Dear Parishioners,
Jeremiah is given an interesting prophecy. He sees the destruction of Jerusalem and the conquest of Israel by the Babylonians, and yet he’s told to buy a field and build a house in it (cf. Jeremiah 32:6). It’s as if God is telling him to invest in the future; Israel will make a return. Not to buy property in the city, but in the countryside. Then God says this: “Thus says the Lord: ‘In this place now desolate, without man or beast, and in all its cities there shall again be sheepfolds for the shepherds to couch their flocks. In the cities of the hill country, of the foothills, and of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin and the suburbs of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 33:12-13).
When the nation of Israel is destroyed, the economy is ruined. There are no sheep, no shepherds. The land is desolate. When Israel is going to be restored, the people will see not the reconstruction of beautiful buildings, but the return of the economy: the return of the shepherds and sheep and sheepfolds. Israel would try to rebuild its city and the temple within, but that’s not the mark of recovery. That’s why Jesus says in our Gospel the city and temple will be destroyed again. The mark of recovery is, rather, the shepherds in the “hill country and foothills.” Shepherds keeping their watch...sound familiar? Yes, the presence of shepherds gives hope.
‘Shepherd’ is a familiar term still in our church today. Pastor comes from ‘shepherd.’ A bishop’s crosier is the shepherd’s crook. The word parish comes from the Greek πάροικος: παρά (pará) for “beside, by, near” and οἶκος (oîkos) for “house.” The parish is the group of sojourners outside the house, like sheep in the foothills guided by a shepherd, or pastor. The parish is the sheepfold Jeremiah had prophesied.
Fitting that this sheepfold here in Park Ridge is in the “suburbs.” Not the suburbs of Chicago, but the suburbs of Heaven, which is the new Jerusalem. We are out grazing in the field and will, Jeremiah said, “again pass under the hands of the one who counts them.” We will come back to God.
“In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land” (Jeremiah 33:15). Jesus is the “shoot” or plant of David. We the sheep feed on him.
In this parish–this field we are in–we are called to focus our attention on our spiritual lives and on our service to one another. Jesus tells us not to become consumed with “the anxieties of daily life.” He tells us instead to “stand erect and raise your heads” to God and “be vigilant at all times and pray” (Luke 21). When the world outside is crumbling around us, trying to build the tower of Babel only to see it collapse time and time again, we have what we need in here, in this parish. Remember, the angels appeared with the glory of the Lord not to the kings and leaders, but to the shepherds and sheep. We are the shepherds and sheep, and God’s glory is breaking out over us.
As we embark on this Advent season, may we find ourselves spiritually ‘out in the field.’ May we slow down, breathe, and put away distractions. Get your Christmas shopping finished as soon as you can, and then focus on the solemn simplicity of these next four weeks. Christ is wanting to appear to you anew, wanting to do something great with your life.
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We published the Parish Annual Report in last week’s bulletin in case you missed it. Please grab an extra bulletin in the church or check it out online to see the parish’s activities over the past year.
A reminder that next Wednesday, December 11th will be our SPC Parishioner Appreciation Christmas Party beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Life Center. We hope you will be able to join us. This is just a small way of thanking you for all you do for St. Paul and celebrating our community in this great season.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. James Wallace
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