St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

A prophet for troubled times

In early autumn we're looking at the words of Jeremiah, recorded in the Old Testament part of our bibles.

When I asked the PCC for their goodwill for a series of sermons on Jeremiah, one of them said "That will be a depressing experience!" I hope it won't be that bad!

Jeremiah lived in a time of great change and a great feeling of threat. Assyria (Iraq), the superpower of the 7th Century BC, was unable to curb the terrorism of small bands of northern invaders (Kurds). The small land of Judah lived in fear of terrorists. There were arguments about whether the king ought to support the superpower or keep a distance? There was a "back to basics" morality campaign. There were political intrigues and "spin". And after Assyria fell and the Babylonians invaded Judah, there were the feelings of despair and helplessness.

And it's true Jeremiah went through self-doubt and some depression, but he was also a man of great courage. His book records personal prayers as well as wise advice from God. In some ways the world has moved on, but in some it's still the same as ever. I think we'll find Jeremiah's words have things to say to us, for our generation is not that different from his.

Old Testament history at a glance

Old Testament history starts in the promised land in Genesis. The people go down to Egypt to escape famine. Moses leads them back to their land, and they live as one until civil war following Solomon's reign. The nation is divided. The northern kingdom (Israel) gets invaded by Assyria. Babylon conquers Assyria and eventually invades Judah, taking the people into exile. Later, Persia conquers Babylon and the Judeans return to their land.

Jeremiah was called in 627 BC, he lived through the exile in 597 and a few years in captivity.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. September 2004, Page 4.
Home Page. Index of articles: by subject, by date. In this issue: (September 2004) Alpha, Infinity (2), Jeremiah, Deanery Plan. Other articles on the bible.	A prophet for troubled times In early autumn we're looking at the words of Jeremiah, recorded in the Old Testament part of our bibles. When I asked the PCC for their goodwill for a series of sermons on Jeremiah, one of them said "That will be a depressing experience!" I hope it won't be that bad! Jeremiah lived in a time of great change and a great feeling of threat. Assyria (Iraq), the superpower of the 7th Century BC, was unable to curb the terrorism of small bands of northern invaders (Kurds). The small land of Judah lived in fear of terrorists. There were arguments about whether the king ought to support the superpower or keep a distance? There was a "back to basics" morality campaign. There were political intrigues and "spin". And after Assyria fell and the Babylonians invaded Judah, there were the feelings of despair and helplessness. And it's true Jeremiah went through self-doubt and some depression, but he was also a man of great courage. His book records personal prayers as well as wise advice from God. In some ways the world has moved on, but in some it's still the same as ever. I think we'll find Jeremiah's words have things to say to us, for our generation is not that different from his. Old Testament history at a glance Old Testament history starts in the promised land in Genesis. The people go down to Egypt to escape famine. Moses leads them back to their land, and they live as one until civil war following Solomon's reign. The nation is divided. The northern kingdom (Israel) gets invaded by Assyria. Babylon conquers Assyria and eventually invades Judah, taking the people into exile. Later, Persia conquers Babylon and the Judeans return to their land. Jeremiah was called in 627 BC, he lived through the exile in 597 and a few years in captivity. John Hartley
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