A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 3 Day 5

Ornament: Tears

The prophet Jeremiah is sent to warn the Israelites how bad it can get if they continue to remain away from God the Father - and how much the Lord wishes for his children to return to him.


For these things I weep—My eyes! My eyes!
They stream with tears!
How far from me is anyone to comfort,
anyone to restore my life.
My children are desolate;
the enemy has prevailed.

The Israelites are behaving even more terribly than they had in past ages. They make human sacrifices like the pagans, and don't take care of those who are poor, especially widows (women who's husbands have died) and immigrants who have fled worse conditions in other countries. There are even men pretending to be prophets of the Lord and leading Israelites away from the Lord with false commands. 

Then the Israelites are exiled (that means, all of them are forced to leave their homes) from the land of Israel and into a country called Babylon by a king called Nebuchadnezzar. But the Lord tells them through Jeremiah that He, their father, will still be with them. They should not worry but still be cautious of the Babylonian's culture and religion tell them. He reminds them how he wants their love more than anything else:

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.  When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you.  When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart,  I will let you find me and I will change your lot; I will gather you together from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you and bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you.

Connection & Reflection: The tears that we put on our Jesse Tree today show us the depth of God the Father's love for us. We can understand that even though our Lord is all powerful and capable of terrifying things, he instead loves us with the gentleness of a parent. He cries for us when we are hurting and especially when we hurt ourselves by turning away from him and his love. 

Prayer: Father, help us to truly understand your love for us. We know that prophets often spoke warnings that seemed harsh, but we know it helps let us know how much you care and how you are attending to our every need. Give us strength as we get closer to Christmas to seek you with our whole hearts.