Home » Old Testament » Jeremiah »
Jeremiah1:4-10 2025
Proper 16C
Context I’m spending a bit more time this week on some background information, as well as a potential framing for a series (see below: Illustration) since we are going to be in Jeremiah for much of the late summer and fall. In fact, the book of Jeremiah provides far more in terms of historical context…
Jeremiah 23:23-29
Proper 15C
Dreams and Discernment Taken on its own, this text would leave us thinking dreams are a terrible way of knowing the truth. But then consider a couple experiences in the book of Genesis — I’m thinking of both Jacob and Joseph — and the prophet Joel who promises that one day God’s people will “see…
Jeremiah 17:5-10
Epiphany 6C
Tie-In Across Lectionary Texts Sometimes, especially with the Hebrew Scripture text, our best bet is to read it as supplement and complement to the other texts chosen on a given Sunday. This week’s lectionary readings lend themselves that way this week. Across all the lectionary readings this week, with the possible exception of the epistle,…
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Epiphany 4C
Commentary: Why Does God Prefer the Cotton-Mouthed? The keen reader of Scripture might wonder, when reading this week’s Hebrew Scripture text, “where have I heard that before?” In response to God’s call, Jeremiah protests, “I know not how to speak,.” Both Moses and Isaiah claimed the same malady but neither of them got out of…
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Christmas 2C
Illustration: Imagine the crankiest person you know. Don’t say their name out loud. Perhaps it is a character from fiction: Eeyore, Ron Swanson, Debbie Downer or the Grinch. Perhaps someone in real life like Simon Cowell on America’s Got Talent. Now imagine Eeyore with a smile, Ron Swanson giggling, Debbie Downer with a soundtrack of…
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Advent 1C
In Those Days… The first Sunday in Advent welcomes us into the work of waiting. The first Sunday of Advent can often feel like a rude awakening. In the US context, those who hold to a no-Christmas-music-until-after-Thanksgiving have likely already heard their favorite carols blaring over the loudspeakers at the shopping mall. They may have…
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Lent 5B
Comments, Observations and Questions: Hearing “New Covenant” with the Ears of Ancient Israel The Israelites are in exile. The consequences of their disobedience and failure to keep their side of the bargain haunt them everyday — in the foreign language, customs, foods and, most grievously, religions of Babylon. So Jeremiah, who is often called the…
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Proper 29C
Just beyond the ending point for this particular Old Testament Year C reading is a rather striking line in Jeremiah 23:7-8. Anyone who grew up hearing the Ten Commandments—as well as other Old Testament passages—read on a fairly regular basis in church or at the dinner table knows that one of the most famous catch-phrases…
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Proper 24C
I am not sure why the Revised Common Lectionary’s series of passages from Jeremiah skips around the way it does (one week Jeremiah 32 but then next time around it’s back to chapter 29 and now we leap to chapter 31) but I think I can understand why the Lectionary saved this passage from the…
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Proper 23C
It’s not often that a true prophet of God ends up having prophetic egg on his face, but just that had recently happened to Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 28 a prophetic wannabe named Hananiah delivered what he declared was a true revelation from God. Hananiah made wonderfully sunny promises about Israel’s being released from captivity very,…
Content related to Jeremiah