When You’re Discouraged – Br. David Vryhof

David Vryhof SSJE 2010Jeremiah 20:7-13
John 10:31-42

You may recall that when God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, he tried to avoid the call by protesting that he was too young.  God reassured him that God would be with him and that he would be given the words to speak.  Unfortunately for Jeremiah, the words that God gave him were harsh words: he was to warn the Israelites that unless they turned from their wicked ways, God would deliver them into the hands of their enemies and they would be carried into captivity. Read More

Short Prayers – Br. David Allen

Jer. 20:7 & 13

Today I want to speak about short prayers.  There are two powerful short prayers in our Reading from Jeremiah. The first of them is, “O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed.” (Jer. 20:7).  The second one is “Sing to the Lord; Praise the Lord!  For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.” (v. 13)

The first of these was the acknowledgment of a call from God, a vocation to the life of a prophet.  It brought with it humiliation and some sense of being shunned by others.  But Jeremiah also overcame that and persevered in his vocation.   That brought him to trust in God and commit himself to serving God. Read More