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.
- Jeremiah 29:1
 
The experience of exile proved to be one of the defining moments for the Hebrew community. How would they maintain their identity as God’s promised people when separated from God’s promised place and God’s promised blessings?
 
Communities frequently have to rise to challenges. They rebuild. They restructure. They forgive. And these challenges leave a mark on the community … in some cases a scar, in others a callous, and in still others a pearl.
 
In exile, the Israelites faced the temptation of denial. Though they had ignored the prophets who for generations had warned them that their idol worship and social injustice would lead to exile, suddenly they found themselves eager to listen to anyone who claimed to speak for God. Perhaps this was repentance. Perhaps this was wishful thinking. 
 
A group of self-styled prophets among the exiles in Babylon began to tell the people that the exile would be short-term. They spoke as if they were speaking for God, taking the name of the Lord in vain. And the broader community responded to the good news, ordering their lives accordingly.
 
In Jeremiah’s letter, he calls his people back to reality … to the hard, good work that needs to be done in order to thrive in this new season. And he points them to a God who is present in the midst of exile and at work even in this season.
 
When have you had to be called back to reality? What was that experience like for you? How did you respond?