在2015年，美國科羅拉多州科羅拉多泉市的地方教會合作，一起服事這個城市，於是一個鼓勵教會愛居住城市的組織（COSILoveYou）應運而生。自此每年的秋天，他們都會推行一項服事該城市的活動，分派基督徒去做社區服務。

幾年前，我和我的孩子們參與這項活動，被派往市中心的一所小學。我們幫忙打掃、除草，還做了一個藝術裝飾。我們把彩色的膠帶纏繞在鐵絲網的圍欄上，勾勒出山脈的形狀，雖然簡單，但卻出奇地美麗。

每當我開車經過那所小學時，圍欄上簡易的藝術作品都會讓我想起耶利米書29章。在那時候，上帝吩咐祂的子民定居下來，並服事他們所在的那座城邑。儘管他們是被擄到巴比倫，並非心甘情願留在那裡，但上帝還是吩咐他們安頓下來。

上帝透過先知耶利米告訴百姓：「我所使你們被擄到的那城，你們要為那城求平安，為那城禱告耶和華。因為那城得平安，你們也隨著得平安」（7節）。這裡的「平安」是希伯來文shalom，意指只有上帝的良善和救贖才能帶來圓滿和豐盛。

令人驚訝的是，上帝邀請我們每個人在所居之地，成為祂平安的使者。在祂差派你我前往的地方，以簡單、具體的方式，創造美好並引領人來歸向祂。

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.