Finding Shalom in Exile: Embracing Our Current Journey
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "So when we can be fully present, when we can listen intently and pray for our communities, not only are we going to be changed into the people God created us to be, changed into people who look more like us, like Jesus, but our communities are going to begin to experience more and more of God's shalom. And that benefits all of us. While we grieve that all is not right in the world, we do have good news. That Jesus knows what it felt like to live in this world. He knows how it is to make his home in a place that isn't as it should be." [51:13]
2. "We can't do that without the power of the Holy Spirit in us. To really pray for and seek what is best and the thriving for those who hurt us. That's something only Jesus can do in us. I will say that when we pray for our enemies, it might not change them. And that's what makes it hard. It might not make them better people. But you know who it is changing? It's changing you. It's changing each of us. As we take that courage and that strength and we say this doesn't make sense but I'm going to do it anyway because God told me to. It begins to change us into people who look more like Jesus." [46:03]
3. "So there's one practice. And I say practice because it's something I have to keep trying over and over and over in order to actually be able to do it and to find the benefits. One thing that's helped me is the practice of lament. So when we are being present, it's not like we're saying, oh, everything's fine. I'm just, everything's fine. No, it's the opposite. We're actually able to be fully present and recognize and name all the way things aren't as they should be. And when we can express this to God, this is called lament." [43:12]
4. "So if this new place where the exiles find themselves is going to be their home for the next several generations. Then they shouldn't just settle in. But God wants them to seek the shalom, the welfare, the wholeness and completeness and the prosperity of this place where they are. And to pray for it. Now these are hurting people. They're broken. They've been through trauma and loss. And God is asking them to be agents of peace to their new communities, to their neighbors. God wants them to be actively engaged." [46:03]
### Quotes for Members
1. "So what might this seeking the peace and the shalom of our community, what might this look like for us today? How do we seek the shalom? How do we seek the shalom of the cities and the communities right here where we live? Now I want to be careful because there's not like one way to do this. Because we are all so unique and different. We have different strengths and gifts and experiences and passions. And the people that we encounter all have very different needs and struggles. So there's not like this one size fits all. But I think regardless, the first step is to listen and pray. Listen intently." [47:07]
2. "So when Jesus came to this world, lived this life of shalom in the middle of the brokenness, went to the cross and died, raised back to life, was victorious over death, all so that we can be restored to that shalom with God, with others, with ourselves, with all of creation. And while we're waiting for his second return, because we can look around and be like, okay, yeah, so Jesus came, he died, he raised again, but this world is still messed up." [49:54]
3. "We were created to be in this beautiful, harmonious relationship with God, with others, with ourselves, with all of creation. And it's obvious that in so many ways, we fall so short of that. And just like the Judeans, we can learn from God's instructions because we too are living in a type of exile where things are not as they should be. So let's take a closer look now at those instructions as well as some practices that we can embrace today in the middle of our exile." [39:02]
4. "So the first thing is to settle down and make this place your home. So I've put the passage up here where you can see for yourself. But this is, again, not what they wanted to hear. They don't want this to be their home. They want to go back to Jerusalem. They've been hearing this message like, okay, the Babylonians are going to be defeated soon. You're going to be back home in no time. But God says, make this land your home. They have been living in denial. It's probably been a couple years now since they arrived in Babylon. And denial is a very, very normal response to grief, to loss, to any kind of trauma. But God says, okay, it's time now. It's time to move on." [40:02]
5. "So when we can be fully present, when we can listen intently and pray for our communities, not only are we going to be changed into the people God created us to be, changed into people who look more like us, like Jesus, but our communities are going to begin to experience more and more of God's shalom. And that benefits all of us. While we grieve that all is not right in the world, we do have good news. That Jesus knows what it felt like to live in this world. He knows how it is to make his home in a place that isn't as it should be." [51:13]
Ask a question about this sermon
1. "So when we can be fully present, when we can listen intently and pray for our communities, not only are we going to be changed into the people God created us to be, changed into people who look more like us, like Jesus, but our communities are going to begin to experience more and more of God's shalom. And that benefits all of us. While we grieve that all is not right in the world, we do have good news. That Jesus knows what it felt like to live in this world. He knows how it is to make his home in a place that isn't as it should be." [51:13]
2. "We can't do that without the power of the Holy Spirit in us. To really pray for and seek what is best and the thriving for those who hurt us. That's something only Jesus can do in us. I will say that when we pray for our enemies, it might not change them. And that's what makes it hard. It might not make them better people. But you know who it is changing? It's changing you. It's changing each of us. As we take that courage and that strength and we say this doesn't make sense but I'm going to do it anyway because God told me to. It begins to change us into people who look more like Jesus." [46:03]
3. "So there's one practice. And I say practice because it's something I have to keep trying over and over and over in order to actually be able to do it and to find the benefits. One thing that's helped me is the practice of lament. So when we are being present, it's not like we're saying, oh, everything's fine. I'm just, everything's fine. No, it's the opposite. We're actually able to be fully present and recognize and name all the way things aren't as they should be. And when we can express this to God, this is called lament." [43:12]
4. "So if this new place where the exiles find themselves is going to be their home for the next several generations. Then they shouldn't just settle in. But God wants them to seek the shalom, the welfare, the wholeness and completeness and the prosperity of this place where they are. And to pray for it. Now these are hurting people. They're broken. They've been through trauma and loss. And God is asking them to be agents of peace to their new communities, to their neighbors. God wants them to be actively engaged." [46:03]
### Quotes for Members
1. "So what might this seeking the peace and the shalom of our community, what might this look like for us today? How do we seek the shalom? How do we seek the shalom of the cities and the communities right here where we live? Now I want to be careful because there's not like one way to do this. Because we are all so unique and different. We have different strengths and gifts and experiences and passions. And the people that we encounter all have very different needs and struggles. So there's not like this one size fits all. But I think regardless, the first step is to listen and pray. Listen intently." [47:07]
2. "So when Jesus came to this world, lived this life of shalom in the middle of the brokenness, went to the cross and died, raised back to life, was victorious over death, all so that we can be restored to that shalom with God, with others, with ourselves, with all of creation. And while we're waiting for his second return, because we can look around and be like, okay, yeah, so Jesus came, he died, he raised again, but this world is still messed up." [49:54]
3. "We were created to be in this beautiful, harmonious relationship with God, with others, with ourselves, with all of creation. And it's obvious that in so many ways, we fall so short of that. And just like the Judeans, we can learn from God's instructions because we too are living in a type of exile where things are not as they should be. So let's take a closer look now at those instructions as well as some practices that we can embrace today in the middle of our exile." [39:02]
4. "So the first thing is to settle down and make this place your home. So I've put the passage up here where you can see for yourself. But this is, again, not what they wanted to hear. They don't want this to be their home. They want to go back to Jerusalem. They've been hearing this message like, okay, the Babylonians are going to be defeated soon. You're going to be back home in no time. But God says, make this land your home. They have been living in denial. It's probably been a couple years now since they arrived in Babylon. And denial is a very, very normal response to grief, to loss, to any kind of trauma. But God says, okay, it's time now. It's time to move on." [40:02]
5. "So when we can be fully present, when we can listen intently and pray for our communities, not only are we going to be changed into the people God created us to be, changed into people who look more like us, like Jesus, but our communities are going to begin to experience more and more of God's shalom. And that benefits all of us. While we grieve that all is not right in the world, we do have good news. That Jesus knows what it felt like to live in this world. He knows how it is to make his home in a place that isn't as it should be." [51:13]
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