece of life that we receive back from you, broken and poured out, our little moment of life abundant, from you with thanks, back to you in praise, our life, all with you, come soon. Amen. June 21, 2002 (Montreat) Zi.6 ...