Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. – Isaiah 64:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 7, 2017): Isaiah 64

We are all in process. Nothing inside of us is set. We are a continuation of what we were yesterday. But the direction of the continuation is also not set. It is really up to us. Which way do you want to go?

This is the story of our lives. We are born and from that first gulp of air that we breathe in, the process of shaping us into who we will be begins. We are shaped throughout our early years. We learn to walk and to dress and to tie our shoelaces. We leave home and learn to play and co-operate with others. We learn to count and to read. The process continues as we learn to reason and to argue – to think past the concrete things that held our attention in earlier days.

And then something strange happens. At some point in the continuing process, we decide that we have learned enough. And so we stop. Soon we decide that we are too old and that we can’t learn anymore. This is just who we are – there is no more. It is like a marathon runner running a race and deciding halfway through the course that the race is over – that we don’t have to run anymore. We just leave the track. Because we quit, we will never know what we could have done – how far or how fast we could have gone. All we know for sure is that we quit.

Life is a marathon race that starts with our first breath and ends with our last. And in between, we are shaped. Learning takes place and often learning hurts – the shaping is painful. The easy path is to quit – to stop learning and say that we have learned enough. But that is walking away before the race is over.

God reminds Isaiah that the contest continues – that we are in process, and sometimes the process hurts, but the Potter is molding the clay into something beautiful. We just need to stay on the path and continue to let him shape us. Our faith tells us that the Potter knows what he is shaping the clay into – what it is that he is trying to bring out of us.  And we submit to the Potter’s shaping hands.

Day by day, under the guidance of the Potter, we are becoming more like Christ. The Potter is shaping us. Sometimes the process is painful. But don’t quit the process – stay in the marathon. Trust that the Potter knows what it is that he is doing.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 65

“I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. – Isaiah 63:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 6, 2017): Isaiah 63

The description in Isaiah 63:3 is almost gothic in nature. We have seen the story line so many times before. The battle is enjoined, and at the end of the fight, only one man remains. He emerges from the battle alone, soaked with the blood of the enemies that he has killed. It is an ancient image; an image that is used by many of the ancient authors. For Aristotle, this is also a description of courage. Aristotle believed that courage was an action undertaken selflessly, always in battle and always in the pursuit of a noble cause. Courage is not always victorious, but when it is, this is the way that courage emerges – soaked with the blood of the enemy.

Maybe because it is a familiar ancient image, it might not be surprising that it is an image that is employed by Isaiah. But, at the same time, the image has been a hard one for scholars to interpret. From a historical perspective, the idea of a military victor that fights for the freedom of the Judean exiles is an appealing one. It is a picture of the lone warrior, a military Moses that fights alone for the lives of those being held captive. But the problem is that it never happened – or at least such a battle has never been recorded.

Another option is to interpret the passage as being Messianic in nature – or having to do with Christ. But the passage also presents challenges to that interpretation. Two of the primary objections are that Jesus was not from Edom (as is indicated in verse 1) and that, while the image of Jesus dripping with blood is a common crucifixion image, it can’t be said that he is dripping with the blood of his enemies – the standard gothic image is just not a Christian one.

However, the interpretation may still be warranted. The essential work that Jesus did on the cross, he did alone. And the work had to be done alone – no one else could sacrifice themselves for our sin. But beyond that, while Jesus was not an Edomite (or Idumean), Herod, the reigning king of Israel, was of Idumean heritage. And this prophecy may simply be an indication of the breadth of the work that Jesus did. It was not just for Judah that Jesus did his work, but for the entire world which included, during the time of Jesus, the foreigner that was sitting on the throne of Israel. But another image is also present in this passage. At the time of Jesus crucifixion, Pilate, the Roman Governor in charge of the area, washed his hands of the situation indicating his innocence. At the same time, Jesus voluntarily took the blood and guilt of the people onto himself. Jesus was drenched with the guilt of his enemies, and therefore he was drenched symbolically by their blood. His work, done alone, was accomplished for all – even those who were considered to be his adversaries.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 64

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. – Isaiah 62:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 5, 2017): Isaiah 62

Nineteenth Century poet Ralph Waldo Emerson argued that “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” Too often the reality seems to be the reverse. We find people in our lives that appear to want to limit us to something less than we can be. Of course, it is entirely possible that we are the biggest limiter that is placed on our lives. We always seem to have excuses for why we should not reach higher or stretch further. We consider ourselves to be too busy or maybe we think that we don’t possess enough talent. We believe that our fate is to be mediocre, which tends to be a place that we can reach with expending much effort. But what we have always needed was to be inspired.   

God says that he will refuse to keep quiet. For the sake of Jerusalem, he will press on, inspiring the people until they become what they were intended to be. At the time Isaiah spoke these words, the situation for the returning exiles was still bleak. Yet, God had determined that he would speak of the hope of what the future held for the Jews instead of the limitations that the present had placed upon them. In the end, Judea’s salvation would shine out like a blazing torch.

I am not sure that God’s job is ever completed. There is always something more toward which that we can, and should, aspire. Our vindication and salvation are never really complete. And God keeps pressing us toward that next step that we need to take; helping us to love more, and to be the force in this world that God has designed us to be.

I also believe that we, as followers of this “not silent” God, are supposed to be the presence of God in this world. So even if we are raised to such lofty heights that we no longer need God to press us toward what we were intended to be (and no, I do not believe that that moment ever arrives), we become the ones who refuse to be silent. Rather are a vocal encouragement to those who surround us on a daily basis, inspiring them to become more than they are and to take steps toward the person that the God of this universe created them to be.

This we do together, because God created us for something, and he believes that we are worthy of his purpose.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 63

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners … - Isaiah 61:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 4, 2017): Isaiah 61

I spend a lot of time thinking about community. Part of the reason is that community is so integral to the Bible, but sometimes so foreign to us. Community can take many forms, and I think all of them are valid. But in the end, community also needs to have a purpose. It isn’t about cliques – but real community is something that tears down the barriers that we seem to put up all around us.

I have been privileged to have spent some time with people that believed in what Isaiah says here – that the Spirit of the Lord is on me (or maybe us – the community) for a particular purpose. We will preach the good news to the poor. We will minister to those that are broken, those that are captive – because, in reality, they were (and are) us. 

As a church, I think that is part of the problem. Somehow as we minister we forget who we were before Christ. Someone preached the gospel to us when we needed it (not when we deserved it.) Who we are today is a product of God loving and our growth in him. If you claim Christ as your Savior – then he has changed you. You can’t stay the same. But somehow we must remember from where it was that we have come.

I believe that it is the presence of the Spirit in community that gives us our purpose. We are a people on a mission. That mission is to advance the kingdom of God through prayer, the purposeful sharing of the Gospel of Christ, and a prodigal (wasteful) love for those around us. It was the gift that was given to me when I needed it, and I can do no less than to share it – but I can’t do it unless I can say with Isaiah – the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me – and on us.

And so the community continues to grow. Will you join me!

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 62

“Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion. – Isaiah 60:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 3, 2017): Isaiah 60

Does Israel matter? I just finished reading a military thriller about a secret American Military Intelligence force trying to chase after the tomb of Solomon. But there was one moment, just as all of the action was beginning, that grabbed hold of my imagination. The concept that the author was trying to sell was that finding the Tomb of Solomon, and maybe the Temple furnishings of the Second Temple, would cause great concern in Israel. After all, it would confirm the Jewish right to inhabit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem which is currently under Muslim control. The key to the struggle that was featured in the book was that the Muslims would want to find the treasure so that they could hide it, or destroy it, thus keeping Temple Mount under their control.

To be honest, the idea was foreign to me. First, I am pretty sure that the treasure of the Temple is long gone. No one is going to stumble upon it anytime soon. But more than that, I always assumed that the struggle over Temple Mount was not because the children of Islam did not believe that the Jews have a right to Temple Mount, after all, we are in possession of the Wailing Wall, which we believe with almost certainty to be the Western Wall of Herod’s Temple. The problem is that both Islam and Judaism feel that they have a right – maybe an equal right although neither side is going to admit that – to occupy Temple Mount, and Islam is in possession of the Holy Site and do not want to give it up. Islam has built some of their holiest buildings on the top of the same mountain where Herod’s Temple stood until the Romans pulled it down.

And the Christians? We smile a lot. I have commented that I am not convinced that God ever wanted a Temple built to serve his name. He was all right in a tent (and I am not sure why a tabernacle like tent has not been built and placed in Israel to serve the God of Creation as outlined in the Torah). God told David that a son of David would build the temple, and there the wires got crossed. David thought that God meant Solomon. I am pretty sure God meant Jesus. There is no question that God accepted and blessed Solomon’s Temple, but that was after it was built. God had never asked for it to be built. And so while our Muslim and Jewish brothers and sisters fight over Temple Mount, As Christians, we believe that we are in possession of the Temple - Jesus.

So back to our original question – does Israel matter? And the answer is yes. As Christians, we are placeholders, protectors of what I believe is the true Jewish faith. We have built the walls for Israel. Foreign Kings and Queens have served the God of Israel. And one day, Israel will wake up and join us in worshipping their God, and their Messiah, and the true Temple intended by God when he spoke through the priest Nathan to King David. Together we will worship Jesus.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. – Isaiah 59:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 2, 2017): Isaiah 59

One of the saddest things for me is to sit with someone that knows that they need to change the direction of their lives, but they lack the courage to do it. In Ephesians, Paul says that we are created to be God’s masterpiece. Most of us wake up in the morning, and when we finally get around to looking in the mirror, well, we don’t see the masterpiece. We see something else. We keep looking for the masterpiece – but it is just not there.

So we just keep on keeping on. We take one step – and then another. And we make do with who we are – and we try to forget about who we want to be. At some point, we just give up on the dreams we have and we … settle. Settle is such an ugly word.

Can I change me?  No. Left to my own desires and devices, I will always be the same as I am now … or worse. It is kind of like sitting in a little red wagon on the side of a steep hill. And we know that once the wheels on the wagon start to roll, we only have two choices left to us -  we either go downhill or we can wreck, and sometimes we do both.

God created me (and you) as his masterpiece. And maybe some kid has come up to us with a ball point pen and scribbled all over us – and maybe that hides the masterpiece that we were created to be, but the masterpiece is still there under all the extra ink.

What we need is not for us to decide to change, but rather God to come and restore. What we need is not the courage to do the work ourselves, but rather the faith to let the one that created the Masterpiece that is us – recreate it again. In the words of Isaiah, his arms are not too short, and neither are his ears to dull for the job of restoration that is at hand. But he will wait until we give him permission to work in us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 60

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. - Isaiah 58:3-4

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 1, 2017): Isaiah 58

Otto Frederick Warmbier died on June 19, 2017. He was 22. His death was at the hands of a North Korean Government that convicted him of tearing down a propaganda poster from his hotel. The sentence for his theft of the poster was 15 years hard labor. What happened next none of us really know. But about two months after his imprisonment he suffered some kind of neurological damage which resulted in a coma from which he never recovered. The young man was returned home and died surrounded by his family. It was a tragic ending to a life that had been filled with promise. And a death that simply should never have happened. There is no way that the sentence was appropriate to the crime.

A week after his death, a report was published in USA Today that a University professor had said that Warmbier got what he deserved. The comment, which should have never been made, was posted on Facebook. (Okay, people listen to me. SMARTEN UP. If you can’t say something nice on Facebook or Twitter, then don’t say anything at all. If you must write it down, do it in a Word document and save it on your computer so that you can delete it when you come to your senses. But whatever you do, DON’T PUT IT ON FACEBOOK. The sermon is done.) According to the ill-fated Facebook post, the professor argued that Warmbier had exhibited "typical of a mindset of a lot of the young, white, rich, clueless males who come into my classes."

Did I mention that this post should have never been made? Okay, having said that, she is also right. Not that Warmbier got what he deserved; that comment was mean and over the top and made absolutely no sense. He stole a poster; at worst fine him and kick him out of the country telling him never to return. But the part that described us as a bunch of spoiled brats is entirely true. I wouldn’t limit the comment to young, white, or rich, (or male for that matter), but the truth is that we all seem to be clueless about the way that the world works. None of us think out the end result of our actions. And it surprises us when things go desperately wrong.

It is also apparently also not a new phenomenon. Isaiah chastises his readers about the way that they live their lives. They fast so that God will come near, but at the same time, they have no concern for the things of God. They exploit each other and quarrel, and often end up coming to blows with each other, and yet they still expect that the God will honor their fasts. They were acting like spoiled brats, and God was going to ignore them. Their voices would not be heard until they started to live with some sort of unity present in their lives. As long as they behaved like spoiled brats, God would refuse to honor their prayers and fasts.

And maybe the same sentiment should extend to us.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 59