He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps His flock.’ (Jeremiah 31:10 ESV)
Gathered
Between Elon Musk’s satellites, traffic radar, ChatGPT conversations, Facebook algorithms, and shopping crowds, it would appear we are never alone.
But it sure seems like it sometimes.
We are alone when it feel like no one understands us. We are alone when our life’s circumstances are painfully unique. We are alone when we lose friends or companions due to conflict. We are alone when we lose loved ones through death. We are alone when sin separates. We are alone when sin separates us from God. We are alone when sin separates us from each other.
But God has always worked to reunite, commune, and gather.
We see it in His very (confusing) nature of Trinity.
But we see it God’s actions in Scripture and our lives. Babel separates, but Pentecost unites. War tears apart, but peace reunites. Israel and Judah divided, but the Messiah, the True King, reunites. The diaspora divided, but Paul’s missionary journeys reunite.
And that “reunion”ing is accomplished only through Jesus.
Jesus’ life and death and life reunites sinful humans to the loving God. Jesus’ life and death and life reunites those separated by gender, race, or age. Jesus’ life and death and life reunites us with whatever and whoever we have lost. Jesus’ life and death and life gathers, where chaos, and fear, and sin divides.
The answer to our separations, divisions, and loneliness is only Jesus.