Agents of Shalom 平安使者
Dexu Xia
Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Jeremiah 29:7
In 2015, local ministries in Colorado Springs, Colorado, teamed up to serve the city, and COSILoveYou was born. Each fall, in an event called CityServe, the group sends believers in Jesus out to serve the community.
Several years ago, my children and I were assigned to a downtown elementary school during CityServe. We cleaned. We pulled weeds. And we worked on an art project, lacing colored plastic tape through a chain-link fence in a way that approximated mountains. Simple, but surprisingly beautiful.
Whenever I drive past the school, our humble art project reminds me of Jeremiah 29. There, God instructed His people to settle down and serve the city they were in. He commanded this even though they were in exile and didn’t want to be there.
The prophet said, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (v. 7). The word peace here is the Hebrew word shalom. And it encompasses the idea of the wholeness and flourishing that only God’s goodness and redemption can bring.
Amazingly, God invites each of us to be His agents of shalom—right where we are. We’re invited to create beauty and practice redemption in simple, concrete ways in the spaces He’s placed us.
By: Adam Holz
When have you seen shalom restored? How might you use your time, talents, and resources to help your community?
Father, thank You for inviting me to be an agent of Your blessing. Please help me to see how I can serve my community.
我使你们被掳到的那城，你们要为那城求平安。—耶利米书29章7节，和合本修订版
在2015年，美国科罗拉多州科罗拉多泉市的地方教会合作，一起服事这个城市，于是一个鼓励教会爱居住城市的组织（COSILoveYou）应运而生。自此每年的秋天，他们都会推行一项服事该城市的活动，分派基督徒去做社区服务。
几年前，我和我的孩子们参与这项活动，被派往市中心的一所小学。我们帮忙打扫、除草，还做了一个艺术装饰。我们把彩色的胶带缠绕在铁丝网的围栏上，勾勒出山脉的形状，虽然简单，但却出奇地美丽。
每当我开车经过那所小学时，围栏上简易的艺术作品都会让我想起耶利米书29章。在那时候，上帝吩咐祂的子民定居下来，并服事他们所在的那座城邑。尽管他们是被掳到巴比伦，并非心甘情愿留在那里，但上帝还是吩咐他们安顿下来。
上帝透过先知耶利米告诉百姓：“我所使你们被掳到的那城，你们要为那城求平安，为那城祷告耶和华。因为那城得平安，你们也随着得平安”（7节）。这里的“平安”是希伯来文shalom，意指只有上帝的良善和救赎才能带来圆满和丰盛。
令人惊讶的是，上帝邀请我们每个人在所居之地，成为祂平安的使者。在祂差派你我前往的地方，以简单、具体的方式，创造美好并引领人来归向祂。
作者： 何安德
你何时曾看到平安再临？
你如何运用自己的时间、才干和资源来服事社区？
天父，感谢祢让我成为带给人祝福的使者。
请帮助我明白如何服事我的社区或群体