In search of a leader who inspires

   Dempsey's captivating 1998 "Jeremiah" introduced us to the man who uttered these powerful words: "The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah." (Jer. 31:31) Who was this ancient character? Jeremiah was born near Jerusalem between 650-645 B.C.E. His Hebrew name was "Yirm'Yahu" or "Yirm'Yah" meaning, "exalted of Yahweh". For 40 years, he warned his people of coming disaster and appealed in vain to the nation to return to their God. He lived through 5 Kings preaching at a time when his land was caught between two world powers: Babylon to the north and Egypt to the south. His teaching provoked deadly hostilities. He was confined in stocks for announcing the destruction of the city and flogged for predicting its end which eventually happened in 605 B.C.E. at the battle of Carchemish when King Jehoiakim submitted to King Nebuchadnezzar with little or no resistance. About 10,000 prominent people including the royal family were taken to Mesopotamia. A few years later, Jeremiah's "end of the world preaching" became real. The city of Jerusalem was leveled to the ground in 587 B.C.E.
   In his ministry, Jeremiah describes a good leader as someone whom "people need no longer fear and tremble." His life was filled with corrupt leaders unconcerned with people's needs. Jeremiah held them accountable for how they discharged their responsibility. God is not dependent on weak or corrupt leaders to care for his people. In the centuries that followed Jeremiah, his fellow patriot Jesus, believed that leaders should unite, inspire us to aim higher and bring us closer to the God we worship. A tall order!
   Perhaps in this Lenten season of reflection, we too should not be afraid to confront our leaders when they fail to live up to their promises.