Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce (Jeremiah 29: 4-7).

One of my favorite pastimes is playing Minecraft with my three kids.  Minecraft is a video game where players adventure in a very blocky, low-resolution world with the freedom to build, create, and interact with anything in the world.  The game is mostly peaceful and cooperative. But when the sun goes down and the light disappears, skeletons, zombies, and spiders come out to harass the players.

Players can deal with the bad stuff in a lot of ways.  You can craft a sword and fight. Build big walls. Or dig a hole to hide in.  And monsters will go away when the sun returns, but just like the night, they always come back.  

Or you can place a block of light.  Now in the infinitely large world of Minecraft, one light is very tiny, and only brightens a small area.  But monsters are afraid of the light and avoid it.  As players build and create in the world, they start surrounding themselves with these little lights. Eventually these areas that have been lovingly crafted by players start to brighten up.  Even as the sun sets, and darkness comes, these areas of player-created light stay peaceful and thrive.

I distinctly remember one time playing Minecraft with the kids.  We had created a very well-lit village, with farms, houses, and even a nice place to go fishing.  My 8-year-old son remarked during the game, “We’re living our best life!”  

In this chapter of the Bible, times are dark for the Israelites.  But the prophet Jeremiah is telling them not to take up a sword to fight or build walls to push back the Babylonians.  He’s telling them to thrive.  “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.”  Even in exile, they’re being commanded to create and live their best life. As an example of His light in the world, God’s plan is for them to seek peace and prosper.  

As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of Chatham Community Church, it’s great to reflect on the lights we’ve placed in Chatham County.  What started out as a small group of people, planting tiny lights around Chatham County, has grown into a bright light that’s now recognizable by many living here. Chatham County is better because of the lights that we’ve placed.  

And we’re not done.  As a Church, we’re committed to helping people in Chatham County live their best lives through Jesus.

Pushing back the darkness in Minecraft can take a long time, and it’s done one small light at a time.  Think this week about the little lights you’ve placed in your community, and where you can place more this year.  Big or small, each brings more light to the prospering kingdom of Jesus.