000 Allen FMT (i-xxii) - The Presbyterian Leader

Year C
First Sunday of Advent/Year C
Jeremiah 33:14–16
The text for today is from Jeremiah’s prophecy during the Babylonian
exile. Jeremiah 33:1–9 indicates that Jerusalem, destroyed by Babylonian
siege, will be rebuilt and made secure and prosperous. Jeremiah 31:10–11
pledges that life in the land, including in the world of nature, will regenerate.
Jeremiah 31:12–13 looks forward to the renewal of flocks.
Jeremiah 33:14–16 adds to these salvation oracles the promise that God
will fulfill the promises made to Judah and Israel, the reunited nation, by
causing a righteous branch to spring up from David. The key is that this
branch (a ruler) “will execute justice and righteousness in the land”; the
monarch will guide the community in living according to the stipulations
of the covenant. The righteous branch will not tolerate injustice and will
insist on righteousness from the priests and prophets and from other
members of the community. The emphasis is less on the personal identity
of the monarch and more on the covenantal qualities of his rule (Jer.
33:15). Such leadership could save Judah from reverting to the conditions
that led to exile, and the community will live in safety (33:16a). Indeed,
the renewed community will be called “The LORD is our righteousness,” a
name that bespeaks the fact that the community lives according to God’s
values for living rightly (33:16b).
The sermon might ask the congregation to think about leaders—of the
city, state, and nation, in the worlds of business and education, and yes, even
the church. To what degree are such leaders today more like the corrupt
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