Proclamation Day
A proclamation is a formal public announcement of a significant event. For example, in 1863 the "Emancipation Proclamation " was announced by President Abraham Lincoln; his proclamation declared that enslaved Africans in Confederate states were free.
A proclamation of a different sort was made by the prophet Jeremiah around 626 B.C. He was instructed by God to stand at the gate of the temple in Jerusalem to proclaim to the people that unless they changed their ways and their actions the temple would be destroyed and they would be removed from the land (chapter 7). Imagine, as you arrive at your place of worship, instead of being greeted with a hug or a handshake as you enter the doors, the pastor is standing there warning all who pass by that the Lord will destroy the very house of worship you are about to enter into. Unthinkable right? Likewise, the people of Israel turned a deaf ear to Jeremiah's message and branded him a liar because they refused to believe that God would destroy His temple.
There was a popular drama series called "Greenleaf" that drew viewers in with scintillating depictions of a prominent church, its pastors and leaders and its congregants - exposing their secrets, lies and fall from grace. I, like many others, became engrossed and entrenched in the lives of the seemingly fictional characters. In retrospect, although the names of the people and places may have been fictional, the depictions of their abhorrent behavior - inside and outside of the church's walls - are real. Today's headlines report, priests accused of sex crimes against children, pastors engaged in adulterous behavior with congregants, embezzlement and misuse of church funds, killings during church services, and idolizing of church leaders, giving them "rock star" status.
Yet, God proclaimed through Jeremiah then and is proclaiming to us today that: "I have been watching." Let us heed the call to repentance that the Israelites failed to heed. God wants more than praying, singing, clapping and preaching to fill his sanctuary; he wants our obedience to His commands. "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). Jeremiah's proclamation is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago: "This is what the Lord Almighty..., says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place."
The place Jeremiah referenced was in Jerusalem and the people were ultimately removed from there for 70 years because of their unwillingness to change their ways. But, John the Revelator (Revelation chapter 21) speaks of the "New Jerusalem" - a place where only those who have changed their ways will be allowed to enter - "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."
All around the world today, October 7th, people are celebrating among other things, International Day of Peaceful Communications, National Frappe Day, and World Cotton Day. Some of these Proclamation Days may seem trivial while others are noteworthy, but consider one that can have eternal implications: let's proclaim that today is, "Change Your Ways Day".
A proclamation of a different sort was made by the prophet Jeremiah around 626 B.C. He was instructed by God to stand at the gate of the temple in Jerusalem to proclaim to the people that unless they changed their ways and their actions the temple would be destroyed and they would be removed from the land (chapter 7). Imagine, as you arrive at your place of worship, instead of being greeted with a hug or a handshake as you enter the doors, the pastor is standing there warning all who pass by that the Lord will destroy the very house of worship you are about to enter into. Unthinkable right? Likewise, the people of Israel turned a deaf ear to Jeremiah's message and branded him a liar because they refused to believe that God would destroy His temple.
There was a popular drama series called "Greenleaf" that drew viewers in with scintillating depictions of a prominent church, its pastors and leaders and its congregants - exposing their secrets, lies and fall from grace. I, like many others, became engrossed and entrenched in the lives of the seemingly fictional characters. In retrospect, although the names of the people and places may have been fictional, the depictions of their abhorrent behavior - inside and outside of the church's walls - are real. Today's headlines report, priests accused of sex crimes against children, pastors engaged in adulterous behavior with congregants, embezzlement and misuse of church funds, killings during church services, and idolizing of church leaders, giving them "rock star" status.
Yet, God proclaimed through Jeremiah then and is proclaiming to us today that: "I have been watching." Let us heed the call to repentance that the Israelites failed to heed. God wants more than praying, singing, clapping and preaching to fill his sanctuary; he wants our obedience to His commands. "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). Jeremiah's proclamation is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago: "This is what the Lord Almighty..., says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place."
The place Jeremiah referenced was in Jerusalem and the people were ultimately removed from there for 70 years because of their unwillingness to change their ways. But, John the Revelator (Revelation chapter 21) speaks of the "New Jerusalem" - a place where only those who have changed their ways will be allowed to enter - "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."
All around the world today, October 7th, people are celebrating among other things, International Day of Peaceful Communications, National Frappe Day, and World Cotton Day. Some of these Proclamation Days may seem trivial while others are noteworthy, but consider one that can have eternal implications: let's proclaim that today is, "Change Your Ways Day".
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