Facing Belonging

Albert Bogle October 07, 2026 6 2

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Jeremiah 31: 31–34 (NIVUK)

31 ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband to[a] them,’
declares the Lord.
33 ‘This is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,’ declares the Lord.
‘I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
34 No longer will they teach their neighbour,
    or say to one another, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,’
declares the Lord.
‘For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.’

In this reading, Jeremiah stretches the reader’s mind to think of a time when God’s word will not be written on stone tablets, but will be embedded in the human heart. This means no need for religious bureaucracy or libraries of theology: "They shall all know me, from the least to the greatest." This is the sanctuary — the home where everyone is accepted, loved, and forgiven.

For me, it brings to mind the U2 anthem, Where the Streets Have No Name. Bono’s song refers to the sectarian divide in Belfast where a street’s name would identify you as a friend or a foe, a Catholic or a Protestant. Bono was singing about the coming Kingdom of God where labels were not required: "I want to reach out and touch the flame / where the streets have no name."

This is such a hopeful vision of what will be, our true home, where there are no insiders or outsiders, no favourites, no Jews or Gentiles, no walls, but simply a sanctuary — a place defined by grace. It is a place where no one needs to teach their neighbour to "know the Lord" because God’s love permeates every heart. A place where every artist finds their art, where every dreamer finds their dream, where every imagination is surprised by the beauty, love, and fulfilment that has still to come.

Personal Reflection: Take a moment and ask yourself who do I treat as an outsider? How can I change my tone, my attitude, my silent prejudice?

Prayer:

O Lord,

Come the day when guns are no more,

Come the day when no one counts the score,

Come the day when war is o’er,

Come the day when we can soar.

Lord, come the day when heaven and earth have one common shore.

O Lord,

Come the day when pain and sorrow cease,

Come the day when all will find a place to feast,

Come the day when the greatest will seek the least,

Come the day when all will find their niche.

Lord, come the day when heaven and earth will need no west or east.

Lord, come the day.