Foreword to the Book of Jeremiah

A manuscript sermon prepared by the Rev Dr Barry Brown for preaching at
Saint Margaret’s Uniting Church, Mooroolbark on Sunday 24 August 2025.
Some may have noticed the title of my sermon in the Notice slides over
the past two weeks. There are two reasons for choosing this title: (1) Our
UCA lectionary prescribes readings from Jeremiah for 10 weeks from
today; and (2) the passage for today (Jeremiah 1:1–10) is a ‘Foreword’
to what follows in this Old Testament Book. Our reading is also a kind of
‘Prologue’ that announces in advance the key content of the Book of
Jeremiah as a whole.
It may also be noted that this is a ‘teaching-preaching’ sermon. I will first
attend to key considerations relating to the Book of Jeremaiah. Following
a hymn about Jeremiah, the focus will turn particularly to Jeremiah 1:1-
10.
The image of Jeremiah that you see again today is that of a fresco in the
Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, that was completed by Michelangelo in
1512 CE. I have never visited this site. However, like countless others, I
have pondered this image of the Prophet Jeremiah as he sits in deep
and apparently despondent thought. Some might suggest his posture
reflects deep anguish concerning his own personal plight. Others
suggest his anguish reflects the heavy burden of his message to leaders
and people of Jerusalem as they hear his indictment against them and
warnings of the catastrophe and destruction of Jerusalem and its
Temple and of the impending exile of the people. I suspect all the above
formed part of Jeremiah’s anguish. I consider that the prophet was also
anguished over how his words of hope had fallen upon deaf ears.
The Book of Jeremiah is one of the longest books in the Bible, second
only to the Book of Psalms. It is located as one of the Major Prophets.
Our version of the Old Testament is based on the Hebrew text. In the
Greek version of the Old Testament the Book of Jeremiah is shorter,
located differently and follows a different textual sequence.
The historical era is a century or so on from when the Assyrian Empire
had brought to an end the northern state of Israel, leaving only the
southern state of Judah as the viable homeland of the Hebrew people.
Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, were wedged as a buffer between the
emerging powers of Babylon in the north and of Egypt in the south. For

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alliance purposes some leaders in Jerusalem favoured Babylon. Others
(including Jeremiah) were inclined more to toward Egypt.
While Jeremiah is the key figure in the Book the bears his name, he is
not the main character. Yahweh (the LORD), the God of the Hebrew
people, is the main character. Jeremiah is the one commissioned to
speak for The LORD. His message was not so much about political
alliances as it was about the sovereignty of The LORD, and of declaring
that the impending catastrophe of destruction and exile was not an
indication of The LORDS failure to protect the Hebrew people; but rather
was the consequence of their failure and disregard of their part in the
Covenant relationship made between The LORD and the Hebrew
people. Jeremiah’s message was largely rejected during his lifetime, and
this meant that the crucial message of Hope that the message contained
also went unheard.
Jeremiah the man is central to the book that bears his name, particularly
during the first part of the book. The message of the Jeremiah in the
second part of the book provides more a reflection of his message later
remembered and treasured by those who were able to appreciate and
‘hear’ The LORD’S message through the prophet.
Much of what we know as the Old Testament, including the Torah and
the books of the Prophets, have been reworked during or soon after the
Exile period to address the Hebrew people in new and very different
circumstances. This is not dissimilar to the way in which the four New
Testament Gospels have come to us. Each of these four Gospels were
composed within Christan communities one, two, and maybe three
generations after the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Stories about
Jesus and his message were remembered, treasure and considered
sacred. When recorded in and by these Christian communities it was, in
each case, in such a way that they spoke to the particular circumstances
belonging to that community. It is in such a way that the Book of
Jeremiah (and other parts of the Hebrew Bible) have been composed
and have become part of the Canon of the Bible as we know it.
The Book of Jeremiah comprises many voices and forms – poetry,
oracles, prose sermons, narrative, legal lawsuits, acted-out parables.
Kathleen O’Connor in her commentary wrote:
“The book of Jeremiah may best be appreciated as a conversation
among many communal voices that explore, attempt to come to

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grips with, and move beyond the national tragedy that destroyed so
much of the community’s life. The book retells the destruction in
poetic and symbolic forms; it reimagines the past and presents
visions of a new and utopian future that God alone will inaugurate”
(NISB p1052).
The sequence of time and events in the Book of Jeremiah is confusing
and difficult to follow. So too is the sequence of the readings from
Jeremiah in our Lectionary, which does not follow the sequence in the
Bible. They seem, rather, to follow a sequence reflecting the message
given to Jeremaih to proclaim concerning: “… to puck up and to pull
down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant”(Jeremiah
1:10b).
In the Biblical order in the Book of Jeremiah the following topics will be
considered on the Sundays until 19 October 2025:
Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
Jeremiah’s Call for Repentance
Invasion, Desolation and Sorrow of a Doomed Nation
Jeremiah Mourns for the People
The Potter and the Clay
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles in Babylon
Jeremiah Buys a Field (of hope) During the Siege
A New Covenant
We sing now sing, God of Jeremiah, grieving… (words by Brian Arthur
Wren).

Part 2 – Preaching

Recently I finally got around to tidying up my study and reorganising
my library. Now there is one book that catches my eye because of
the large size of the title on the spine. The title, a date, 1835, stands
out as prominently on the spine as on the front cover: 1835: The
Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia, James
Boyce. If time and space permitted, I could mention several matters

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that interest me relating to this date and this book. However, I will
desist.
In our UCA Lectionary, today’s Jeremiah reading commences at v4.
I chose to have the reading commence with verses 1-3. These
verses are a bit complicated and to some extent tedious to read and
listen to – unfamiliar place names, several kings, and dates
described by years and months relating to the reign of the several
kings. Let me simplify what it really says – with a single date – 587
BCE (by our calendar). This is the year the Babylonians destroyed
Jerusalem, its Temple and palaces – a catastrophic day for the
Jewish people. The assault on Judah and its capital Jerusalem had
begun ten years earlier (597) and would continue for another five
years (582). But 587 BCE is the key reference date. This period
sae the deportation to Babylon of the political and religious leaders
and a large portion of the population. It was a time that raised the
vital questions for the Hebrew people – Where is The LORD? What
about the promise of the land? What about the Covenant between
The LORD and his chosen people?
An account of Jeremiah’s Call and Commissioning, in the first
person, commences the main part of the Book. It comprises two
voices – that of The LORD and, in response, that of Jeremiah. The
word of The LORD emphasises the sovereignty and initiative of the
God of the Hebrews people in what is to take place. The One who
must be obeyed and will not be mocked, is the one whose purpose
it is for the Covenant people to learn from the consequences of
disobedience and disregard for their part in the Covenant
relationship.
Jeremiah, like many who are called by God, puts forward excuses
why he is the wrong person for this role – “not good with word… just
a boy” (not experienced enough! Haven’t got the gift!). But The
LORD assures him he will be given what was needed; and he will
be guided, enabled and delivered. Men and women, down the
generations have heard the call of God to preach God’s message.
Frequently there is hesitation. In fact, that is often an indication of
the validity of such a call. Yet, when such a call is responded to in

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trust and obedience, the one who is called is, indeed, enabled and
gifted for the challenge.
The message Jeremiah is to convey is, in poetic form, double
edged: “… to puck up and to pull down, to destroy and to
overthrow, to build and to plant” of (Jeremiah 1:10b).
It is to speak out against kings and political leader announcing the
unthinkable (for those so assured) catastrophe that was to be
experienced. Hard words, hard indictments, hard times ahead!
No wonder Jeremiah was hesitant. No wonder his message was
rejected – for now. No wonder Jeremiah was hated and dismissed.
But the reality kicked in after Jeremiah was himself well and truly off
the scene. Jerusalem was destroyed, inhabitants, homes, palaces,
civic building, and, critically, the Holy Temple. And for about 50-60
years, several generations, a large portion of the Hebrew people
lived in Exile in Babylon. And during this trying time the words of
Jeremiah, or more particularly, the word of The Lord through the
prophet Jeremiah, was remembered – and perceived by some to
ring true and meaningful.
The second part of the poetic message, “to build and to plant”
could only be heard and understood through the bitter realisation of
the experience of destruction and exile. It was the word of Hope
that could only be heard and realized because of the learned-
experience of loss, destruction, grief and honest and deep
reflection.
And so, years later, Jeremiah and his message was valued, retold,
recorded so that future generations might also ‘hear the word of
The LORD’ being address to them in new and different
circumstances.
In the Notices slide mentioned earlier you may have observed I
have prepared this sermon ‘In appreciation of Professor Walter
Brueggeman, 1933-2025’. Dr Brueggemann died just a few
months ago at the age of 92. He was a courageous Biblical scholar
and interpreter of the Bible, especially the Old Testaments. He was
also an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, USA and a
powerful preacher. In my library I have commentaries written by him

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for the Old Testaments books of Genesis, Exodus, 1 & 2 Samuel,
Isaiah, Jeremiah and The Psalms – plus another 20 or so other
books, including three volumes of his Collected Sermons. Dr
Brueggemann’s scholarship and writings have greatly inspired and
informed my understanding of the Old and also of the New
Testament.
I close with reference to his study of The Psalms – in particular his
reflection of their substance. In two of his books (one a simpler
version of the other) Brueggemann identifies some prominent
themes that form part of the Psalms; themes that categorise some
Psalms, and which are included together in the flow of many. His
book, Theology of the Psalms, describes the following:
Psalms of Orientation; Psalms of Disorientation; Psalms of New
Orientation; and Spirituality and God’s Justice.
I find the themes of Orientation, Disorientation and New Orientation
provide a very helpful framework for reflecting deeply upon the life of
Faith. It certainly helps to find meaning in the history of the Hebrew
people, and of the Book of Jeremiah. It is also helpful in understanding
the Christian Gospel concerning the life, death and resurrection of
Jesus. It provides a useful way to understand the past, present and
possible future for the Christan Church. And personally, it provides a
meaningful way by which to reflect upon the seasons and meaning of
our own life and relationships.
Orientation reflects life that is good, safe, satisfying. Disorientation reflects
those times and experiences when life goes horribly wrong. I want to stress
that in this mode of reflection, the word ‘reorientation’ is not used. The notion
and gift of New Orientation is a reminder that sometimes life does NOT return
to normal, as it was previously. Rather, new possibilities, new opportunities,
new challenges and satisfactions appear as gifts of grace – possibilities that can
only be appreciated and grasped because of the disorientations experienced.
This, it seems to me, is the message of God through his prophet, Jeremiah.