Sermons

Isaiah speaks of being called by God for a grand and glorious purpose. The "servant" he writes about is not a single individual, but rather all people. Specifically he speaks of the people of Israel, but I do not believe it is too much of a stretch to hear in his words a bold proclamation for all of us. He writes at a time when the Hebrew people were living in exile in Babylon - far from home, far from the place where their faith found expression, far from all that was familiar and comforting. And into these bleak circumstances Isaiah speaks a powerful word of hope - that God is calling them to a life of meaning and purpose beyond anything they can possibly imagine. He challenges them to begin thinking in truly grand, global terms - to lift their eyes beyond their own perceived limitations and recognize the ways in which they can impact the world. "It is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6) Their purpose in life is far beyond merely taking care of themselves. They are called to be the bearers of God's light into the whole world.

This is such a dramatic vision because it seems to fly in the face of all the evidence.
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Very early in the history of the movement which would eventually become Christianity, people saw in the writings of the prophet Isaiah a description of Jesus. Reading Matthew's Gospel, for example, you can almost imagine the author sitting at his writing table with pen and parchment in front of him and a copy of Isaiah open beside him. And it is easy to see why this would have happened. There are so many powerful passages in Isaiah which seem to describe the essence of who Jesus was. Why wouldn't you use such words? I know that in my own preaching down through the years, if I find a piece of writing that says what I am trying to say, and says it more eloquently than I could manage on my own, I do not hesitate to make use of those words.
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It really is a wild ride - this business of living faithfully. When we take it seriously it can inspire us to do things we might never have imagined (like following stars) and leads us to places we might never dream of going (like Bethlehem).
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