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The Fast the Lord Chooses

Isaiah 58:1-12, Psalm 112: 1-10 In our Isaiah passage God tells Isaiah to announce to God’s people, the house of Jacob, their sins. Even though they fast, they oppress their workers, quarrel, and fight. “Is such a fast a day to humble themselves?” God asks. Is it to bow down and lie in sack cloth and ashes – a practice many a devout Jew did? Yet God finds most of them to be hypocritical worship when it’s done in the absence of covenant obedience and the covenant demands for justice and righteousness. God then after describing the oppressive practices by the pious describes what a true fast God desires. Isaiah here gives one of the scriptures most powerful portraits of faithfulness expressed in social justice. God says to loose the bonds of injustice, to let the oppressed go free. He tells of sharing one’s food with the hungry, bringing the homeless into one’s home, and dressing the naked. This is what is said to bring light and healing to one’s life. The Lord breaks it down further...
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God’s Foolishness and Weakness

Micah 6:1-8, I Corinthians 1:18-31 In Micah 6 the Lord has a case against his people. God lists all the things God has done for them. The Lord saved them from Egypt, and brought them safely to the promised land, and saved them from their enemies. The Lord’s saving acts are literally righteousness, deeds that establish a right relationship with God, Israel, and the world. In the wisdom of the time sacrifices and offerings were the acceptable response to the gods. God however says that the Lord does not require the best sacrifices even the giving up of one’s first born (remember Abraham with Isaac, yet God would not allow this sacrifice.) God tells them differently what the Lord requires in verse 8. This should be the proper – good response to the Lord’s redemption. They are to practice justice. This is to set things right between themselves and others. They are told to love kindness. Other translations say, “Love mercy.” They are to maintain a loyal commitment to God and others th...
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Seeing and Being God’s Light

Isaiah 9: 1-4, Matthew 4:12-23 The Isaiah passage which turns out to be a fulfilled prophecy that those in Naphtali who have dwelled in darkness have now seen a great light. This light has shined and has multiplied exultation – intense happiness, increasing their joy like the joy at harvest. This is because the yoke of their burden and the rod of their oppressor have been broken. The New Testament community who knows these verses shown in the quoting of it in Matthew sees these hopes to be fulfilled by a child who would grow to establish a righteous kingdom. Matthew 4 tells about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It begins after John the Baptist’s ministry ends as he is arrested. Jesus seems to be continuing his ministry by shouting the same “Repent.” Yet instead of adding “and be saved” he says, “Repent for the kingdom of God has drawn near.” Jesus has left Nazareth and now lives in the territory of Naphtali which fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus goes around preaching the good ...
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Enriched by Him

Psalm 40: 1-11, I Corinthians 1:1-9 This Psalm passage is attributed to David as a thanksgiving of deliverance by God. It begins with David after he waits patiently, being delivered from the pit of despair to a solid rock. His cry of pain becomes a song of praise. To trust in God like David does is to wait on God patiently. In this salvation from the pit God has multiplied God’s wonderous deeds and thoughts toward him. They are too many to count. He speaks of God’s faithfulness and steadfast love claiming it to keep him safe forever. Surely David’s life has been enriched by God’s multiple blessings including salvation from the pit. In I Corinthians 1 Paul gives thanks to the Corinthians because of the grace of salvation which has been given to them in Christ Jesus. He tells how they have been enriched in him in speech and knowledge of every kind including strengthening their testimony. This is so they are not lacking in any gift. Like David has told of in Psalm 40, God has multipli...
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Delighted and Pleased

 Isaiah 42: 1-9, Matthew 3: 13-17 This last Sunday celebrated the baptism of the Lord. God says the following of Jesus in Matthew, “my beloved with whom I am well pleased.” Our Isaiah passage shares more of God’s feelings for God’s son. He is called “My chosen in whom my soul delights.” The Lord has put God’s spirit upon him and he will bring forth justice to the nations. To the rest of the Israelites God says: “I have called you to righteousness and taken you by the hand and kept you. God has given them a covenant so they can be light to the nations. It is to open the eyes of the spiritually blind. Also to bring out prisoners who sit in darkness in dungeons. This is a metaphor of those imprisoned by sin. The great hope in all this is that though these former things have come to pass God has declared new things. Our Matthew passage is the familiar account of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. John doesn’t feel qualified to do so. Earlier he has said, “I am not worthy t...
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Paying Tribute to God’s Son

Psalm 72:1-7,10-14,18,19; Matthew 2:1-12 Our Psalm is a prayer for guidance and support for King Solomon. It is a prayer that the king will carry out God’s directive to execute justice and righteousness. The poor are under God’s care, thus the king who is God’s representative acts for the good of the poor and needy. His express purpose is to protect the powerless. Then it talks about foreign kings rendering him tribute. Many find this to be a prophecy regarding the visit of the Magi to Jesus. This last Sunday was Epiphany Sunday where we celebrate the visit of the Magi who pay tribute to the Christ child. In fact, this Psalm ends blessing the Lord God of Israel who alone does wonderous things. So, could this Psalm dedicated to Solomon also be referring to Christ? It talks about righteousness to the king’s son – could this be the Prince of Peace – Jesus? In our familiar Matthew passage about the visit of the Magi – the scribes find another prophecy regarding Jesus birth from the O...
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Lifting Up the Lowly

Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 1:47-55 Our Isaiah passage is a poetic oracle of promise. All that is less than whole as God intended will be reversed in a new age. The weak and fearful will be strengthened. Nature will be reversed. Those with disabilities: the blind, the deaf, and the lame will be given new abilities. It ends with the image of a holy highway to bring the exiles through the wilderness to Zion. In our Luke passage we have Mary speaking under a prophetic pulse. This prayer of Thanksgiving contains the themes of God’s concern for the lowly, hungry, and disadvantaged. A very humble Mary states that God has looked with favor on the lowliness of God’s servant. No wonder she mentions that God has lifted up the lowly. Isaiah spoke about the lowly mentioning the blind, deaf, and lame. These are people considered outcasts in society. He tells how God will come and save them overturning their disabilities. Mary is in some ways repeating Isaiah’s prophecy saying that the time the Jew...
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