The events of 2020 have brought us to our knees. COVID-19 has taken the lives of over 100,000 Americans and put many more out of work. Under quarantine, many of us—even Christians—have grown lonely and spiritually numb. The murder of George Floyd has prompted our nation to reckon with our legacy of systemic racism, sparking protests and demands for justice. In the midst of these competing crises, it seems like both our society and our personal lives are spiraling out of control.
Despite this personal and cultural exile, the Lord is not silent. What is God’s invitation to us in this upheaval? To answer that question, we will turn to the prophet Jeremiah, whose messages from God to His people contain vibrant and startling images that both expose our spiritual condition and magnify God’s merciful heart toward us.
Over the next 10 weeks, we will see that God wants us back, and He is offering us a fresh hope, a clarified purpose, and a promised season of renewal.
During this series we will be joining with other Anglican churches in Chicagoland—Immanuel Anglican, Cornerstone West Loop, and Church of the Resurrection—with pastors from each of the churches collaborating on the preaching.
June 14 — “A Small Kid Gets a Big Job” (1:1-12)
Pastor Aaron Damiani, Immanuel Anglican Church, Chicago
June 21 - “A Broken Cistern” (2:1-13)
Pastor Matt Woodley, Church of the Resurrection, Wheaton
June 28 - “Scarecrows in a Cucumber Patch” (10:1-18)
Pastor Trevor McMaken, City of Light Church, Aurora
July 5 - “A Fruitful Tree in the Desert” (17:1-13)
Pastor Trevor McMaken, City of Light Church, Aurora
July 12 - “The Potter & the Clay” (18:1-23)
Pastor Eduardo Dávila, City of Light Church, Aurora
July 19 - “A Teeming Garden-City” (29:1-14)
Pastor Casey Solgos, City of Light Church, Aurora
July 26 - “A Homecoming Song & Dance” (31:1-26)
Pastor Nate Beasley, Cornerstone West Loop, Chicago
August 2 - “Buying a Field” (32:1-15, 36-44)
Pastor Eduardo Dávila, City of Light Church, Aurora
August 9 - “The Return of the Shepherd-King” (33:12-26)
Pastor Trevor McMaken, City of Light Church, Aurora
August 16 - “Rescuing the Preacher from the Pit” (37:11-38:13)
Pastor Trevor McMaken, City of Light Church, Aurora
During the series, we'll be putting these symbols of hope into practice through:
Prayer Walking (Download Guide)
The Daily Examen (Download Guide)
The Rule of Life (Download Guide)
Use these along with our study guide personally or in your household. Join a group and journey through Jeremiah together!
DOWNLOAD STUDY GUIDE
Download our study guide for individuals, households, and groups.
Watch this video from The Bible Project outlining the structure and message of the book. Download a poster of their outline for reference here. Watch one of their theme videos on themes that are prominent in the book of Jeremiah, such as “The Water of Life”, or “Exile”.
Make reading the whole book more accessible by reading it in the Message, The Living Bible, or the New Living Translation. Or listen to it with our church’s free subscription to the Dwell App (available till 8/31).
Read Jeremiah along with other biblical books written in the same time period. For some historical literature: 2 Kings 21-25; 2 Chronicles 34-36. For other prophetic texts: Zephaniah and Habakkuk. For the psalms and other poetry: Lamentations and Psalms 74, 79, 83, 94, 115
Study the book of Jeremiah using one of these commentaries as a guide: The Message of Jeremiah by Christopher J.H. Wright, The Book of Jeremiah by J.A. Thompson, or The Old Testament Bible Background Commentary by Walton, Matthews, Chavalas (PDF here)
Listen to a Spotify playlist for this series here.
Download a coloring sheet of the series art here.
Download the Jeremiah Scripture reading guide here.