How do you seek the peace and prosperity of your city or town?
I went to two baseball games this weekend. First, the Rochester Ridgemen playing a college summer league took on the Olean Oilers. Secondly, the Rochester Red Wings played the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in AAA baseball. Baseball has a way of bringing people together. You talk while you watch the game. The daily repetition of the long season offers a prompt to the community to keep following. A baseball team becomes a summer staple.
Most people know Jeremiah 29 for the verse 11 about God’s plan. The whole context of the passage has little encouragement for the audience. Jeremiah writes a letter to Israelites exiled in Babylon. They thought they would come home to Jerusalem only to read from Jeremiah’s message to hunker down for the next forty years in Babylon. Listen to what Jeremiah writes in verse 7:
“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Whether or not you like the city or town you reside, a larger principle emerges from Jeremiah 29:7. Seek the well-being of your locality, and that means becoming a part of it. The Israelites faced opposition to their way of life as God called them from the Babylonians. They had the choice to insulate themselves or contribute to the well-being of Babylon. Could God’s people live out His message of redemption in a place that seemed contrary?
Followers of Jesus in America live in a similar time to the Israelites in Babylon. Often, our conversations of the nation, state, county, and city focus on the broader level decision we see in the news.
What if seeking the peace and prosperity of our home started in simpler ways? What if it meant going to a baseball game? Imagine a church of people that supported the sports teams, concerts, parades, and festivals in your area. Prayer moves to action by interacting with your neighbors and rooting for the good in your city. You have an opportunity to influence your city by faithful presence.
The Gospel, the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection, calls us to live out our faith in our cities. It starts with prayer and moves to show up to what matters to our neighbors. Then post it on social media. Cheer on the team. Get to know the people around you. Invite your friends and family. Going to a baseball game has more significance to your faith than you can realize.
Let me ask you again on the week of July 4th — How can you seek the peace and prosperity of your city or town?
Photo by Brent Cox
Seems like Jesus found a way to be among the people…sometimes a crowd of thousands; sometimes a crowd of one, like the woman at the well.
Thanks for sharing!