Copy of Citizens and Exiles - Where in the World is Exile? [Ryan Ashley]

Genesis 3:23-24, Genesis 12:1-4, 2 Chronicles 36:15-20, Lamentations 1:3;11, 1 Peter 1:1, Daniel 1:1-7, Jeremiah 29:4-9

For many of us American Christians, we have no idea what the experience of exile that we read about in scripture was even like. As we start our 2019 journey as a community, it is critical that we pay attention to the theme of “exile” throughout scripture and let this theme reorient us to what it looks like to follow Jesus in the time and place that we live.

“Exile was a period when the promises of the past and the shape of the future had to be evaluated in terms of a new experience without the traditional self-validating structures, such as the monarchy, the land, and the temple.

Rick McKinley Faith for the Moment

“Exile implies more than simple geographical location; it can be a cultural and spiritual condition as well. It is the experience of knowing that one is an alien, and perhaps in in a hostile environment where the dominant values run counter to one’s own.”

Lee Beach The Church in Exile

“Exile is, in its very essence, is living away from home. This is the heart of the Christian faith, as we live away from our ultimate eschatological community. Furthermore, exile is a result of understanding ourselves as distinct people, strangers in the world. This distinction is defined by our relationship with the supreme God and is rooted in God’s call for us to live our lives in accord with this relationship, often in ways that will come into contact with the dominant culture.”

Lee Beach The Church in Exile