Advent 1

"The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name which it will be called: 'the Lord is our Righteousness.'" - Jeremiah 33: 14-16

When Jeremiah heard this voice from God, he was surrounded by devastation. The Babylonians had ransacked Jerusalem, looting the temple and burning the city. The most educated and accomplished Judeans were exiled to Babylon, while a remnant of the population remained to try to live their lives amid the destruction.

1. If you found yourself among a handful of people living amid the horrors of a desolate city, how would you feel? What would you think about God?

2. What do you think people who found themselves left behind in a ravaged and deserted city believed God's promise to be?

3. Is it possible that any leader might be expected to always execute justice and righteousness? Do all human leaders eventually fall short of doing what is just and right?

For the past seven weeks, I have been deeply immersed in the findings reflected in the book UnChristian, by David Kinaman. Yet, Kinnaman's research shouldn't surprise me. In my own dealings with the church I have found Christians to be judgmental, hypocritical, out of touch, and insincere. In fact, whether Christians or not, I have experienced folks who reflect these attributes. Further, I know I am guilty of the same behavior. So, is the problem that Kinnaman points to the fact that the Christians, while claiming to aspire to be like Christ, miss the mark, or is the problem that people outside of Christianity have an impossibly high standard for Christians? And have we Christians accepted an unrealistic standard for behavior, then pretended to live up to that standard? What do you think?