The city of Babylon was not number one on the prophet Jeremiah's list of top ten destinations. Yet God had him there, to continue his ministry as prophet to the people of Israel, who were at the time in exile in Babylon. While Babylon and Israel were arch-enemies, and Israel was God's chosen people, that did not mean that God hated Babylon. No, in fact, He told Jeremiah to seek the best for Babylon, to do business with them, marry into their families, and most of all, serve them.
In Jeremiah 29:7 we see that God said to Jeremiah, "Seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf. For in its peace you will have peace." That reminds me that we are aliens, sojourners in exile on the earth, our true home being in heaven, with God. But we're each here, placed here, for a lifetime. Though God will one day take us home when we die or when He comes again, He very much cares about the life we live while here. He wants us to seek the best for the world, because in doing so, we will have peace.
We see in God's conversation with Jeremiah that He wanted Jeremiah to make the most of his exile. It's my goal as a leader of worship to see us as God's people seek the good for Seattle and surrounding cities, because as God said "in its peace we will have peace." This means that seeking the best for your city is actually beneficial to you! So serve your city, get involved, seek peace for it, and pray for it.
Next Wednesday we're putting on the third benefit concert that I've organized in Seattle. Back in February, 360 people came out to Chop Suey in Capitol Hill to sing God's praise and we raised $2,500 for International Justice Mission. In June, 200 people came out for the same event, and we raised $1,000 for IJM. July 13th, we'll be turning our focus inward to our city, to a fantastic shelter in the U-District called ROOTS (Rise Out Of The Shadows). They're a shelter specifically for youth who don't have a home, to spend the night, be clothed and enjoy a free hot breakfast. The Foster Care System is broken and ROOTS has seen a 1,000% increase in youth on the streets in the last five years, many of them spilling out of foster care. In 2010 ROOTS served 524 individuals and saw many get jobs and find permanent housing. But they still need help.
That's where we come in, because in ROOTS' peace, we'll have peace. Because as sojourners on this earth, we're called by God to seek the best for it while we're here. On Wednesday July 13th my band Esoptron along with Kenosis and King's Kaleidoscope will be playing a concert at Neumo's with 100% of all money made benefitting ROOTS. The show opens at 7pm and tickets are available here for $10. Check out the Facebook Event as well. Come out and support them while singing God's praise, because Benefitting others is beneficial.
