Pastor’s Corner – October 27, 2024
Joyful Return of Exiles
“See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with children and those in labor, together, a great company, they shall return here, with weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble.”
Jeremiah 31:8-9
Yesterday I heard the news that Gustavo Gutierrez passed away. For those of you who don’t know him, he is known as “the father of liberation theology,” after his defining work was published in 1971, “A Liberation Theology.” During college and seminary years I came across his many books such as “The Power of the Poor in History,” and We Drink from Our Wells,” and many others. His writings shaped my theological outlook and made an impact in my ministry. I even had the privilege of meeting him and listening to his lectures during classes when he came as visiting professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and at Drew University. All to say, his passing gave me pause to reflect and remember the relevance of liberation theology today, or more accurately, liberation theologies with a plural with many voices from the margins, or what he would call “preferential option for the poor!”
This coming Sunday we hear from the prophet Jeremiah, his call of the exiles’ return, a promise from God that they shall return with great joy of tears. It is the return from the margins from the far north, south, east and west; people who were displaced as refugees. It is a message of “preferential option for the poor,” the powerless, dehumanized people of the world who are forgotten and expendable, “collateral damage” women and children of war and violence. In the gospel reading for this coming Sunday, there is a name, and his name is Bartimaeus, a blind beggar! His name simply means “Son of Timaus.” It is unusual that the beggar is named at all in the scriptures; so this says something of significance, that the gospel restores his rightful place as a human being who merits the unmitigated love of God. The question I want to reflect with you is this: how do the promise of God in prophet Jeremiah and the story of Bartimaeus speak to us today in our lives and the world we experience? Come, let us worship God who gives us hope and restores our souls. Come Sunday, I have good news for you and for all of us. Indeed the exiles shall return with great joy! Amen.
Pastor Dae