This week, we begin several sessions drawing on the prophet Jeremiah. I was curious, so I dug around a bit to see what the name “Jeremiah” means. I am no Hebrew scholar, but it is obvious that Old Testament scholars do not agree on the meaning of the name.
Does it mean “appointed by God”? Does it mean “God will establish”? How about “God will raise up”? One writer says, “Jeremiah” means “Loosen the name of God.” Another suggests it means “Yahweh throw.” Here’s another one you can look up: more than fifty years ago, there was a popular song, “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog.” It is suggested that the writer of the song was inspired to do so after reading the biblical book of Jeremiah.
The prophet remembers how he felt God’s claim and call upon him. In fact, he recalls that he protested the call by asserting “I am only a boy!” (Jeremiah 1:6). That makes me wonder when I have questioned God’s claim upon me. Calling me, Lord? I am not educated enough. I do not have enough experience. I don’t know how to make things clear to others. I don’t have a certain understanding of Your divine purposes. I don‘t have enough money to do what needs to be done. I am busy with other things You asked me to do. I’m not sure what it is You want me to do.
It is interesting in this first chapter of Jeremiah that the prophet records visions and images as ways God communicates with him. In Jeremiah 1:11-12, an almond tree is a symbol of how God will bloom in victory when God’s purposes are fulfilled. (A similar garden image is noted in Jeremiah 24:3.) God asks Jeremiah what he sees, and it is “a pot boiling over from the north.” The prophet understands that the faithful need to prepare to push back against those who would defame God and God’s people.
What images bring God’s truth to you? How about the various colors during the seasons of the Church year? How do they speak to you? What do you think/feel when the pastor makes a sign of the cross when giving the benediction? What truth is revealed to you when you dip a bread crumb into a cup of grape juice? God is still using visions, symbols, and images to get God’s word to us.
