Category: Isaiah - Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry

Isaiah 60:1-6 - Lectionary for Epiphany

1/11/2021

1/11/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

2020 was a year characterized, in many people's minds, by bad news. Thus far, there's been a good bit of bad news in 2021. In our Old Testament reading for Epiphany, though, we have some good news. Very good news. I think we will benefit from it.

The passage in Isaiah 60:1-6 makes a sharp division between darkness and light. In the Bible the darkness is pictured as a place of sorrow and despair. If you've ever been misplaced in the dark, you know why. It is disorienting. And you really can't tell if you are going to drop into a bottomless hole in that dark cave or go crashing into something dangerous in that dark basement.

Darkness is over the earth, covering the peoples. All the nations are wandering around in the dark, with no clear path. It's a time of discouragement.

What is God's promise? In the day of restoration, which he pictures as coming - sometime - hopefully soon - certainly at the right time, the light of the Lord will come to you and show the way for all nations to come into the light. This is a promise of hope and deliverance.

But when is it going to happen? At some undetermined point in the distant future? The New Testament would understand this to be a prophecy with two fulfillments. Yes, in the very last day, at the end of the world, it is a picture of the reconciliation of all nations, drawn to the Lord. But in the meantime, Jesus, pictured as the light of the world, has come.

During this season of Epiphany, then, as we look to Jesus, we expect to see true light. It is in Christ that we can make sense of our world. It is in Jesus that we find our way out of darkness, bondage, and even death. We look to Jesus to enlighten our eyes. He is the light who shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. He is the one who enlightens all who trust in him. His light has come.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 30:15-17 - Lectionary for Eve of the Circumcision of Christ

1/3/2021

1/3/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

On the eve of the circumcision of Christ we often read Isaiah 30:15-17. Here God points out to Israel that they have no need for fear. They will be kept by God. "In quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (v. 15). It isn't our quietness, though, nor our stability, nor even the strength of our trust.

The safety of God's people is part and parcel of the strength of God. It is his strength, his majesty, in which we trust. We are weak, generally incapable of accomplishing any of our own security. But God is the strong one.

I picture this very much like a small child being taken on a long trip. The infant, who can't walk or talk, dress himself, or take care of other basic grooming needs, is taken by loving parents aboard an airplane. The child didn't buy the ticket. The child doesn't understand the ticket or even the trip. The child is with the parents, as the airliner goes through its safety checks, receives instructions and clearance, then takes off. The airplane may climb to an altitude at which the outside air is extremely cold and not breathable. The infant doesn't know where he is going, nor how to get there safely. What happens? Given enough time, the pilot reaches the destination, decreases altitude, slows the airplane, lands it, drives it to the right place, and the infant with parents leaves through the airport. Mission accomplished! All calm!

We trust in the great and mighty God. He is able to carry us through situations which would certainly prove our undoing. If we trust in him, we are perfectly safe from eternal harm. Then again, if we trust in ourselves, if we panic, if we try to put our infant hands on the airplane controls and fly the thing, if we pop the emergency hatch and leap from the airplane at 40,000 feet, we will surely die.

The God of Israel is able to keep his people. Like the infant on the trip, we rest in God's arms, fed by His Word, kept by His Holy Spirit. Here is our comfort and our strength.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 9:2-7 - Lectionary for Christmas Midnight

12/14/2020

12/14/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

We've all seen the advertisements which introduce products a little at a time, gradually showing the claim that you will get far more than you bargained for and that it will cost less than it might, a true value. Our passage from Isaiah 9:2-7 may look like that kind of advertisement, at least at times. We read about light shining in the darkness. We learn that the light in the darkness includes our nation and others being multiplied, especially multiplied in joy. We read about several different types of joy, all having to do with a greater reward than we would have expected. We see that it has something to do with being rescued from the enemies who would oppress us and force us into servitude.

How many of our social activists would stop right there, at the end of verse five, then tell us to get busy about doing just those things we thought valuable? Be light. Learn to have joy. Break free from oppression. Break oppression for others. Go and do it.

That's a fine thing to do. I would like to think that I could find joy and bring joy to others. I'd like to stop oppression, especially when it has influence over me, and also when it troubles others. I'd like to enlighten people. That's all find and good.

There's just one problem, and it's a serious one. In myself I am unable to accomplish the task. I can understand some of it, and pursue some of it. I can shine what light I have. But I can't do the whole thing, and neither can you.

Perhaps we will grasp the problem best if we continue through verses six and seven, seeing the context. What did Isaiah think God was telling the people?

In these verses there is a child to be born, one who will rule, and who will be the great, mighty, fair, and charitable ruler. His reign will increase. He will be the righteous ruler, who can actually complete the goal of light, joy, and freedom.

Christians understand this child who is king to be Christ, God the Son, very God and very man, born to save us and rescue us from the oppression of sin and death.

As we begin the season of Christmas, then, let us look to the Christ who will rule the world in righteousness. He is our hope. He is our light. He is our salvation.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 7:10-14 - Lectionary for Christmas Eve (12/24)

12/7/2020

Isaiah 7:10-14 - Lectionary for Christmas Eve (12/24)
12/7/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

As I promised when we had readings for St. Thomas (December 21) posted some time early, there's now a flurry of special observances that will keep us busy for a while. I may even go to posting more than four days a week at some point. Here's what we have on the docket: Christmas Eve 12/24, Christmas Midnight 12/24, Christmas Dawn 12/25, Stephen 12/26, John the Evangelist 12/27, Holy Innocents, Martyrs 12/28, Eve of the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus 12/31, Circumcision and Naming of Jesus 1/1, then Epiphany ⅙. When people called the end of December "the holidays" that was part of what they were talking about.

There are plenty of times in the Bible when God gives a sign of something. There are also a lot of examples of people asking God for a sign. It's a very normal kind of thing to do. Yet here in Isaiah 7:10-14, God offers Ahaz that he will give a sign to show that he is the mighty God who will rescue his people. Ahaz refuses!

I can picture God rolling his eyes. Really? These faithless people always seem to need some sort of concrete evidence if they are going to believe me. Now I offer it in advance and they refuse?

So God gives a sign anyway. A virgin will conceive and bear a son, whose name will be Immanuel.

If we think about it, the sign is a little cryptic. Scholars, especially of the less theologically conservative type, will be quick to observe that the word used for the woman could indicate any sort of a young woman, though it is often used of a virgin. This makes it a very cryptic sign indeed. How many young women will bear sons? Plenty! Who is the child named Immanuel going to be? It means "God with us." Again, not really that remote of a possibility.

In biblical studies sometimes we talk about prophecies being fulfilled twice. There's one fulfillment near the time of the writing or speaking. There's another, which is often fulfilled in Christ or is yet to be fulfilled but which we believe will happen in the last days.

Matthew's Gospel makes it plain that the evangelist considers the birth of Jesus to be the fulfillment of this prophecy. Sure, there was probably some other baby born earlier who somehow fits the descriptor. I've heard reasonable arguments that Israel recognized it as fulfilled in Josiah, the good king, who became king at a young age. However, the ultimate fulfillment is Jesus.

Christians confess the virgin birth of Jesus. He was conceived, as Martin Luther says, through Mary's hearing the promise and receiving it by faith. The angels give him a name. He shows himself to be God with us.

Do we want a sign? Whether we want it or not, God has given it. In Jesus we are able to see God in the flesh. We are able to wrap our heads around the fact that God actually has cared for us and entered into our world. This is the great news of Christmas. In Jesus, we never have to look somewhere else to find God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 64:17-25 - Lectionary for the Last Sunday of the Church Year

11/16/2020

11/16/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our reading for this week from Isaiah 64:17-25 describes a world that has been reconciled - to one another and to God. In effect, the final reconciliation is an undoing of the curse of sin. There will be no need for things like death. There will be no competition between species. The idea of killing animals for food will go away, even among the carnivorous animals! They simply won't have that desire.

The second half of verse 18 is of special note. What did God create his people, and especially his holy city, Jerusalem, to be? A place of joy, and a people who bring forth gladness.

This is what the Church is to look like in these last days. It is to be a place of joy and gladness, and to bring that joy and gladness to the world. There isn't any way around this. God's people are a source of joy. God rejoices in them, and the rest of the world can too.

Why do we fall so short of this goal? It is surely because we try to do things in our own power and our own authority, rather than trusting in the power and authority of God. When we try to build our structures, legalistic means, all of them - to teach us and others how to do what is good and right, we reach the conclusion that we can keep God's law and do something worthy of merit. In the end, that always collapses under its own weight.

Rather, if we want to make a difference in our world, we do it not in our own power but by trusting in Jesus, who will accomplish all good things through his Church. We never count on ourselves, but only on Jesus.

Jesus is the one who can take a people, reconcile them to God, and make them good for something in this world. And we are especially good for the very simple task of loving and serving our neighbors. If we love God with all our heart and love our neighbors as ourselves, we will accomplish great things for the Lord.

May the Lord God who has reconciled us to himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God the Son, use us as His redeemed people, to show the joy and delight of the resurrection to all nations.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 55:1-9 - Lectionary for Trinity 20

10/19/2020

10/19/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

We're moving into that time of year, "the most wonderful time of the year" when we begin to dream of getting free stuff. Want some? In just about two months most of us will get free things. At least they kind of seem free.

If we think about the exchange rate, we might wonder. But I'm hoping to score some new black socks, maybe a nice bottle of something drinkable, and, if it works out really well, some rope and a tarp or two, because you can never have too much of that. All free! Never mind that we've been buying clothes, books, toys, and gadgets for people we care about. That doesn't matter. Why not? Because someone will give me black socks that I don't have to buy. Absolutely free!

What kind of gifts does God promise in Isaiah 55? Food and drink, that's always goody which we reeive God's redeeming love. I have no idea where to get that. But it's even more precious than my grandchildren washing the bottom half of one side of my car for me! God promises gifts that would motivate people to run to our nation (v. 5) to claim them. He gives us pardon (v. 7).

What does this cost God? He gives Jesus, God the Son. His only-begotten, so that we may have life. And if we give Him something in return, all we have to give is something He gave us in the first place. Yes, I'm talking about dirty, worn-out, black socks that are now grey and have holes in them.

God as described in the Bible does not think as we do (vv. 8-9). He gives us priceless gifts, all free to us. Why are people not breaking down the doors of the Church to ask for God's forgiveness and reconciliation? We don't understand how enormous those free gifts are. They cost Jesus his life. They are free to us. Thanks be to God!

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 29:17-24 - Lectionary for Trinity 12

8/24/2020

8/24/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

The man quietly turned to me after everyone else had left our conversation. I can’t say who it was, as he is concerned about professional criticism for his position. He knows I am not necessarily a “safe space” but it must have seemed safe. He confided in me. He loves his wife, and she is “a white woman.” His younger in-laws are also, and he has a high regard for them. He’s proud of them. They are dedicated to the good of their family. They have family time together. And his grandchildren are being raised in a culture of safety, a secure family, and with reading as a strong part of the family culture. Why would this be controversial? I frankly hae no idea, but it is, at least in some parts of our current activist culture.

Our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 29 speaks of a coming time when God’s blessing will be upon His people. It is a time of restoration, a time of abundance, a time of learning. In verse 18 even the deaf - the deaf, not the blind - will hear from a book. The blind will see. God will show himself to His people. This is a good thing, but in reality, we will see opposition.

In verses 20-21 the ruthless, like some of today’s activist community, will try to oppose such a restoration. Though the prophet says it will come to nothing, those forces will try to slander, entrap, and redirect all that is right and good.

These are trying times. What do we do? Look to the Lord in hope. But also, we busy ourselves in doing what is good and right. We read to our children. We encourage the things that lead to a stable society. We move ahead despite the scoffers. I pray that the day will come that we can honor our families, that we can be accepting of others regardless of their ethnic, cultural, or economic background, when we can speak in charity, and, yes, even disagree with others but respect their opinions. The time will come. In the meantime, we do what is good and right, regardless of the opposition.

My friend, I pray the time will come when you can speak freely again.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 6:1-7 - Lectionary for Trinity Sunday

6/1/2020

6/1/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

The appearance of God’s glory to Isaiah in chapter six would shake anybody up. The Lord of all, seated in the temple, his seraphim with him, and their calling to one another all point to the majesty of the Lord. Here we also have suggestions of the trinity. The seraphim have three pairs of wings. They call out about God’s glory, repeating it three times. We get the picture that this is significant. It speaks of God’s nature.

Above all, God, in his nature, is glorious. Isaiah recognizes in verse five that he is lost, undone, unclean, and probably going to die because he has been confronted by God’s glory.

How will Isaiah manage to deal with this appearance of God’s glory? In fact, he can’t deal with it. Only God and his messenger can do it. Isaiah is touched with a burning coal from the sacrificial fire of God. With this he is purified. He is not merely redirected. He is purified. His guilt is taken away. His sin is atoned for.

What’s significant about this? In the appearance of God, in His glory, we are confronted with our sin and failure. We cannot stand on our own. We recognize there is no earthly way we can face God. Yet the seraph tells Isaiah his guilt is taken away. Who takes it away? It isn’t the seraph. It’s God himself. Isaiah’s sin is atoned for. Again, Isaiah doesn’t do it, nor does the seraph. God does it.

It is by God’s mercy that we have forgiveness. His righteous wrath has been turned away. And the great mystery in all of this is that God does it himself. This is the work of Jesus, God the Son, who, having one will with the Father and the Holy Spirit, chooses to have the wrath of God poured out on himself rather than on us. Yes, God pours out His anger about your sin, my sin, and the sin of the whole world, on himself, accomplishing two impossible things.

First, as Jesus bears the sin of the world, God the Son dies. The immortal God lays down his life for you. Yes, this is impossible, but God does it, and he willingly dose the impossible because it is the way to rescue you.

Second, by his death, Jesus gives you his righteousness. He transfers your sin to himself and his righteousness to you. Again, this is impossible, but nothing is impossible for God.

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord our God. Our sin has been atoned for. Thanks be to God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 12:1-6 - Lectionary for Easter 5

5/4/2020

5/4/20 Read the passage here.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

One of the glories of God, brought out in Isaiah 12:1-6, is that he forgives things which anger him. This is something we really misunderstand terribly. In verse one it lays the picture out clearly. God is angered with his people. They are sinful. They do bad things and it provokes God to anger.

What does God do? He turns his anger away. This should be an earth-shattering concept to us. It isn’t that sin doesn’t anger God. It isn’t that God is never angry. It isn’t that sin doesn’t deserve penalty. None of that. In fact, sin is bad. It angers God. God sees enough sin to anger him every moment of every day, and he has been doing this since the fall in the garden in Genesis chapter three. The person who sins deserves death, and that includes every last one of us.

God turns his anger away from us. He resolves his anger, not by taking it out on us or on our world. He takes it out on himself. God the Son, Jesus, who is of one will with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, receives in himself the penalty for our sin. That’s why he dies on the cross. That’s why he was despised and rejected by people. That’s why he cries out to the Father from the cross, recognizing that he is forsaken. That’s the only way he can die.

Yes, God dies for our sin, for your sin, for my sin, for the sin of the world. Sin is really that bad. And God hates sin so much that he would rather die than let you bear the penalty for sin.

This is a show of God’s glory. The Lord is our strength, and he has done gloriously.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 40:25-31 - Lectionary for Easter 4

4/27/2020

4/27/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Western culture, especially since the 20th century, has been very suspicious of a surveillance state. Though in some circles we have become more accepting of security cameras, checkpoints, and being tracked by our cell phones, we generally don’t like being watched. Hopefully nobody will ever actually review all that footage that could be used to follow our actions and possibly either accuse us of something we didn’t (or maybe did) do, distracting us from what we would like to be doing, or possibly detaining us.

In Isaiah 40:25-31, however, we find God portrayed as the one who sees everything and is always watching everything. Not only is he watching everything, but he created it and knows precisely how it works. This could lead us to considerable fear. Is there some charge that will catch up with me? When I consider my life carefully I realize it falls short of the perfection God demands. What do I do about that? Perhaps we were hoping God wouldn’t notice our sin, or at least that he would overlook it. Maybe compared to everyone else’s failings, what I did or didn’t do wasn’t that bad after all!

God’s justice requires action. He who demands perfection will not accept a lesser standard. And the soul who sins must die. That’s God’s rule, not one I would make up. After all, if I were making the rules, I would have a different standard with a bunch of loopholes. Certainly my family and I would escape from judgment, along with the friends I actually like.

Thankfully, God’s judgment doesn’t work that way. He understands our weakness, our frailty, In verses 28-31 he promises to care for us even in our times of failure. How can he do that? Our failure should be our death sentence! But that is the good news of this Easter season. Jesus himself, God the Son, served as a substitute for us. He, the one who lived a life of perfect righteousness gave his own life to satisfy God’s justice against all our sin. He, through his love for that countless host of humanity, which he created and understands, chose to replace us in death so that we could receive his life.

God’s justice desired action, and that action was death. But he, by himself, put sin to death by dying in the place of sinful humanity. He is great, and able to do all that he intends. He has accomplished salvation. Therefore we can stand before him, receive his strength, run and not be weary, walk and not faint. Thanks be to God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 50:4-9a - Lectionary for Sunday of the Passion

3/30/2020

3/30/20 Isaiah 50:4-9a
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our Old Testament passage this week, from Isaiah 50:4-9a, points us to Jesus. While we might be tempted, from the first few verses, to say it instructs us in how we should be, we fall short if we stop there. Yes, we should be taught by God, yes, we should speak words of sustenance to the weary, yes, we should be ready to follow God wherever he leads us. But what do we do with verse six?

Verse six, though it could be about many people enduring persecution, has always been understood by Christians to be about Jesus, the one who gave himself over to trial in an illegal court, the one who refused to say anything in his defense before the Roman authorities, the one who was mocked, beaten, had his face disfigured, and was disgraced publicly.

Who vindicated Jesus? God the Father, in the resurrection and the ascension. Who will vindicate the Christian? God the Father, who raised the Son, who gives life to the dead, and who has been reconciled to us through the work of Christ, living and dying on our behalf. Jesus is the one who always gives comfort to his people. Jesus is the one who sustains the weary. Jesus is the one who received pain and suffering in our place. Jesus is the one who died for us. Jesus is the one who unflinchingly faced all the terrors which we could ever face.

Is this a good example for us? It certainly is. What will we do with it? While we try to bring help and comfort to others, we realize our ultimate help and comfort is in the Gospel of Christ, redeeming us and reconciling us to God. He has done his work. He leaves us to represent him in this world. During times of trial, then, we remember Jesus, even as we remind others about Jesus.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 49:8-13 - Lectionary for Lent 4

3/16/2020

3/16/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Much of popular Western culture is quick to condemn Christianity as a religion of bigotry and oppression, of powerful people using their power to hurt others, of dictatorial authority. Aside from the fact that those condemnations have only been true at a few times in history, in relatively isolated situations, standing in contrast to the historic Christian emphasis, revolutionary in nature, of caring for the poor, the needy, the sick, the weak, and the dying, we find a picture of a very peculiar army of God in our reading from Isaiah 49.

In this passage, God is promising to gather people together to himself. Those he is gathering are prisoners, people who have been in darkness, people who are not able to carry on as normal people. Prisoners throughout much of human history have been kept chained or in very confined spaces, normally poorly fed, subject to neglect. When they are released, they are doing well to be able to walk away from the prison. Those who have been kept in darkness will be temporarily blinded by the light of the sun. They are not ready to go anywhere on their own. God is going to level out the pathways and provide guides. This is done because the people need assistance. They can’t move as the rest of society does.

Not only does God get the people out of prison, he prepares a road for them, a safe escort which goes slowly enough for them, protection from the hot wind (an unfamiliar item in my climate, but common in many), from blazing sunshine, from hunger and from thirst. When God gathers His army, it looks more like a procession of disabled people who need to be fed.

If we are weak, sick, old, or infirm, God calls us together to his side. He will care for us when we recognize that we are not strong on our own. And, if we think about it in those terms, that’s all of us, all the time. If we can name one thing we are not able to manage, we have just given reason to trust in the Lord. He can manage it all.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 35:3-7 - Lectionary for Quinquagesima Sunday

2/17/2020

2/17/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

I recently went on a trip which was quite challenging. Good, but a serious challenge. After about two weeks in a distant time zone, being sleep deprived, I was on my way home at last. Finally, at an airport in my home time zone, some 44 hours after having awakened for final meetings and my trip, I was spotted by a proud parent and a class of Navy recruits going to take up their first assignment after boot camp. “Lord, have mercy. Help me speak words of comfort, assurance, and grace even though I basically can’t stay awake.”

Isaiah 35:3-7 speaks to God’s servants. Bring strength through the encouragement of God! It doesn’t matter who you are, what time it is, or whether you are fully conscious. Granted, it is better to speak with people when you are in a condition to think and remember. But regardless, God can use His words in those who face trials.

What is the result of our words of hope? In verses 5-7 God brings miraculous strength. He turns a life of fear and danger into security and hope. God’s Word is powerful.

I wish I had some recollection of what I said or how I could encourage those people more, but I don’t. However, we trust the Lord knows all about their needs and will continue to care for them. So it is with much of our life. We pray the Lord will make us faithful. Then He works it all out according to His will.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Isaiah 55:10-13 - Lectionary for Sexagesima Sunday

2/10/2020

2/10/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 55 speaks to the power of God’s Word. Through His Word, God accomplishes His purposes, and those purposes are good. He causes the earth to bring forth food and financial increase (v. 10) in the world through rain. Through His Word, he is also hard at work. In verse 12 God creates joy, peace, and worship from all creation. In verse 13 God makes sure that mighty and useful trees come forth, rather than the thorns and briers which are cleared out of the way and burned up.

How does God create a name and reputation for Himself? He does it through the Word. Several places in Scripture we read that God’s Word increased. This is God’s way of changing our world. In all of life and ministry, then, if we want to see God at work, we should simply show ourselves faithful to bring God’s Word into all the situations we find ourselves in. The growth of Christ’s kingdom is not so much related to what we are able to plan or do, but is based on God’s Word going forth. Sometimes we can predict the results, but at other times we simply stand back and watch God working.

How will God work in our world? We really don’t know. But as we pray that God’s kingdom will come and His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we recognize that God’s word is going to be very busy. We can enjoy seeing God at work.

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Isaiah 40:1-11 - Lectionary for Advent 3

12/9/2019

12/9/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

As we move into the second half of the Advent season, our readings turn to a hopeful kind of peace, still driven by the promise of the coming of the Lord. In Isaiah 40:1-11, we are told of the comfort to be spoken to God’s people. Their trouble is coming to an end. There’s no need to fear, because God is on his way.

Some years ago I saw a series of billboards trying to encourage people to turn to God in faith. Actually, that isn’t quite right. They were trying to scare people to turn to God in faith. They asked questions such as, “How will you answer when God asks you what you did for the least of His people?” One of them, with virtually no graphic, just a stark black background, said, “Don’t make me come down there.” - God - How different this is from the picture we are given in Isaiah. What will happen when God comes down here? His arm rules, he sends his reward, he gathers his lambs, he carries them, he leads those with young. Oh, I want God to come down here. I need to be guided. I look forward to a reward. I am identified in Scripture as a sheep that needs his leadership, and he is the good and gentle leader. We don’t try to scare people into God’s kingdom. No, when we confront our world with the truth, it is frightening enough. These people are scared. They need to confront their fear and be confronted with the fact that they really ought to be scared to death in sin and shame, but that Jesus insisted on dying in their place.

Is God still coming to end the world? Yes. He says that the grass withers, the flowers die, but his word, which gives life, will endure. May we decrease and God increase. Come, Lord Jesus.

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Isaiah 1:10-18 - Lectionary for Pentecost 21C, Proper 26C

10/28/2019

10/28/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

A brief conversation I had with a physician once served as the perfect illustration for this week’s Old Testament passage. He said, rather offhandedly, that if his preferred eating habits ever caused blood pressure trouble he would simply work out a medication regimen to fix it. Another person I frequently talked with considered traffic tickets merely the price he routinely paid for his lifestyle.

In Isaiah 1:10-18, God complains that His people don’t really care about the sacrifices they make. They approach sin as merely something to be paid for, like driving a car through the mud merely calls for a car wash. God’s attitude about sin is far different from my attitude about washing the car or sweeping the driveway. Yes, the Lord is the God of all forgiveness. There is no doubt about it. However, the Lord wants us to share His attitude about the serious nature of sin and the joy of His free forgiveness. When our repentance is merely formal, it takes God for granted. This is even an example of taking God’s name in vain. It misses the entire point of forgiveness.

In the passage, then, the Lord calls His people to recognize that our sin is absolutely real, and so is His forgiveness. It is free to us, but it is priceless, and even cost God the Son his life. May we recognize God’s care for what it truly is, and approach His throne of grace with the same care He has - a care that desires holiness.

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Isaiah 66:18-23 - Lectionary for Pentecost 11C

8/19/2019

8/19/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Christians are sometimes criticized for being exclusive in one way or another. Lately I’ve heard a lot of complaints about a lack of inclusion, meaning inclusion of different ethnic and cultural groups or possibly of those with minority racial or sexual profiles compared to the larger culture. Sometimes those critiques are valid, sometimes they aren’t. No doubt there have been times of tension, and there are many who would say the tensions are more severe now than at some other times in history.

Our Epistle reading from Isaiah 66 can help us understand the exclusivity of the Christian life. It is to be exclusively dedicated to the God of the Bible who has redeemed the world to himself. There’s no question about that. Christianity is not about a particular cultural norm. It’s about the way God has reconciled people to himself through Jesus, God the Son, taking the sin of the world upon himself.

In the last days, God is planning to gather those who have believed him, out of every nation where they may happen to be, to himself. Isaiah 66 pictures them flocking to Jerusalem, though it seems there are so many people that the city we know as Jerusalem would not be adequately large. He has made these people to be holy, dedicated to him, a purified remnant of the world, set apart for his service.

God’s gathered people, set apart for His worship, will serve him in holiness through the ages. They come from every age, from every nation, from every culture, from every language. They are unified not by any of those human characteristics which we like to use to sort ourselves. They are gathered in Christ. This is what God’s kingdom on earth should look like as well. Although our earthly communities tend to consist mostly of people who look and act in similar ways, and the local church congregation will probably mirror that to a great extent, it is the relationship with Jesus that matters. He is the one wo gathers us together.

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Isaiah 66:10-14 - Lectionary for Pentecost 4C

7/1/2019

7/1/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Old Testament passage from Isaiah 66 describes Jerusalem as a mother and God’s people as infants who receive all they need from that mother. Jerusalem as the city of God is the place where the Lord distributes His care. Here is is abundant nourishment, delight, peace, comfort and rejoicing. While the Lord provides for His people He is also indignant with His enemies (v. 14). This protective quality of God is one that our culture seems to find challenging. After all, isn’t God the God of love, comfort, and forgiveness?

What we have trouble with is the fact that God acts like a protective parent. This means that those who pose a threat to the well being of his children will be discouraged in some way. Are there people trying to harm my children? I will try to put a stop to it. Are there illnesses which could kill my children? I will try to protect them. Are there patterns of thinking or actions that will create hardship and bring ruin upon my family? I will oppose them. God is very much the same way.

By His very act of providing for the needs of His children, He rejects what is harmful. He opposes those who would destroy what He has built. He shows mercy on His people and He opposes His enemies. They are also enemies of His children.

The Christian can give thanks to God for such care. He actually cares enough for His people that He treats them in a special way. They are fed, clothed, sheltered, and comforted. This is the great promise for all who trust in God through Christ.

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Isaiah 65:1-9 - Lectionary for Pentecost 2C

6/17/2019

6/17/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In our reading from Isaiah 65, God presents himself as the one “ready to be sought” and “ready to be found” (Isaiah 65:1, ESV). God reveals himself to the whole world, not just to the people of Israel. There is good reason for this, since the people of Israeal are “a rebellious people” (Isaiah 65:2, ESV). God has established that the people called according to His name, the chosen ones, are rebellious. They depart from God’s statutes as fast as they can. Even though God has given them means to approach Him and find his forgiveness and grace, they insist on making up their own ways, which provoke God.

In the Scripture, God has given particular ways, times, and places when His Name is to be sought. Our attempts to improve on God’s Word lead only to God’s wrath. Like the people of Israel we find our world falling apart, even as we strive to create spiritual substitutes for God as revealed in Scripture. The ways He has provided of Christ’s satisfaction for our sins, of repentance and faith, of the life lived in God’s forgiveness, these all seem inadequate to us, so we try to improve them. This will only lead to trouble.

What is God’s response? It is the same as it was in Isaiah’s time. He is there, ready to be found by those who give up on their own striving. He has called to our nation, “Here am I” (Isaiah 65:1, ESV). May we have grace to hear the call.

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Isaiah 65:17-25 - Lectionary for Easter Day, Series C

4/15/2019

4/15/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

When I was a young Christian and spent quite a bit of time with my high school friends, some would speak of their hopes for a heavenly home, mixed with their fears about the nature of tha Is it disembodied Maybe I want to reach a heavenly rest but I will miss all these things - good things - that I enjoy here. I was talking once with a Christian singer/songwriter on a concert tour. Before the concert, he said he enjoyed deer hunting. He was looking forward to an eternity where he could shoot a deer, it would fall down, get up, congratulate him on a good shot, and be completely unharmed.

These ideas about eternity are entertaining. But they are contradicted, in part, by Isaiah 65:17-18, In verse 17 we are told that in the new heavens and new earth we won’t remember “the former things.” Do you enjoy fishing, hunting, gardening, making cheese, or playing the trombone in this life? That’s perfectly fine. Eternity will be a place of delight. But “the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind” (v. 17, ESV). We can expect the Lord to give us joys and delights that we don’t have now. Yet we will not miss anything. We will be glad in what the Lord gives us. It will be better than we can imagine.

That’s just the point of the Christian life, isn’t it? We are made new in Jesus. We don’t cling to the old. And as we look to God’s recreation of all, we can’t imagine what it will be like, but we know it will be good.

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Isaiah 43:16-21 - Lectionary for Lent 5C

4/1/2019

4/1/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

“I am doing a new thing” Isaiah 43:19 says. We don’t need to be around American Christianity long to hear that statement or to see the sentiments usually attached to it. Sadly, these interpretations often depart quite radically from what Isaiah was saying to the people of his time.

Notice, if you will, how verses 16-18 retell an event from the Exodus, when the way through the sea was suddenly blocked for the chariots and army of Egypt. The attempt to pursue God’s presence was stopped in a deadly manner. That was the old thing, the former way.

What is this new way God is proclaiming? Here he makes a way for all the wild things that could harm Israel to receive not only access to God but also access to water, that which gives earthly life. Where there is water, there will also be food. The Lord will provide for those formerly excluded and outcast. So far, so good. This is possibly consistent with what our contemporary versions of Christianity would say. Where’s the difference?

In Isaiah, the new thing provides access to the God who never changes. God is the one who calls all the shots. He is the one who defines the way of access. He gets to change the hearts of the wild beasts and of His people. We don’t see God and pursue Him in our own power and according to our desires. Rather, we see the way of salvation that God has made and prescribed, trusting in His grace which He presents as He wishes. The new thing is God’s plan, not ours. We see His character, His revelation, and His means of grace, and so we follow them, trusting in Him alone. God reaigns and calls us to his side, formerly impossible but not a completed event in Christ. He gathers His people and has them show His praise (v. 21).

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Isaiah 12:1-6 - Lectionary for Lent 4C

3/25/2019

3/25/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Isaiah 12:1-6 is centered around thanksgiving to God. The people of God will give thanks to the Lord. They will tell about what God has done. This brings great joy.

For some reason, we often seem focused on acts of God which appear negative. Our insurance policies may even classify “acts of God” such as earthquakes or forest fires as covered or uncovered incidents in their coverage. Many in our culture seem convinced that God’s work is, by definition, negative.

In sharp contrast to that, Isaiah 12:1 describes God’s work as turning from anger so as to bring comfort. Verse two describes God’s power as something which drives away fear. Verse five says that God’s name is exalted by his deeds, and it assumes that God’s work is good and gracious.

Do God’s people face trials and tribulations? Yes, they certainly do. Is there a healthy fear of God? Yes indeed. We do not want to fall into God’s righteous wrath against our unrighteousness. But what is the focus of the Bible? It is that, in Christ, God’s anger at sin has been satisfied and that he can look at those who trust in Jesus as if they are perfectly righteous in his sight. God has turned from his anger. He has brought comfort. This is the good news, which should provoke our praises, our songs of joy. The Holy One of Israel is great in our midst.

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Isaiah 66:1-2 - Lectionary for the Commemoration of Matthias

2/18/2019

2/18/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

February 24 is often observed as a commemoration day for Matthias, the apostle selected to replace Judas, as recorded in Acts chapter one. Commemorations such as this are generally held on the day the individual died, as, in some ways, that is the day the person is finally born to eternal life. Churches which recognize a commemoration will often, in the case of important people, change the regular Sunday readings if the day itself falls on a Sunday, as Matthias’ day does this year.

In our reading from Isaiah 66:1-2, God declares that his throne is heaven and his footstool is the earth. For this reason, God wants nothing that we could build him. Many Christians will say, based on passages such as this, that God doesn’t want us to spend resources on fine buildings in his honor. They will speak of the historic churches and cathedrals and of how the elaborate decorations and furnishings were a waste of money which could have been used to help the poor. After all, God needs no dwelling place.

This attitude completely misses the point of building a church, as well as the second half of Isaiah 66:2. In our passage, God looks (with favor) upon the humble one, who values God’s Word. This shows a heartfelt care for the humble needy, who look to God for help. And I would remind us, if in doubt, to notice where all of us live - at the footrest of God. The footstool is not used to kick around or abuse, but to be a place of comfort and rest. God rests by having the earth he created close at hand. Just as the king’s royal cat can curl up on his footrest, we can approach close to God, seeking comfort with him. The church building or cathedral is not for God’s comfort, but for ours. He has made his comfort. We, honoring the Lord who rules over heaven and earth, make buildings to show his honor and glory. These buildings are also a means of providing for God’s people. How many laborers and craftsmen are employed by building that cathedral? How many hungry people are fed due to that payroll and the many businesses which spread out around it? How many people are welcome into the church or cathedral to hear he message of hope in Christ, a hope which brings eternal life? The earthly building is a place for God’s people, as the heavens and earth are the place for God.

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Isaiah 6:1-13 - Lectionary for Epiphany 5C

2/4/2019

2/4/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Last week’s Old Testament reading was the call of Jeremiah, who was told that despite his yough and inexperience he would be used to warn the people of troubles. This week we have the call of Isaiah, probably around 740 B.C., about 120 years earlier than Jeremiah. We see that Isaiah has a magnificent vision of the Lord in his temple. I’d like us to notice briefly Isaiah’s response to this vision, especially in Isaiah 6:5.

Isaiah is undone. He calls out to this effect. He confesses that he is “a man of unclean lips” (ESV) and that he lives among people who are the same. He has seen the Lord and cannot expect to stand. This is the normal response to God’s glory. We find God’s power and majesty too great to endure.

Peter Hitchens, in his insightful book The Rage Against God, says that when he and his brother, Christopher, were young, they went into cathedrals at times. They were intimidating places, with vast expanses, huge columns, and decorations which seemed more suited for another world. This always made him uncomfortable until he began to understand that God’s presence is supposed to be errifying. He is the Lord of all the heavenly armies. He is the all-powerful king ruling over all creation. He will accomplish his plan. This is an intimidating idea, to say the least. Isaiah is rightly terrified, and so are you and I. We would never want to come face to face with such a customer.

What hope is there? After all, we are used to thinking about God’s love. Many of my acquaintances who would consider themselves theologically more liberal than I would remind us that God is love. Yes, he is, but how are we going to see the enormity of his love without contrast? In verse seven one of the seraphim touches Isaiah’s lips with a buring coal. He proclaims that Isaiah’s guilt is gone and his sin atoned for. God’s love shows in the fact that he forgives real sinners of their real sin, and that he does it with no effort on the part of the sinner. The God of all who has every right to judge us, who shows us worthy of death, cleanses us from sin. When? When we realize our sin. He, by himself, removes our guilt, even as we realize we cannot remove that guilt.

We have to wonder how many more times in his long life as a prophet Isaiah must have seen his sin and remembered God’s forgiving grace. We cannot know in Isaiah’s life, we cannot count the times in our lives. Yet when we realize the glory of God and our poverty, we can also find hope in those words, “your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7b, ESV).

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Isaiah 62:1-5 - Lectionary for Epiphany 2C

1/14/2019

1/14/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

God’s work in Isaiah 62 is to proclaim the righteousness and salvation of His people. In this way He makes it known to all. Does this seem at all backwards to you? Most Christians in North America have been taught that it is our job to tell about God’s righteousness and salvation. We have been taught that in corporate worship it’s all about what we bring to God in our enthusiasm, dedication, and spirituality. We have been fed this idea that we have something worthy to bring to God so He can have the glory that He seems to need. It’s almost as though we think God is a big ego baby who we need to please. That’s not a biblical view of God and man. In fact, it’s much more similar to the view we’d find in the paganism of the ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as in many of the other folk religions of the world.

It’s time to refocus ourselves. God is the one in Isaiah 62:1 who will not be quiet. He is the one who wants to fan the righteousness of his people into bright flame, so that, in verse two, the other nations and kings will see the righteousness and glory of God’s people. They receive a new name, stated in verse four, and translated “My Delight Is in Her (ESV). Yes, God’s people are named those in whom God delights. Far from our earning any sort of merit, God has given us all the value that we will ever have, all the value that we will ever need. He has done this by calling his people by a new name, by making them his own people, and rejoicing over them.

In our worship, trying to work up the kind of enthusiasm that our world wants us to have will only result in despair or arrogance. We are pleased with ourselves because we are so very spiritual or we are badly disappointed in ourselves because we are so unspiritual. That’s a path that leads only to harm. Instead, let’s recognize the biblical pattern. God, the true God of all, the creator and sustainer of the entire universe, has called his people out from their desolation and has made them a crown of beauty. He intends all nations to notice them and to give Him glory. It’s all about God, not about us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.