Text
Jeremiah 1:5
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’
Reflection
Jeremiah like other eighth century prophets have a call narrative where he informs us how God called him to become a prophet. There are many issues for reflection in Jeremiah’s call narrative but today my focus is on verse 5. God tells Jeremiah that even before he was formed, he had already known him. This is fascinating because God knows us individually even before we are formed in our mother’s womb. This is means that nothing about us is hidden in the sight of God. We are not born by accident even when our conception came as a surprise to our parents, God had already known us. This is means we are all special before God and no one should look down upon him/herself. Secondly, God tells Jeremiah that he consecrated him before he was born. The word ‘consecrate’ means to set apart’ God had already set apart Jeremiah and appointed him prophet over the nations even before he was born. This means that what we read in the call narrative of Jeremiah is a fulfilment of what God had already planned before Jeremiah was born. We are not born just to add up numbers in the world but we are born for a purpose. Jeremiah was born to be a prophet and my question is; what is your purpose for existence in this world. When you have discovered your purpose take it seriously because it is special before God.
Collect
Almighty Father, whose Son was revealed in majesty before he
suffered death upon the cross: give us grace to perceive his glory,
that we may be strengthened to suffer with him and be changed
into his likeness, from glory to glory; who liveth and reigneth
with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for
ever. AMEN
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