Jeremiah 31:27-34
Revised Common Lectionary
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 19, 2025
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry once again finds himself in trouble — though this time it isn’t his fault. At the end of the previous book, he witnessed Voldemort’s return and told the truth, even when many refused to believe him. Because he won’t take back his words, a new Hogwarts teacher reprimands him with detention.
During his punishment, Harry is told to write the sentence: “I must not tell lies.” But as he writes, he feels pain in his hand. Each word he writes on the paper appears carved into the back of his hand, leaving the words cut into his skin, bleeding, and eventually scarring. The teacher insists this cruel punishment will ensure Harry never forgets the “lesson.”
I was reminded of that scene as I read Jeremiah 31:27-34. The opening verses indicate that a new day is dawning. After years of a liminal existence in exile, God now announces that the time is coming to build and to plant. The future includes a new covenant that God will “cut” with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
At the time, covenants were made and recorded in stone, much like the tablets of the Ten Commandments, with the covenant literally cut into the rock. But here God has something more in store. Not just stone commandments or a visual reminder that you might see from time to time if you happen to be in the right place. No, God is going to write, to cut, to carve, or even better, to engrave this covenant on the hearts of God’s people. And this new covenant is one they will never forget.
It’s a powerful image: God’s promise and covenant engraved on our hearts – not painfully as in Harry Potter – but lovingly. Hearts transformed by the love of God seem especially appropriate and vital for this moment in the church and the world. Our faith in Jesus Christ is so much more than just knowledge in our heads, or words that we speak, or a checklist of things to which we approve. Our faith is embodied; it is lived. God’s intention and law permeate our lives through our actions.
As theologian Lee Camp describes in Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World, we are set apart from the world by a radical discipleship. Just imagine if we and our churches truly loved our enemies, practiced forgiveness, and shared our provisions as Jesus did — we would be regarded as far-out, as extreme by the status quo. But even more than that:
“The word radical simply means ‘to the root.’ And it is in this sense that the Christian faith is radical: it demands thoroughgoing transformation, thoroughgoing conversion of every realm of human endeavor, in personal relations, economics, and politics, in homes, culture, and social order. The gospel demands radical discipleship.”
Yes, a theology “to the root” is embodied. This seems to be God’s intention in engraving a new covenant on human hearts. Being in a relationship with God means consenting to a transformation of your mind, life, and community for love, peace, reconciliation, justice, and joy.
Now, there are times when Jeremiah’s vision sounds like a fantasy to me — particularly after watching the evening news or scrolling through social media feeds. The forces of exclusion, fear, and hate have returned, or have they ever really left? And yet, God’s call to us remains the same: Tell the truth. Embody a covenant of love and grace.
Perhaps the Lord’s final promise in these verses can encourage us: “I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.” Our sins are forgiven. Each and every day, we might begin fresh and new.
Questions for reflection on Jeremiah 31:27-34
- What is a truth that you will never forget? Have you ever paid a price for telling the truth?
- How do you embody the good news of the gospel? What does it look like to live grace, love, or justice?
- How do you react to Lee Camp’s understanding that the gospel is “radical”? How might you or your congregation practice radical discipleship?
- As you watch the evening news or scroll through your social media feed, what place do you see for forgiveness as we seek the new world God desires to build and plant?
View the corresponding Order of Worship for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
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