‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’ Jeremiah 32:7

Dave Fraser, one of the Missional Discipleship Mentors serving in North Western Synod, shares inspiration from Jeremiah in a time of isolation:

Over the last few weeks we all have been trying to come to terms with being church at this most difficult of times. We have all discovered new and different ways of leading worship and offering pastoral care to church members. It’s taken a great deal of effort, but Holy Week was remembered and celebrated with joy.

As we have overcome the numerous obstacles that the first three weeks of church building lockdown has presented to us, we now have to discover new ways of carrying on the Jesus-shaped mission we are tasked with.

From the Bible, I am reminded of Jeremiah in prison. He was having a tough time, locked up, hungry, isolated, and yet God invited him to bring a word of hope to others who were also fearful and afraid.

Upon release, Jeremiah found himself invited by God to instigate an action that spoke to the despair and fear of his country, not by dwelling in sorrow, or picking up arms, but by finding a peaceful and hopeful way forward. Jeremiah was asked by God to buy a field, to spend money in acquiring a piece of land that was occupied by the enemy. In doing so, he was demonstrating, in action, a belief in God’s promise that those in mourning would know joy. God had not abandoned God’s people. The buying of the plot of land was a deliberate act to calm fears, reduce anxiety and proclaim that, despite how it felt, they were not alone.

Jeremiah discovered that mission is not something you do when you’re sorted and alright. Our living and being a church of the kingdom is not something we can only do when we are open for business as usual. Even with buildings locked up, even with Christians self-isolating we have a Jesus-shaped job to do. Surely at this time, we too must engage in acts that bring and proclaim hope. What ‘field’ is God calling us to ‘buy’? What can we do that will proclaim ‘you are not alone’ to our fellow citizens who are tired and fearful.

Yes, we can clap, bellow and bang pots to say thank you to all front line staff, but could we might also send a ‘thinking of you’ card to our local funeral undertakers, who are facing really difficult times on the frontline. We could send pictures, pizzas, chocolates and other supplies to staff working in our local care homes. Perhaps we could put posters up, inviting anybody who lives around our church building to organise a (socially distanced) Harvest collection for a local foodbank. It would be all too easy to give up or give into our frustrations about what we can’t do, but, in practice, there is so much we can do!

It would have been easy for Jeremiah to hunker down and wait his disaster out. But God invited him, demanded of him, something more. Is there something more God is asking us to do?

If you are already doing it, or have something planned, please let us know so we can share inspiration and wisdom as widely as possible. Blessed field buying!

Learn more about the work of the North Western Synod Missional Discipleship Mentors here.