It's personal.

"This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel... I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach one another or say to each other, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more."

(Hebrews 8:10-12)

The author of Hebrews is recalling the covenant from Jeremiah, where God replaced the covenant with Abraham (which the people had such a hard time keeping). Instead of having to learn God's ways and be told what to do... under the new covenant, God will be with each of them personally.

It's a beautiful passage from Jeremiah 31:31-34. But seen in the context of Hebrews 8, it all points to Jesus. He's our personal connection to God. Emmanuel... God-with-us! Each of us can experience the life-changing presence of the living God.

The "experts" will say that in the most healthy of churches, only 40% of those who come to worship actually get involved in other areas of ministry (bible study, service, fellowship, etc.). Most of our churches are probably closer to 20% involvement. But this vision of Jeremiah (reiterated by Hebrews 8) inspires me that we can be much more! It's a deep pray row mine (and probably every pastor, I'd imagine) that people who call Palmdale UMC "home" will have a personal encounter with the Risen Christ, and will seek to continue that relationship throughout their lives! When that happens, look out Antelope Valley!