Jeremiah: “Seek the Shalom of the City”
Opening Prayer:
Lord God,
We have work to do. You have tasks for us, and not just for our own benefit. You call us to work for the good of the city - the good of those around us, the good of our neighbours, the good of the entire world.
We are yours for the sake of others in the same way you are for others. Guide us, Lord. Drive us on to greater works of love for your kingdom’s sake.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Key Scripture:
(You may wish to read the entirety of Jeremiah chapter 29.)
This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Jeremiah 29:1-14
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Overview: Hope in Exile
The truths of Jeremiah 29 show us how to live faithfully as God’s people within challenging, modern, pluralistic spaces. Rather than retreating into isolation, adopting a siege mentality, or thinking only short-term, we are called to root ourselves deeply in the community and world around us. We are to actively seek the holistic flourishing of our secular surroundings, and anchor our hearts in God's enduring promises to always be with us.
Thriving in Place Instead of Escaping
In the Babylonian exile we see the disastrous consequences of Israel’s failed leadership under kings like Hezekiah and Manasseh. Yet, God's directive to the exiled Israelites is entirely counter-cultural: build permanent houses, plant gardens, marry, and multiply. Rather than living out of temporary tents, they are commanded to actively seek the shalom—the systemic peace, well-being, and prosperity—of the hostile empire that captured them, because their own flourishing is inextricably linked to the city's success.
Discerning Truth from Cultural Noise
In a world where popular cultural narratives offer deceptive "tall stories," believers must actively reject falsehoods. Isaiah 59:14 says that "truth has stumbled in the streets". True spiritual discernment requires evaluating the daily voices trying to get our attention and shape our imaginations. The (uncomfortable) question is: Do we genuinely want God’s disruptive, sovereign plans for our future, or do we simply want his blessing rubber-stamping our own personal ambitions?
Actively Seeking the City’s Shalom
As a "presence-based church," we have a collective calling to pursue shalom—restoring harmony across all relational spheres. This manifests in localised acts of service, such as the Addington stream cleanup, community housing initiatives, and the West Spreydon primary school turnaround - plus many more. This collaborative intersection is perfectly captured by Frederick Buechner:
"Vocation is where your deepest gladness and the world's deepest hunger meet."
Confronting Modern Exile and Fragmentation
We need to guard against the rising danger of nationalism. The church is a "stranger in a strange land" living outside the age of Christendom. True exile means moving directly into spaces of pain, loneliness, and poverty. Thinkers like Henri Nouwen show us how modern commercialisation and societal fragmentation leave people feeling tense, unsafe, and physically isolated, requiring a genuine "inner wailing wall of lament".
The Unshakeable Assurance of Future Hope
Even in the dark "shadowlands" of life, the supreme comfort of Jeremiah 29:11 provides lifegiving reassurance. God reminds his people that he is the one who carried them into exile; they are never abandoned. So also with us: if we call upon him and seek him with all our heart, he promises to be found, restore our brokenness, and remind us that we are fundamentally his deeply Beloved.
Discussion Guide:
PART 1: GROUNDING IN THE WORD
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:4–7, 11–14
Historical Context: This letter was sent to a community recovering from profound institutional and leadership failure (the legacy of Kings Hezekiah and Manasseh). Jerusalem had fallen, and the people were dragged into exile in Babylon. But instead of telling them to pack their bags or live out of temporary tents waiting for an immediate rescue, God issues a radical command: plant roots, build houses, multiply, and actively invest in the flourishing of their captors.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
When you experience a sudden shift in culture, or a personal season of hardship, is your initial instinct to "set up camp" temporarily and try to get out of the place/situation or to actively "plant roots" and build?
God tells the exiles: "If the city prospers, you too will prosper." How does this challenge the way we view our secular neighborhoods, workplaces, or local institutions?
PART 2: DISCERNING TRUTH AMIDST THE NOISE
In Jeremiah’s day, popular but false prophets promised an immediate return to Jerusalem. They told "tall stories" that people desperately wanted to hear. Today, we face a similar flood of cultural narratives shaping our desires, fears, and view of the future. Isaiah 59:14 laments that "truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter." We must deeply question the forces shaping our lives, our minds, our imaginations. Are we inviting the voice of God into our concrete plans for the future, or are we simply formulating our own ambitions and asking Him to rubber-stamp them with a blessing?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What are the dominant "voices" (media, politics, consumerism, social circles) currently forming your worldview? How do we actively filter/block/ignore those inputs to hear God’s voice?
Reflect honestly: How many of your major plans for the future do you truly invite the voice of God into? Do we want God's actual, disruptive plan, or just his blessing on ours?
PART 3: SEEKING THE SHALOM OF THE CITY
The Hebrew concept of Shalom is far deeper than just the absence of conflict. It includes holistic peace, prosperity, systemic justice, societal wellbeing, and restored hope. Seeking the shalom of the city is an awesome, collective calling that every believer has a part to play in. It underpins what it means to be a “presence-based church” —moving into spaces of pain rather than withdrawing from them. We see this tangibly in our own history through initiatives like the Addington stream cleanups, West Spreydon school turnaround, Regenesis, local community housing projects, or simply learning to be exceptionally good neighbours.
"Vocation is where your deepest gladness and the world's deepest hunger meet." — FREDERICK BUECHNER
When our individual and collective passions intersect with the acute needs of the world under the leadership of Jesus, all four foundational relationships (with God, self, others, and world) come into structural harmony. This is the manifestation of shalom.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Where have you recently witnessed tiny pockets of "shalom" breaking through in your local community or neighbourhood?
Reflecting on Buechner's definition of vocation: Where does your group’s collective "deepest gladness" intersect with your neighbourhood's "deepest hunger"?
PART 4: FACING THE REALITY OF EXILE & LAMENT
Its helpful to acknowledge that we no longer live in a Christian society. We are "strangers in a strange land." It is dangerous to mistake our calling for a form of structural nationalism; working for the shalom of our city is fundamentally different from a nationalistic desire to dominate or control the state. Jesus' kingdom is not of this world, though it resides in our hearts. Living in exile means feeling the pain of societal fragmentation, commercialisation, and vulnerability. It requires us to maintain an "inner wailing wall" of genuine lament.
"Our society is so fragmented, our family lives so sundered by physical and emotional distance... that there are few places where we can truly feel safe. I notice in myself how often my body is tense, how I usually keep my guard up, and how seldom I have a complete feeling of being at home... The fragmentation and commercialisation of our milieu makes it nearly impossible to find a place where our whole being—body, mind and heart—can feel safe and protected." — HENRI NOUWEN, LIFE OF THE BELOVED
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How does Nouwen’s description of physical and emotional fragmentation resonate with your own daily experience of modern life?
Why is the practice of regular, shared lament ("Your kingdom come, your will be done" wept over the pain of our world) essential to keeping our hearts alive in exile?
Practices:
Individual Practices:
1. The Voice Audit:
This week, take inventory of the content and voices you allow to form you. Intentionally turn down the volume of cultural "noise" (news cycles, podcasts, algorithmic feeds) and spend 15 minutes a day in silent scriptural contemplation, asking God to shape your imagination.
2. Thrive in Place:
Actively reject the spirit of "temporariness" in your current living situation. Commit to one long-term investment in your immediate physical environment: plant something beautiful, introduce yourself to an unreached neighbor, or consistently support an independent local business.
3. Street-Level Intercession: Walk your physical street or neighbourhood once this week specifically to pray for its peace and prosperity. Pray for the families by name where you know them; pray for healing over localized loneliness, anxiety, and brokenness.
Community Practice:
1. Localized Presence Projects:
As a small group, choose one local institution or space to bless with no strings attached. This could look like partnering with a local school for a maintenance day, initiating a neighborhood stream/park cleanup, or hosting a free block barbecue for your immediate neighbors.
2. Liturgy of Collective Lament:
In your next gathering, set aside 10 minutes specifically to practice lament. Write down structural pains in your city (e.g., housing shortages, isolation, environmental degradation) on a shared page and pray collectively over them, intentionally resisting the urge to jump immediately to cheap optimism or quick fixes.
3. Vocational Mapping Exercise:
Spend a session mapping out the unique skills, passions, and resources present within your group. Identify one clear, shared neighborhood hunger that your group's collective gladness is uniquely equipped to meet.
Additional Resources:
For a printable version of this guide click here.