A Call to Deconstruction

4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

The first chapter of Jeremiah has always been meaningful to me. But like all scripture passages we fall in love with, the Spirit speaks new life at different times in our lives. I first fell in love with Jeremiah 1 specifically for verse 5. In my own journey as a gay Christian, the words "before I formed you in the womb I knew you" were always especially meaningful to me. For years, verse 5 was the focal point of chapter one in my life.

As I've encountered the emerging conversation within the Church, and realized that I identified with a lot of that conversation, a different part of Jeremiah 1 has come alive to me. Though verse 5 is still dear to me, I was recently led by the Spirit to refocus on the last part of verse 10: "to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." A significant role that the emerging conversation plays in my spiritual life is the responsibility to "deconstruct" certain meanings and interpreations of biblical passages. Far from being violent to the text, I believe this deconstruction helps me understand, in new ways, the leading of the Spirit. It also helps me see others where they are, and the valid interpretations of life (and scripture) they bring with them to the conversation.

As Jeremiah was called to uproot and rebuild geographical and political structures, I see a deeper meaning of the word "kingdoms" in verse 10. Walter Wink is famous for his association of evil with faulty social structures, and I see that association in Jeremiah as well. As postmodern Jeremiahs, I believe it is the joy and duty of Christians to tear down faulty structures within the ecclesial and interpretative communities of the Church. But deconstruction is not the final responsibility we have. We are also called, as Jeremiah was, to "build and to plant" structures that bring vitality, health, and hope to the community.

Peace & Blessings.

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