11.17.13 - Are we there yet . . .? How much longer . . .? Scripture Prior to the Call to Worship: Isaiah 12:1-6 1st Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25 – with this reading we see that Isaiah was allowed to prophesy further into the future than any other OT prophet. You will hear words that will take you to the future reign of our Lord; there will be no more weeping or crying. 2nd Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 – One of the problems w/jumping into the middle of a letter we are not used to reading from, is that we lose the context of the words. As Paul wrote these words, they offer us the example of those down through the ages who expect our Savior’s imminent return. Here we have Paul’s rebuke of that type of thinking/living, and he uses his own life as an example As I mentioned last week, we are rapidly approaching the Advent Season. We will celebrate the first Advent, or coming of our Savior, while we await his next coming or Advent. And while we do that, we are not unlike the generations who have gone before us as many believers; then and now, think we are living in what is often referred to as “the end times.” But our Savior’s words were very plain in Matthew’s gospel (24:36) as he said the day and the hour are known only to God. So we find ourselves asking the questions that many children throughout history have asked, including some of our own as we have journeyed from place to place, “Are we there yet? . . . How much longer . . . ?” As we reflect on the readings this morning, they have allowed us to celebrate the future reign of our Lord. Our call to worship praises the salvation God has offered, the prophetic pronouncements offered by Isaiah offer us images dealing w/comfort and the peace of a new world yet to come. Then Paul reminds us to “never tire of doing what is right” (NIV) as he tries to dissuade us from the “imminent return” mentality that so many succumb to. Looking at the passage from Isaiah 65, you need to know that at that point Isaiah saw further into the future than any of the other OT prophets. He was allowed to prophesy to the “new heaven and the new earth” before Christ gave those words of Revelation 21 to John. God gave Isaiah the honor of a “peek” into that glorious future. Our readings from the prophet seem to catapult us from the captivity and exile of Isaiah 12 into the day of promise w/Isaiah 65; the day of no more weeping, a day to come when a child will live out his/her days. The former things will pass away. No matter when or how, it is obvious to all who can read or hear that the new world will be better than the old. Not only will God’s people be redeemed, but all of creation and nature will be redeemed as we are told that the wolf and lamb will feed together. (Is. 65:25) But as the texts for today offer both a future and present hope, we must also be mindful of the world around us as each generation experiences crisis and tragedy: WWI, WWII, Vietnam, 9/11, natural disasters such as the one we have just seen in the Philippines, and the random acts of violence at malls and schools. Additionally, we can watch news reports and see a doctor in Indonesia or Somalia trying to save the lives of infants; or the aid workers that respond to hunger and famine putting themselves in danger in many parts of the world. And unlike 100 years or even 50 years ago, thanks to modern technology; our own eyes can see the brutality not only of acts of nature, but acts of man as governments and religious orders seek to force their will upon others. These are the things, that when we get caught up in them, often make it hard for us to find the hope that we need to find, to rest in the knowledge that God is aware and cares, or to sing a song of praise to God when there is so much suffering in the world. That is why I chose to read the 3 selected passages this morning; they give us an outline of God’s continued work in our lives. The choice is put before us, and it is plainly ours as children of the living God. We can dwell on the negative and stay frustrated by the ignorance, hate and anger that seem to rule this world, OR we can sing a new song praising God for the world that is yet to come as God’s agenda seems to ever so slowly play out. In our reading from Isaiah 12, the prophet expresses great joy as he challenges the people to rise above the darkness of their days of exile and feelings of abandonment. Then in chapter 65 he offers them the future vision of the new heaven and the new earth. These passages not only speak to the people of Isaiah’s day, but they are timeless words for every generation. And then the Apostle Paul encourages us to walk in a manner worthy of our Lord. As we do that we know that as we continue to live out our lives, all that we do must be done to the glory of God bearing witness to the eternal resurrection to come. As the body of Christ, we must make a conscious choice to rise above the symbolic exile of life on this earth, and celebrate the joy found in the words of Isaiah. Our Savior calls us to endure until that anticipated time when the “wolf and the lamb will feed together.” (Is. 65:25) As the body of Christ we are in this for the long-haul. Are we there yet? No. How much longer? Your guess-timate is as good as mine. But until that time, we need to live in such a way that others will experience God’s presence w/in each of us. Is it any wonder that the words of the prophet Habakkuk so often come to mind “. . . how long O Lord, how long?”
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 20:17:35 +0000
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