Day 26- March 23

Jeremiah 31:31-34

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband,* says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.


Reflection
Several years ago economist Paul Romer quipped, "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste." it's the prophet Jeremiah who accuses Israel of having broken covenant with God, a crisis, to be sure. And that same prophet offers a word of hope, which is surely the mission of God's people in times of crisis. "The days are surely coming.." "...I will remember their sin no more."
Here, more than halfway through the demanding season of Lent, we, too, receive a message of hope, a balm in Gilead, for all who are needy, hopeless, lonely, bereft. "Surely the days are coming..." They are not here yet, according to the Lord, but they are on the horizon.

Prayer

Soon and very soon, dear God, we will see your face. One day, we will understand fully what we now know only in part. Until then, let us claim your promises, rely on your prophets and messengers, and live into the hope that you offer, because of the gift of your Son and the transforming love he offers. Amen.

Photo from wikimedia, found here.