“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce” (Jeremiah 29:4-5). Yesterday I was back in the mental health facility to visit my Iranian Lutheran parishioner, Mohammad. He was discharged a few weeks ago (see my posts Sep 27 and Oct 4), but, sadly, had a relapse. We met in a drab common room, where the only amenities were some bottles of water, hand sanitizer, and an electronic alarm clock. Mohammad has been a Christian for years and knows his Bible well. We reviewed some Old Testament history: for centuries practically everyone in the Kingdom of Judah worshipped idols. The Lord commissioned numerous prophets to call them to repentance. Several times, the Judahites did turn from their evil ways, only to fall back into apostasy. Finally, YHWH punished them by sending the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and drag most of the Judahites off to Babylon, where they would be exiled for seventy years. I asked Mohammad whether he could relate to the Judahites. “Oh yes,” he replied. “We Iranians here in Germany are exiles too. We live among people who speak strange languages and have very different customs.” “Indeed,” I replied. “It’s tough…Wherever exiles are, they have two choices: you can give up. Or you can ‘build, live and plant’—making the most of your new life. By the way, I’m an exile too…“ “How so?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “If you think about it, every Christian is. Because we’re often surrounded by a culture that is alien to us in its values and customs.” I asked him to read the above passage from Jeremiah 29. “But at the same time, the Lord *equips us* to embrace the foreign land into which he has placed us. He gives us the strength to forge on. Day by day, and step by step. So, take heart and carry on. The Lord is with you. He has even provided you with a church home, where he strengthens you in His Word and in Holy Communion—even here in exile.” “Amen,” he replied. “Build, live, and plant… That’s what I’m going to do…”
The Tiews in Germany 