Jeremiah 32:1-9,36-41 (CEB)

Jeremiah received the Lord’s word in the tenth year of Judah’s King Zedekiah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. At that time, the army of the Babylonian king had surrounded Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined to the prison quarters in the palace of Judah’s king. Judah’s King Zedekiah had Jeremiah sent there after questioning him: “Why do you prophesy, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m handing this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will occupy it; and Judah’s King Zedekiah will be captured and handed over to the king of Babylon; he will speak to the king of Babylon personally and see him with his very own eyes. And Zedekiah will be carried off to Babylon to live out his days until I punish him, declares the Lord. If you make war against the Babylonians, you will fail.’”

Jeremiah said, The Lord’s word came to me: Your cousin Hanamel, Shallum’s son, is on his way to see you; and when he arrives, he will tell you: “Buy my field in Anathoth, for by law you are next in line to purchase it.” And just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel showed up at the prison quarters and told me, “Buy my field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for you are next in line and have a family obligation to purchase it.” Then I was sure this was the Lord’s doing.

So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. ...

You have been saying, “This city will be handed over to the king of Babylon through sword, famine, and disease.” But this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will gather them from all the countries where I have scattered them in my fierce anger and rage. I will bring them back to this place to live securely. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one mind so that they may worship me all the days of their lives, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to stop treating them graciously. I will put into their hearts a sense of awe for me so that they won’t turn away from me. I will rejoice in treating them graciously, and I will plant them in this land faithfully and with all my heart and being.

Today's Reflective Questions

• Do you have a gnawing in your soul that will not go away?
• Do you wish to be a part of what Jesus was about so much that you want to live His life and share with others what He had to say?
• Do you have a desire to understand or know something through the power of the Holy Spirit?

This Week's Lenten Focus: Discernment

This Lenten season, Bishop David Wilson, along with some conference staff and members of the laity, are inviting the people of the Great Plains Conference and beyond to “Pay Attention to God’s Voice” during this season of Lent. The theme for this week is Discernment.

“To come into silence is to come into the presence of the Divine.” (John O’Donohue). The Spiritual Discipline of Discernment calls us into the presence of the Divine. During the Lenten Season, we follow the steps of Jesus into the wilderness as we wander around in the barren land. We open our souls (discernment) to hear from Him during these days and hours of self-examination and repentance. We lean into discerning the Words we hear and how we will live as Resurrection people each and every day.

Rev. Hollie Tapley
htapley@greatplainsumc.org
and
Cesar Duran
cduran@greatplainsumc.org

• Watch a video featuring the Rev. Hollie Tapley and Cesar Duran talking about discernment
• Watch a video featuring Bishop David Wilson inviting you to observe a Holy Lent
• To learn more, check out this special page on our website dedicated to our Lenten topics.

Invitation to Go Deeper

Each day this week, use the provided Lenten passage and the three questions above to listen and discern what is revealed to you during your time of examination and repentance. 

Prayer for Reflection

Psalm 143
Matthew 22:23-33