First, the Bad News – We are in a series of Sundays during which we are exploring the Book of Jeremiah. Last week the scripture and sermon were about the call of Jeremiah to be a prophet when he was but a child. This week the reading is from a section in Jeremiah 2 wherein God’s word delivered by Jeremiah denounces the idolatry and faithlessness of God’s people, thus giving the bad news before giving the good news. This section is very much the language of litigation in which God, through Jeremiah, first lays out what God had done for the people through history and then accuses them of abandoning God. These words are first delivered to people in power: priests, kings, and other leaders. But Jeremiah’s words challenge us to evaluate our own allegiances, whether we focus on ideologies or on ourselves more than on God. Although these words are harsh and challenging, there is always good news in that God has not abandoned the people but is urging them to turn around. Likewise, God is ever hoping we will turn to God, and Jeremiah delivers such words of accusation and hope. The future depends on our accepting God’s desire for us to turn.