I often find myself listening to a poem by Joshua Luke Smith called Sunflowers in Babylon. In it, he provokes the listener to consider how we should live in a broken world.
It’s based on Jeremiah 29, written to the exiled Israelites in Babylon, in which the prophet says: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce… seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
These words resonate with us as Christians living in 21st-century London, because we are also exiles. We face the same question as the Israelites in Babylon: “How should we live in a land that isn’t our true home?”
I have been reading through Paul’s letters over the past few weeks, and I think one of the answers to this question comes in an exhortation that Paul repeats five times in the New Testament (in one way or another): “only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1.27).
In some ways, the word “worthy” is slightly unhelpful, as it might suggest that we need to earn back the salvation we’ve been given in Christ. I don’t think that is what Paul is saying. Sinclair Ferguson explains that the Greek word used here is axios, which means something like ‘weigh the same’ or ‘equivalent to’. Paul’s encouragement is therefore to live lives that ‘match’ the gospel. That our lives embody the hope and redemption that we have received through Jesus.
When I was thinking about this idea, I was reminded of one of our neighbours who, fed up with looking out of his window at a dry patch of grass and the uninspiring architecture of our estate, decided to plant some flowers. A few years on, and that brown bank of grass has become an incredible garden, filled with lavender bushes, beautiful flowers and various other plants and trees I couldn’t name. It is a joy for him, and a blessing to us.
I think that is something of the picture that Jeremiah and Paul are trying to paint. As Christians, living normal lives in London – working, studying, raising children, and whatever else – we are called to “plant a garden”. To put down roots and bring Jesus’ redemptive work into the various spheres of our lives.
What could that look like for you? How can you embody Jesus’ redemptive work to those around you?
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