Restoration and Resurrection

Jim:
I note a thread thoughout the readings this morning that has to do with restoration. In Jeremiah God promises to restore the people from exile, in Romans Paul says that even the olive branches that have been removed from the tree can be grafted back on, and in John Jesus makes one of the central claims of Christianity, that he is the resurrection and the life.

Jeremiah 29:1-14––I focused on verse 11, "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." I think we all want a "future with hope," for ourselves and for our children. God's providence is such that even when we dwell in exile––a separation from God brought about by our own actions––we may rely on God to work in our midst for our welfare. The psalmist said, "My help is in the name of the Lord…" Such confidence is bolstered by God's words through Jeremiah.

Romans 11:13-24––Here Paul uses that wonderful metaphor of grafting wild branches onto a cultivated olive tree. I was drawn to verses 17 and 18 because of it. "But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you." Later Paul goes on to say that branches once removed from the tree can be grafted back on. Here again, separation from God is overcome by God's work in our midst, and the "root" on which we as branches depend continues to receive God's care and nurture.

John 11:1-27––In verses 25 and 26 Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in my, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." The promise of the resurrection in Jesus Christ is the ultimate "future with hope," and the ultimate restoration. In Jesus, God is working to reconcile the world to God's self, that all the exiles may come home, and that all the branches may be grafted again. That's really good news.