社群是… 邻近地区
Walt一向都喜欢成为参与他所居住社群的一员。他的女儿还小时，透过女童军和社区节日庆典等等活动，他们认识了邻居。他的女儿替邻居看护小孩，他们因此认识了很多背景不同的家庭。现今Walt年纪大了，他喜欢参与领导社区的小组，他有很多关于与邻居日常交往的故事与大家分享。认识他的邻居和随时尽力帮助他们，是他生活中不可缺少的一部份。
透过耶利米，神告诉衪的子民，要为神安排他们入住的那个城求平安。尽管他们远离自己的家乡，他们的邻居也与他们不同，神吩咐他们要在他们的社区投入精力和积极地参与。到了今天，这个资讯对我们仍然是重要的。
我们不一定和我们的邻居相似的，或许他们有不同的背景、信仰经历、或家庭结构，神仍然期望我们在我们居住的地方、和在我们遇到的人身上下功夫。
无论你在那里，无论你的邻居是谁，我们都应该去认识他们，为他们求平安，在他们身上下功夫，他们就是你的社群。
父啊，求你帮助我们，在你安排我们居住的社群中，成为他们的平安使者。阿们。
耶利米书 29:1-14
1先知耶利米从耶路撒冷寄信于被掳的祭司、先知和众民，并生存的长老，就是尼布甲尼撒从耶路撒冷掳到巴比伦去的。
2（这在耶哥尼雅王和太后、太监，并犹大、耶路撒冷的首领，以及工匠、铁匠都离了耶路撒冷以后。）
3他藉沙番的儿子以利亚萨和希勒家的儿子基玛利的手寄去，他们二人是犹大王西底家打发往巴比伦去见尼布甲尼撒王的。
4信上说：“万军之耶和华以色列的神对一切被掳去的，就是我使他们从耶路撒冷被掳到巴比伦的人，如此说：
5你们要盖造房屋住在其中，栽种田园吃其中所产的。
6娶妻生儿女，为你们的儿子娶妻，使你们的女儿嫁人，生儿养女，在那里生养众多，不致减少。
7我所使你们被掳到的那城，你们要为那城求平安，为那城祷告耶和华，因为那城得平安，你们也随着得平安。
8“万军之耶和华以色列的神如此说：不要被你们中间的先知和占卜的诱惑，也不要听信自己所做的梦。
9因为他们托我的名对你们说假预言，我并没有差遣他们。这是耶和华说的。
10“耶和华如此说：为巴比伦所定的七十年满了以后，我要眷顾你们，向你们成就我的恩言，使你们仍回此地。
11耶和华说：我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们末后有指望。
12你们要呼求我，祷告我，我就应允你们。
13你们寻求我，若专心寻求我，就必寻见。
14耶和华说：我必被你们寻见，我也必使你们被掳的人归回，将你们从各国中和我所赶你们到的各处招聚了来，又将你们带回我使你们被掳掠离开的地方。这是耶和华说的。
Community Is . . . Neighborhood
"Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile." - Jeremiah 29:7
Walt has always enjoyed being a part of the communities he has lived in. When his daughters were younger, they got to know their neighbors through activities like Girl Scouts and community festivals. His daughters babysat for neighbors, and they got to know many families with a variety of backgrounds. Now that Walt is older, he has enjoyed being a part of community leadership groups and has lots of stories about interactions with neighbors as they share life together. Knowing his neighbors and helping them where he can has been an integral part of his life.
Through Jeremiah, God told his people to seek the peace and prosperity of the city that he had placed them in. Even though they were far from home and their neighbors were quite different from them, God wanted them to invest in their neighborhood and be an active part of their community. That message is still important for us today.
We aren’t always like our neighbors. They may have different backgrounds, faith journeys, or family structures, but God invites us to invest in the people and the places where we find ourselves.
Get to know your neighbors, wherever you are and whoever they are. Seek their peace and prosperity. Invest in them. They are your community.
Father, help us to be bearers of peace and prosperity in the communities where you have placed us. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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