“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
~Jeremiah 29:11

Lately it seems the prophet Jeremiah is everywhere. Last week our guest speaker,Phyllis Tickle, used parts of this book of the Bible to talk about the changes in our world and particularly the changes in the church. It was fascinating to hear the wisdom of this ancient prophet so firmly planted in our 21st century world. Yesterday at our Seattle son’s baccalaureate service, this scripture was read to remind the graduating students of the ways in which the Holy has held them and will continue to do so as they make their way in a world that is, as yet, a big unknown. Jeremiah is not a go-to book for most people but it has always been a favorite of mine. I love how the people addressed in this prophet’s words are quite similar to those in this time: people who feel like the life they knew is fraying, how systems that once worked no longer give comfort, how people seem at odds with one another about a myriad of topics. Sound familiar?

It feels good to have a prophetic voice offering a comforting groundedness, a reminder that there is a thread of goodness that is the constant in any and all times, doesn’t it? So often the other messages that fly our way tell the opposite. This is not Pollyanna thinking to remember that, indeed, God’s intention for all of us is one of hope. As the sands shift, whether through change we chose like the graduates or change thrust upon us like movement we see in our world, there is a golden cord of hope, goodness, kindness, gentleness, creativity, that exists at the very center of who we are. We are, after all, the ones who claim a creation story whose repeating affirmation is “it is good, very, very, good.”

Yesterday as I watched these young people, surrounded by family and friends, I thought of the sacrifices made on their behalf to see them stand in this moment of sheer beauty. Their strength and hope was a visible aura around them which was created by a love of parents, teachers, grandparents, mentors, those who had given time, talent, resources, and their very lives to bring this generation of young ones to this moment. As the prophetic words of the ancient prophet Jeremiah were read, I had the visceral experience of what it means to be connected throughout time with those who choose hope. And make no mistake, hope is a choice. To remember and reaffirm that we believe we are held in this hope is a choice. My prayer is that the young people who were present to the love and movement of spirit in that place allowed the seeds of that hope to be planted deep inside them. For their future, for the rainy days, the despairing days, the mountain-top days that will come to them as they come to all.

Today these same students will walk across a stage and be handed a diploma that represents their hard work, their own sacrifices, the mistakes and successes and some body of knowledge they have achieved. This ritual will be different than yesterday’s. The speaker has crafted inspiring words out their own experience which will be heard with the varying lenses of those present. That, and a certain amount of celebratory exhaustion and relief. The words may stick or brush off them like Teflon. They will see some of their friends walk alongside and the professors who have shared what they know will look on. Parents, families, will feel their chests swell with pride.

And from someplace, across the ages, a voice will echo and float above them:”For surely I know the plans I have for you,plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Its’ wisdom will fall on those decked out in cap and gown. And it will also fall on all those who are willing to hear and take up the mantel of hope. For our time. In this place. As it has always been. Since the beginning.