Friends, today we begin the second week in the season of Advent…the first month in the Christian calendar. This is a season of waiting…we remember the 9 months Mary waited for her baby to be born….we remember the almost 10 centuries the people of God waited for the Messiah after the death of King David…and we are reminded that we are also people of God waiting for the return of Jesus and for the world to turn away from sin and turn towards the Lord.
In the season of Advent, we often reflect on the words of the prophets…instructive guidance for people who didn’t always get things right and who were waiting, like us, for God to intervene in the world and make things better.
Last week, Laura preached on the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abeindigo – three followers of God who were loyal to the Lord despite their own great personal risk. They refused to worship a false god, the king of Babylon, and were thrown into a fiery furnace in punishment. God saved them – their story is a reminder that despite impossible odds, and personal risk, loyalty to God will lead to both salvation and rescue.
This morning we read from the book of Isaiah. The name Isaiah means “the Lord saves.” A very fitting name because when Isaiah walked the earth, the people of God were worried God would not save them. The Holy Land had been conquered by the Babylonians – their leaders and priests and royal family and the majority of their population had been forced to walk to Babylon as captives of war – the heroes of last week’s scriptural focus were children of Israel born to the captives in Babylon. The Jewish captives were not sure they would ever return to their homeland – they were not sure they would ever be free – they were not sure they would be able to worship freely or govern themselves again.
In the midst of their despair and their hopelessness, Isaiah offered a word of promise….a word of hope.
Today, we turn to the fifty-fifth chapter of the book of Isaiah. Listen to these words of hope in the midst of despair and darkness.
Scripture Isaiah 55:1-13
“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen
Let us pray….
The Message Seek the Lord
When we are struggling, it is hard for us to have hope. We know this from our own experiences – we can look back over times in our lives when things were bad – perhaps we were looking for a job when nothing seemed available; perhaps we were in a failing relationship and nothing we did seemed to make it better; perhaps we were failing a class in school and we just couldn’t understand the material; perhaps we were struggling with an addiction and no matter how we tried, we couldn’t kick it; perhaps someone we loved was sick and they weren’t getting better. When we are struggling, it is hard for us to have hope.
When Isaiah prophesied, the people of God were in exile. People who once were prosperous, were now struggling. They had little to eat; they lived in squalor; they were far, far away from their former homeland. They didn’t know if they would ever be free again. When people are struggling, it is hard for them to have hope.
Similarly, the situation when Jesus was born was also grim for followers of God. The Holy Land was an occupied territory. Their land had been conquered by the powerful and brutal Roman empire. The majority of people lived hand to mouth. The Roman army policed their towns and cities. They had to pay unfair taxes to the Romans, and the tax collectors took money off the top to enrich themselves. A handful of people thrived by colluding with the occupiers, but the rest of the people suffered. When people are struggling, it is hard for them to have hope.
The people of God who heard the prophesies of Isaiah were also struggling. They were in exile – forced to leave the Holy Land and live in Babylon…hundreds of miles away from home. They had lost their freedom, their sovereignty, their ancestral homes. They were transformed from being the rulers to being the peons – they were slaves who were ruled by the whims of their Babylonian overlords. The kings of Babylon were tyrants who were cruel to the people who lived in their land – last week’s story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abindigo is just one of many examples of their brutality. When people are struggling, it is hard for them to have hope.
So, what was Isaiah talking about? His words invite the exiled Jews to come and be refreshed by living waters and free food. He calls them to embrace the everlasting covenant God made with David. He claims God will pardon even people who are wicked and unrighteous. And, his words promise restoration – the exiled Jews will return to Israel. These words offer hope to people who are struggling – everything will turn out all-right.
And, it did in many ways….the descendants of the exiles returned home and rebuilt Israel. Over and over again, the Jewish people have returned home and rebuilt Israel.
We are also people of hope and promise. Jesus came to earth in the first century to offer hope to people who were struggling then and his words and teachings still bring hope to people who are struggling now.
And, we currently live in a time when people are struggling. Our immigrant neighbors are worried they will be accused of a legal infraction and be deported. The prices of food and toiletries and cleaning supplies have risen quickly for everyone. People’s health insurance costs are also quickly rising, making insurance less affordable. Wars continue to be fought in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Tensions continue to be high among people of different political views, causing disputes between families and neighbors. Every time we turn on the news, we watch and hear more and more stories about how hard things
In the midst of these scary times, we must rely on our God. In the midst of our struggles, God promises us abundance. In times of trial, God promises peace. Jesus’ words to us echo down from the centuries: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Our relationship with God provides comfort and respite no matter what we face. We can depend on God. And, our faith guides us through times of trial and persecution. We can depend on God to never leave us alone. Isaiah’s words remind us of God’s great love for God’s people: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
God created the world to be full of abundance – delicious food, fresh waters, building materials, people who love each other and support each other. Our faith reminds us that no matter what we face, God is with us. And, the promise of God is that we will also experience abundance….things get better. And, we will always have a home with God, the source of our strength and our salvation.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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