Coming Home to Our Kingdom Colony

Fr. Anthony

On this journey we have been traveling together as God’s people at Emmanuel we have recently taken an excursion upon a path I’m gonna call the Capital Campaign, a campaign in which we have been raising funds to work with the Dioceses to purchase the campus at 1300 Shaw Avenue, a campus we believe God has called us to for the unique mission he has given us to be a church for the community, the city, and the whole Diocese of San Joaquin. A part of our journey on this excursion has been a five-part sermon series titled Building and Abiding, which was inspired by God’s word to his exile people in the book of Jeremiah:

Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 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. 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.

As we moved through this series that has unpacked this verse in our context, Father Noah launched by proclaiming God’s desire for us to flourish even as he calls us to live as resident aliens who proclaim to the world what true flourishing is in a relationship with Jesus. Developing this proclamation, Deacon Ted called us to embrace and be thankful for the work that God is doing in our lives amidst the promises and pitfalls of the places he has placed each of us, and particularly in this place where God has placed all of us together as Emmanuel. Again, Father Noah warned us about the refugee mentality, a mentality by which we hold ourselves back from engaging and investing in the place that God has placed us, and he renewed our call to live as resident aliens who engage the larger culture without capitulating to its values and without undermining love. I followed Father Noah’s call with my own call to manage the pain of exile and our inconsolable longing by cultivating the virtue of hope through which we are sustained by a foretaste of future glory in a myriad of ways, a virtue in which we learn meet God in our pain and longing and thereby cultivate an intimacy that enables us to realize that He is our true consolation. Finally, Father Noah wrapped up by impressing upon us the reality that our flourishing is connected to the flourishing of the larger culture, and within that connection he called us to live as good ambassadors of the Kingdom. He further pointed out that good ambassadors love the cultures they are sent to, and they learn to deeply appreciate its unique qualities and virtues, even as they remain loyal to the values and vision of their home country. And putting a bow on the series, Father Noah reminded us that raising money to acquire the property at 1300 Shaw is not an end in itself but rather a means to an end. He reminded us that God has placed us at “1300” to establish a Kingdom colony that goes out and invites in, that goes out into the larger community and invites people into our colony by bringing the hope and healing of the Gospel to those ravaged by Babylon.

The sermon series is over, and our excursion through the Capital Campaign is coming to an end, and in the short time that remains I would like to offer another lens by which we can look at the property God has called us to at 1300 Shaw. On the one hand we are existentially a people in exile, a people for whom this fallen world is not and never will be our home. Likewise, in our recent history we have been a people in exile because we lost our earthly home at Cedar and Dakota when we decided to stand for the Gospel against the ravages of Babylon. In this narrative, God calling us to 1300 Shaw is a kind of homecoming akin to the Israelites returning to the Promised Land. Yes, it is not the home we came from, but it is the home that God is calling us to, and it will become a place we can truly call home because of the gracious work God has done in our lives through our time of wilderness wandering, and likewise through the work he is currently doing through this Capital Campaign in which God is training us to exchange the treasures of the world for the treasures of the Kingdom. Many of you have already made pledges for this great exchange, but to those of you who haven’t, I ask you to ask the Lord to place upon your heart what he would have you do to invest in our homecoming, to invest in establishing this Kingdom colony. And for those of you who have made pledges, I ask that you keep your eyes open for further opportunities that God might have for you to further invest your time, your talent, and perhaps even more of your treasure in this Kingdom colony that we will call our home.

Embracing God's Call: The Importance of Sacred Spaces and Community in Jeremiah 29:6

Author: Dc. Ted

Jeremiah 29:6 talks about God’s people taking wives and having sons, giving their children in marriage, multiplying and not decreasing. The chapter goes on to encourage God’s people to seek the welfare of the city where God as sent them, praying to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare, God’s people will find their own welfare. 

I have been struck lately by the emphasis God places on the places where he has placed his people. The above passage in Jeremiah and the wider scriptures indicate that we didn’t place ourselves in our spaces. That fact that God placed me somewhere gives it special importance in my mind and heart. The plan of God for our lives will unfold in the place where he has placed us. This has encouraged the cultivation of gratitude in my heart. Rather than being insensitive, I am more grateful for the people, the sites, the sounds, the activity, the buildings and structures unique to where we gather together as God’s people on a weekly basis. I think fondly on the times I have been able to gather with the special people God has placed in my life in the particular house of worship to which he has called me.

Secondly, in considering our place of worship, I have been struck by the fact that God places particular importance on the place to which he has called us because that is where we will initiate some of our most profound acts of worship and obedience as human beings in covenant relationship with God. Our house of worship is the place of confirmations and baptisms, marriage and funerals, breaking bread together and receiving the body and blood of Christ. Truly, we walk on hallowed ground when we step into the site of some of our most sacred interactions with God and man throughout the year. 

Finally, I am struck by the importance I discern in scripture that God places on the area that surrounds the principal domain of God’s people, the area that surrounds their houses, churches and countries. Their wellbeing is our wellbeing. What an incentive to get out and seek the blessing of those in our neighborhoods. Somewhat introverted and retiring by nature, this thought has impacted my own desire to cultivate relationships with neighbors and merchants who surround my personal residence. Regarding the neighborhood surrounding my church, getting out of my comfort zone and interacting with those who were formally strangers to me has led to surprising insights and personal growth as well as growing connections and insight into the life experience of others; those who have always been close but out of sight and mind before the effort was made to connect.

Therefore In light of scripture, as we the people of God find ourselves in the sacred spaces where he has led us, one of the blessings we have is that of being called to faithfully steward the sacred site where some of the most holy and intimate acts of human communion with the divine this side of heaven will take place, God willing now and for future generations to come. 

Pray for the City Where You Are Planted: Finding Hope in Exile

By Fr. Wajid

“Pray for the City into which you are exiled” (Jeremiah 29:7b)

Being the followers of Jesus Christ, we christians are well aware that “prayer” is the

lifeline of our faith, a channel of communication with God. It is through prayer that

we align our hearts with God’s will, seek His guidance, and intercede for others. The

true believers are guided to pray in every situation and circumstances for all the

peoples, that is, for friends as well as for enemies, for acquaintances as well as for

strangers. For when we pray for our house, city, leaders, neighbors, and even for our

enemies, we invoke God’s presence among all of us. Prayer cultivates a spirit of

empathy and compassion, drawing us closer to God as well as to humanity.

In the scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament, the people of God are instructed

and guided to indulge in ceaseless prayers in all the circumstances even in

persecutions and exiles. One of the examples we can find in the book of prophet

Jeremiah, “Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper”

(Jeremiah 29:7b), where the people of Israel were forcibly taken from their homeland

and exiled to Babylon—a land of foreign customs and beliefs. In this unfamiliar and

hostile environment, instead of resisting or isolating themselves, and they were

unexpectedly instructed to seek the welfare of their captors’ city and pray for its

prosperity. Such directives, emphasized that their well being is intertwined with that

of their new surroundings. They were taught of the transmative powere of prayer, not

just for the individuals, but for the entire community, not just for friends but also for

the strnagers and even for the enemies and adversaries.

These instructions, though addressed to the Israelites in exile, hold timeless wisdom

for us as believers navigating our own challenges and uncertainties. In times of

adversities we are called to embody resilience, unity, and unwavering faith. For

example, as the Israelites faced adversity of loosing their homeland and the Temple

which held central place in their lives; the early church faced persecutions and

displacement, yet they remained steadfast and continued spreading the kingdom of

God. We too have faced, to certain level, the same challenges and uncertanities by the

loss of St. James cathedral. No doubt, the loss of the sacred space where we used

worship, celebrate, and mourn, can be deeply traumatic, but in this period of exile, the

foreign land which has become our new house for worship (Emmanuel), we are

invited to pray for the peace and prosperity of this place. In the New testament

believers are reminded that though physical structures are significant, but the true

essence of the church lies in its people. Jesus declared that where two or three gather

in His name, He is present among them (Matthew 18:20). This assurance encourages

us to continue our communal worship and mission of building the kingdom of God

here and now. He also assured us that when we ask, seek, and knock, our heavenly

Father responds (Matthew 7:7-8). In short, the Gospels are replete with teachings on

the power and necessity of persistent prayer.

Anyhow, when faced with challenges, we are called to persevere, adapt, and continue

our collective journey of faith. It’s an opportunity to come together as a community,

pooling resources, talents, and prayers. This process becomes a testament to our

collective faith and commitment. Throughout this journey, prayer remains our

foundation; seeking God’s guidance in planning, provision, and unity. Let us remain

steadfast in prayer, support one another, and trust in God’s unwavering faithfulness.