community group discussion guide
introduction
The start of 2025 kicks off a season in our church where our ministry focus through June will be centered around shalom, which is a way of speaking about “holistic flourishing.” When God made the world, the world flourished in every direction. Sin was, and is, the breakdown of shalom, and the gospel means the restoration of shalom. Over the next 9 weeks, we will look at why and how our church is called to pursue and promote shalom in our city.
We begin this series with three weeks in Jeremiah 29, which has been a key text informing Redeemer’s vision in New York City. Each week, we will consider a different theme that’s brought out in the passage, starting this week with the theme of “exile.”
opening question
In what ways have you experienced a sense of exile in your life, whether physically, socially, psychologically, or spiritually?
read Jeremiah 29:1-9 (NIV)
1 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
Take a few moments to reflect on the Scripture. Share some insights, questions, or points that strike you. Then read what follows.
exile
The prophet Jeremiah addressed the people of Israel during a turbulent time in their history, leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in 587 BC. Following their downfall, many of the citizens of Jerusalem were taken into exile to Babylon. This was also a period of widespread unrest throughout the Babylonian empire, so it was only natural that many Jews hoped for the collapse of Babylon and a speedy end to their exile. They longed to return to their land, with all the institutions and social structures (i.e. political independence, religious worship of Yahweh) that gave their lives meaning. Into this context, Jeremiah writes a letter to the exiles that they should prepare for an extended stay and settle into their lives in Babylon. They were to get used to life in exile as a minority group with few rights and vulnerable to the superior power and shaping forces of the surrounding culture. It was not ultimately Nebuchadnezzar who had brought them into exile, but God (v. 4).
In many ways, the Jews’ social location as exiles in Babylon is a picture of Christians’ theological location as exiles in this world. The author of Hebrews says that followers of Jesus live with the awareness that they are “foreigners and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13). An exile is someone who’s been displaced from their homeland and now lives in a world that is foreign. Socially, they occupy a position on the margins and fringes of their world. Psychologically, they often experience a sense of loss as well as a longing for their true homeland.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, they were exiled from their true home in paradise and humanity was then consigned to live out their days in exile. Under the spiritual exile of separation from God, many of us also know what it’s like not to feel at home in this world. Many major biblical characters, from Abraham to Moses to David, knew what it was like to live in exile. Hebrews 11 describes such people of faith as living in tents rather than houses, or choosing mistreatment in following the Lord rather than making themselves too at home in this world (Hebrews 11:9, 25). They were able to patiently endure lives as exiles because they believed that God was bringing them to their final home where all sin and suffering would be no more.
Jesus himself had tasted the sting of exile. In his childhood, his family fled to a foreign land to escape persecution, and in his adult life he had nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). In his death, the one who for all eternity had dwelt with the Father was exiled from his presence, crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) He was exiled so that anyone who trusts and identifies with him might be reconciled to God and destined for an enduring and glorious home forever.
“The state of God’s people is one of profound exile, of living in a world to which they do not belong and looking for a world that is yet to come.”
—Iain Duguid
- How does exile reflect the human condition, and how does the Bible offer hope for those in exile?
- In what ways does being an exile affect how we view success, comfort, and happiness in this world?
- How might God use exile to shape our character, purify our desires, and deepen our longing for him?
the two cities
Imagine the kind of reaction the Jewish exiles had when they heard Jeremiah’s letter being read. They had been languishing in captivity, resenting their oppressors, bemoaning their fate, and longing for deliverance. They were hoping that God would tell them to revolt or to circle up the wagons in a fortress mentality. The last thing they expected to hear was the charge to make themselves at home in exile. But God had a mission for them even in their exile and suffering. He was going to build his city right in the middle of Babylon.
St. Augustine (354-430) was the first theologian to provide the distinction between “the two cities.” There is the earthly city in which we now live, and then there is the heavenly city of which Christians are a part and for which we are destined. In this life, we live as exiles in the earthly city knowing that we belong to the heavenly city. Being an exile means that we are not to fall in love with this world (1 John 2:15). At the same time, it means that we participate in building the City of God right in the middle of the City of Man. As much as is possible, we join God in building a city of peace and flourishing on this earth. We will look further into this in the weeks to come.
- How does being an exile shape the way Christians view their identity, priorities, and relationships in a secular culture which is often inhospitable and sometimes hostile to the Christian faith?
- How can we embrace our status as exiles without becoming isolated, bitter, or disengaged from the world around us?
- How did the Israelites in exile maintain their identity as a people in Babylon, and how can the church today maintain its identity in a secular culture?
announcements
- Thursday, January 9 | Pilates & Friends, 7-9 pm, 5th Floor
All women are invited to start the new year investing into their whole well-being. Join with other women in Pilates practice and a topical discussion dinner. - Sunday, January 12 | Vision Sunday, 9:30 &11:30 am
Don’t miss the special Sunday service where we’ll delve into why and how our church is called to pursue and promote shalom in our city. - Thursday, January 23 | Asking for Great Things, 7-9 pm
Please make every effort to attend this evening with guest pastor and author, John Onwecheckwa. Come and be renewed in your own personal prayer life and take part in our church’s growth in praying for our city.
© 2025 Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Th
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