Sermon for December 9th

The reading

Esther 4:1-17

1 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and 

ashes, and went through the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry; 2 he went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 In every province, wherever the king's command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and most of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4 When Esther's maids and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth; but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people. 

Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, 11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days." 12 When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, 13 Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this." 15 Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, 16 "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish." 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

The message

This is the first time I have heard the book of Esther read at church, to be completely honest preparing for today has been the first time that I read the book of Esther.  Although it is set at a historical time, this is not what we would call a true story or a historical book.  It is a story meant to teach and tell of faith at a particular time and place. It is set in Persia during the time of the exile (after the Babylonians destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and forced many of the Jewish people to leave the area in 586 bc).  The story centers on a conflict between Haram, an official in the Persian royal court who hopes to destroy the Jewish people on one side and Mordecai and his cousin Esther who find a way to save them, Esther and Mordecai are Jews in exile and plot any way they can to save their people from Haram. Mordecai serves as an official in the Persian government who is rewarded when the king discovers a very important action he did. Mordecai climbs to significant power.  Esther is rounded up along with other young women, put in the king’s harem and manages to be become Queen.  Although she hides her Jewishness, she can use her position to protect and ultimately save her people. Today’s reading is the time in the story when Morceadi appeals to Esther to take risks, to gain power and use it to save the Jews.  In Judaism, the book of Esther is the source and story of the holiday Purim. Traditionally, Esther is read in its entirety in the evening and morning of that celebration  

I want to share some issues, let’s call it what’s wrong with the book of Esther. It is one of the Biblical books that Martin Luther criticizes, saying he “wished it had never been written”.  People of faith have had serious issues with Esther, for what it is missing. The book mentions the king of Persia 190 times but does not mention the God of Israel once (It is the only biblical book to not mention God).  People also criticize Esther for what it does include.  In chapters 8 and 9, the Jewish people are authorized by the king to kill their enemies. What follows is a lot of violence, including the killing of women, children, apparently innocent people and all the sons of Haram, The violence falls somewhere between necessary self-defense and the ruthless murder of people you don’t like. Criticisms of Esther are not new. Some years after it was written, Greek jews, greatly uncomfortable with aspects of the book, added about 100 verses, to make it conform more to the expected standards of a Biblical book. (the Greek additions to Esther are not accepted as part of the Bible by Jews or Protestants)   

Esther does have its defenders, people who see the presence of God throughout the book, as the  cause of events that could go either way, but always seem to go in favor of Israel. God is quietly guiding or influencing events that allow Mordecai and Esther to save their people. It is written in a time and place where many people wondered: Where is God.  This was a time in history when the prophets were quiet, the temple was destroyed, Israel was exiled and dispersed, people wondered if God’s promises were still good.  Perhaps the book of Esther teaches that God was still acting in the world, even during that awful, apparent silence. In terms of the violence, it is defended as necessary, as the only way to really protect themselves in a very violent and chaotic time.  There are times of great violence against the people of Israel or their enemies, sent, approved or overlooked by God,

Putting those debates behind us, the question for today is Why are we talking about it 2 weeks before Christmas (other than it happens to be the assigned reading for today).  The drama in the book of Esther centers around reversals of fate and fortune.  Haram seeks to destroy the jews and ends up being destroyed, Haram is expecting great honors and power but ends up giving them to Mordecai, Esther is essential taken as a sex slave, finds favor with the king and becomes Queen.  When Moredecai first hears that Haram plans to destroy the Jews, he goes crazy with fear and anger, but that news becomes the way to save everyone.  Each and every decision Haram makes is very rational, well thought out and turns out to be bad and works against him.  Each and every choice goes in favor of Esther and Mordecai, each and every decision of the king turns out in their favor, each event in society helps them.

Through all this, Esther and Mordecai are set as examples about being faithful, putting others first, leaving comforts for a greater good, trusting the Lord.  They make a series of bold, difficult and brave decisions, which leave them in danger and open to attack. Any decision could easily backfire on them, leading to their deaths or even the destruction of the Jewish people

Christmas, what we wait for, is also about reversals and bold decisions. A non-royal child grows to be king of kings, an executed miracle worker is the long expected savior, the birth of a child born in a barn to people nobody on earth knew is welcomed by a star in the night sky (like an emperor), a child born to an oppressed people becomes Lord of all people, the cross of humiliation becomes the way to glory, death becomes the way to life. The words of lowly shepherds becomes the good news that Christ our savior is born.   

Esther is our invitation to remember God is present with us always. Next week, as we hear part of second Isaish, we hear words of comfort and future spoken to people who lost everything. God has a plan for the world, for each of us and our communities.  We are called to trust.   Esther is also an invitation to remember God works through unexpected people, through us and God changes things. 

Finally, Esther is our invitation be bold and wise. The metro NY synod’s strategic plan, the complex but faithful work for the future is subtitled: For such a time as this. I never realized before but that phrase comes right out of the book of Esther, todays reading more precisely Mordecai’s plea to his cousin:  For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this

Today starts my 10^th year as the pastor of my first church, this church. I believe I am still here for such a time as this. This church, finishing our 151^st year of faith, life and prayer, is still here for such a time as this.  We are invited to remember, we are children of the same God. You are in college for such a time as this, in high school, in relationship, in retirement, at work for such a time as this.  we know what time it is. Now. we ask what are our gifts, abilities, ideas, hopes and vision, how do we save our people with the good news. 

Sermon for December 2

The reading 

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:2-4; 3:[3b-6] 17-19

1:1 The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 4 So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous -- therefore judgment comes forth perverted.

2:2 Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. 3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. 4 Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

[3:3b His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 The brightness was like the sun; rays came forth from his hand, where his power lay hidden. 5 Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close behind. 6 He stopped and shook the earth; he looked and made the nations tremble. The eternal mountains were shattered; along his ancient pathways the everlasting hills sank low.]

3:17 Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.

The message

We are coming to the end of our long Advent season, Since September, we have gone through the Old Testament, hearing the stories of creation and flood, God’s call of people like Moses, Abraham and Joshua, the covenants or agreements between God and the people, God’s powerful interference with world on behalf of the people of Israel and others. We are now in the time of the prophets, who were set apart and entrusted with sharing God’s messages of judgment and hope.  So far, we have heard from the words of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah, who all call the people to repent, to live justice and faith, warn of coming destruction and share promises of hope.     

Today, we hear from Habbakuk.   Much like how to say his name, no one is really sure who he was. In terms of his background and family history, there is almost nothing known.  He was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah, sharing prophesy around the same, terrible time. Like many of the other prophets, Habbakuk spoke hard, unwelcomed news, the people of Israel have been unfaithful too long (a charge that was hard to deny). Because of this God would withdraw protection, allow Israel’s enemies to conquer them, invading foreign powers would serve as God’s instrument of judgment on Israel. Because of one too many acts of disobedience, too much sin, society wide forgetting of what the Lord has done, attempts to build a godless world and abuse of others, destruction would come.     

Habbakuk speaks the same message as many of the other prophets but he is very different from them, Habbakuk questions the Lord.  Hearing the message to share, he asks “really”, “is that fair or just”, “is this the right or godly response to the situation”. “why not just intervene to make things better, to replace bad leaders”.  Habbakuk asks God a lot of very direct, pointed questions,   Should the people be held accountable for bad leaders they prayed to get rid of, for the actions of neighbors they constantly tried to change. Habbakuk tells the people the word of the Lord and, at the same time, asks the Lord, is that really your word, Is this fair, is this right or just, is whatever punishment to come the measured and proper response to the actions of the people. Why does God allow evil people to control things?  Why does God allow the greedy and abusive to prosper through their actions and then let those actions doom everyone.

Today’s reading gives us Habbakuk’s questions, the Lord’s response and then Habbakuk’s reaction to that response.  Habbakuk asks   O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, yell out the abuse of the powerful here on earth, highlight their faithlessness and you will not listen?  We cannot stop bad authorities without you.  I cry out "Violence!, calling your attention to what is happening, pointing out look over there, asking Lord stop the violence" and nothing changes,  you will not save? You, O Lord control things, How can the people be punished for things they cannot control. Habbakuk does not want to say “yeah, I told you so” when the bad things come (reading some of the other prophets, you get a sense they sort of do).  As Habbakuk shares the word of the Lord, he asks what his audience will be thinking, “is this right or fair”?

God answers these questions, urging patience and trust in God’s power and providence, in finding comfort in what we can understand and accepting what we cannot understand or see fully.  God says For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.  Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

The righteous live by their faith should sound familiar, it is in Paul’s letter to the Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,[a] as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”  Its in Paul’s letter to Galatians 3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” Its in Pauls letter to the  Hebrews 10:38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.  This verse is at the heart of our faith tradition.  Luther’s prayer time and biblical study that leads to the Reformation starts with the righteous shall live by faith. It is where Luther first sees the comfort of the Gospel, the assurance of salvation, the good news meant for us.  God’s plan for us is bigger than winning a war, having a neat and well-kept temple, successful business or healing from a disease, it is about forever things for everyone.  

Habbakuk gets that and responds with acceptance and even praise, even if things are bad, if things are not right, if suffering comes to the undeserving (which it did),  I will still trust the Lord.  Habbakuk shares dire possibilities, Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls. To people who lived off the land and their crops, this was the end of the world. To all this Habbakuk promises  he will live by faith, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.  God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.

This movement from confronting the Lord with aggressive questions, thinking “oh I caught you” to words of praise and acceptance, is not new. Psalm 22, starts with my God,  my God why have you forsaken me, and ends with words of praise, thanksgiving and celebration, God is in charge.  We know Psalm 22 best from Good Friday, Jesus last words from the cross, history’s most significant example of God’s plans not being our plans.   In this case, even the end, death, does not stop God’s promise from being kept.

Many other psalms express the same anger, the same struggle with how can a caring, all powerful God, allow, let, encourage or overlook such terrible things.  Habbakuk’s  asks those questions, hears them answered about 2600 years ago and accepts the Lord’s word. We still ask those questions. When we do not like an answer, when it does not speak to our minds, we ask the question again and again,

The righteous live by faith, the righteous ask these questions by faith, the righteous listen for the answers by faith. The righteous sort what matters by faith,  Habbakuk, his questions asked and answered, I will trust in the Lord.

Sermon for November 25

The reading

Jeremiah 1:4-10; 7:1-11

1:4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." 6 Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." 7 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, "I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." 9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."

7:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the Lord. 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: "This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord." 5 For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever. 8 Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, "We are safe!"—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the Lord.

The message

As we continue our wait for Christmas, we are now in the time of the prophets.  We heard news of social justice and a demand for community change from Micah, we heard real news of hope in a hopeless situation from Isaiah and this morning, we hear a call to repentance from the Prophet Jeremiah.  It can be difficult to hear and understand the words of the prophets, both what they meant when they were spoken in their first context and what they can mean for us today.

The book of the prophet Jeremiah is a very complicated collection of different prophesies and messages. The organization of the book is difficult, its order, timeline and the connections between chapters reflect a great deal of editing, reorganizing and compiling of different scrolls and materials. 

We do know that Jeremiah served as a prophet during a horrifying time in Israel, years of declining faith, collapse, defeat by the Babylonians and exile from the promised land God had given them.  This is the time when the temple in Jerusalem built by Solomon and serving as the center of Jewish faith, is destroyed (586 bc). For Jeremiah, the reason behind this, how God could let this happen is obvious. The covenant, the promises between God and the people, that I will be your God and you will be my people (which we heard earlier this year spoken to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) are conditional. The people have not lived up to their side of the agreement, they have not even come close or really tried to keep the promises of their ancestors. This is a warning he shares with the community again and again.  Following the example of Hosea, Jeremiah calls God’s people an unfaithful wife or disobedient child.

We do not start with Jeremiah’s hard words for the community.  Instead we start with his call story, a young boy sent to pluck up and pull down nations, to destroy and overthrow leaders, to build new nations and plant a new world.  Like most of the prophets, Jeremiah is reluctant.  His first response is pick someone else, Jeremiah lays out his reasons, I am only a boy and I do not know how to speak.  Jeremiah is young, not exactly the person people would see as a prophet.  He will have to convince religious scholars, high priests and kings he is a prophet. He will have to tell powerful people their ways are going to destroy everything, he will have to say “has this house, which is called by the Lord’s name has become a den of robbers under your watch” to the authorities entrusted to maintain the temple.  He will have to say great doom is coming, trying to scare and shock people into repentance (which may or may not even help them).  Jeremiah fully believes this is work for someone else, a person more qualified, more respected, more educated, more faithful, a person with more resources.

God responds to Jeremiah’s excuses directly.  First God notes, the real reason Jeremiah does not want to go is that he is afraid of them, of the people and leaders he will confront,  Perhaps Jeremiah is afraid of being ignored or laughed at, of being arrested (which he will be), of being killed or of failing. What words could he possibly say to avoid that, how could he get people’s attention, what could he tell a prosecutor or judge looking to convict him.  God only has a few word answer to these “what will I say” and “I am too young” excuses: God says of course you cannot do this alone, you cannot think of the perfect words or be safe, that’s why I am with you to deliver you and now, I have put my words in your mouth. Those are hard things to trust, so they come with a tangible sign, a vision, an encounter with the Lord’s hand.  This works, on and off in Jeremiah’s time as a prophet, he goes back and forth between complaints and faithful speaking, in getting distracted by himself and letting the Lord speak through him.       

After the call of Jeremiah, a young boy who gets chosen, equipped and empowered by God to be a prophet, we hear part of his work, what he says. Today is part of a message known as the temple sermon (which, once delivered, is one of the things that gets Jeremiah arrested.) Here is one of the main ways Jeremiah sees the people’s side of the covenant being ignored, the ways of religious life Jeremiah condemns. The situation in the temple is infected with a sort of mental disease, people’s belief that they can do anything, break any law, rewrite any rule and get away with it by saying, Our ancestors assured God’s protection for us, This is the temple of the Lord, we are safe here, this the temple of the Lord, no harm can come to us from anyone.  We can ignore the widow and the poor, this is after all, the temple of the Lord.  The temple of the Lord was sort of a get out of jail free card that people kept playing again and again.   Now Jeremiah says enough with the “this is the temple of the Lord” crap, First, the temple of the Lord is not a building, a pile of stone, the temple of the Lord is people, people you are abusing, taking advantage of and constantly failing to care for. Second, these promises that you think are going to protect you are conditional, and we, as a community have failed to keep up our end for a long, long time. God’s patience will not endure forever.  Really, no one listens, nothing changes in a meaningful way.  The temple of the Lord, the very building the people looked to as their cure all, is destroyed by the Babylonians. So much for “the temple of Lord means we can do whatever we want”    

We are under a different covenant, a different set of promises from and to God, not one spoken to Abraham on the top of a mountain but one spoken by Jesus through his birth, death and resurrection.   That does not mean if Jeremiah visited church today he would say “wow this is so great”.  First, I have spent the last 3 months completely distracted by caring for this building and dealing with issues here.  You are the temple of the Lord, not this place.  What about Evangelism, speaking our faith in the world, who in this church is ready to hear:  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord."  Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth.  I mean the word Jeremiah is given is harsh, condemning, dangerous and he shouts it.  The word we are given is grace and love and we keep it quiet.  Many people do not even want to share good news. 

We are not called to amend our ways so that we can prevent something terrible or to save the temple.  We cannot stop bad things from happening by being very good people, we cannot make God save us by doing enough good works.  Sin separates people from God, distractions separate people from the work of ministry.  To care for the poor reminds people that God cares for everyone, forgiving reminds people that God forgives, to love your neighbors reminds people that God loves, to use your resources for good reminds people that God has given us more than enough.   To protect the weak reminds us that God stands with the least amongst us, to avoid sin reminds us we live and die, succeed and struggle as cared for children of God.   I end with Jeremiah’s pleas amend your ways and your doings and Let the Lord dwell with you in this place.  

Sermon for Sunday, November 18

The readings

  

Isaiah 36:1-3, 13-20; 37:1-7; 2:1-4

36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 2 The king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. He stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 3 And there came out to him Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder.

Isaiah 36:13-20

13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. 15 Do not let Hezekiah make you rely on the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Do not let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, The Lord will save us. Has any of the gods of the nations saved their land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20 Who among all the gods of these countries have saved their countries out of my hand, that the Lordshould save Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

Isaiah 37:1-7

37 When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your God heard the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” 5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 I myself will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor, and return to his own land; I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.’”

2:1-4 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house

shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills;

all the nations shall stream to it.    Many peoples shall come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob;

that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 He shall judge between the nations,  and shall arbitrate for many peoples;

they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,  neither shall they learn war any more

The message

Many of us know the prophet Isaiah from a few famous verses, the ones we that hear in Christmas carols, read in the weeks before Christmas at church or see written on Christmas cards.  There is Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

We also know Isaiah well from Easter.  As the first followers of Jesus tried to figure out what happened, as they deal with the question “if Jesus is the messiah, how could suffer, die a humiliating death at the hands of people”.  Even with the resurrection, even with a sign that death could not hold him, the question “how could this happen” remained.  People find answers in the book of the prophet Isaiah, in particular 4 passages known as the “servant songs”  where God’s servant will suffer greatly but endure and ultimately find victory.  They are frequently cited in the new testament, for example Isaiah 52-53 reads He is despised and rejected of men, a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.  Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.  Parts of this passage are quoted in Matthew, Mark, John,  Acts, Romans and 1^st Peter.    

Today’s readings are not about Christmas or Easter.  They are about war, the power struggles that shaped the world around Israel.  The book of Isaish is often divided into different parts.  It starts with the prophecies of Isaish, son of Amoz, who served as a prophet in the Southern kingdom of Judah about 700 years before the birth of Jesus.  Then the books stretches over several hundred years as people reapplied his messages to changing situations and other prophets took on the work.  There are 4 major events happening during this time that shape the political and social world in which Isaiah prophesies. First there is a civil war between the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel, where the southern kingdom turns to Assyria for help and basically ends up as a colony of them.

After this there is the growth in power and influence of the aggressive and land hungry Assyrian empire. Today’s first 3 readings are from this time. Despite Assyria threatening to invade and destroy Jesusalem, they do not.   Assyria gradually weakens, they are defeated by the previously conquered but constantly revolting Babylonians. Babylon also defeats Egypt and becomes the major world power. Sensing weakness and chaos, Israel revolts against them, gets crushed and in 586 Babylon destroys Jerusalem.  Bablyon also exiles the people of Israel to other places.  In 539, the Persian Empire under Cyrus defeats the Bablyonians and allows the people of Israel to return and rebuild Jerusalem. (a story told in the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah).

Israel is constantly caught in the middle of these conflicts and clashes of these empires. Of course, this is not history class.  Our readings and we hear these readings in church, as people of faith, who believe God’s word speaks deep and important truths to us. Today’s selection of readings bring us in two different directions, First, they focus our attention on the violence, war and conflict that filled the lands and divided nations through the time of Isaiah, They are a reminder that our God acts in history, through people and events, through great miracles, signs of power, great conflict and even the horrors of war.  We are invited to remember that the people who heard the words of Isaish, heard them in times of great suffering, anxiety, hopelessness, doubt, division and pain.  They were really spoken to people in great darkness and promised an even greater light.

The second thing our readings offer is a contrast between total war and total peace. Sennacherib, The Assyrian king, is fully ready to invade Jerusalem. He is good at this and practices total war,   Not only does he maintain a strong and well equipped army, he also uses psychological forces like intimidation and threats, attacks on the religious beliefs and often tries to turn cities against their leaders and spies against their own people. He spreads great lies to convince people that life under Assyrian rule would be great.  In Babylon, he goes so far as to rewrite their religious myths so that he is the hero.   He does anything and everything to destroy the enemy. 

Without God’s intervention, Israel would not stand a chance in war with Assyria (much like in Egypt and all of their other conflicts). To answer this threat the frightened king of Israel turns to Isaiah, who tells the king and people of Israel to ignore all that, replies: Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, Isaiah shares good news, Assyria will not invade, they will get distracted and have their own issues to deal with.  After these words from Isaiah, the Assyrian army is struck by and decimated in an unidentified plague and King Sennacherib returns home where he is killed by one of his sons.  

This is an intervention by God that spares the people of Israel in this time and place (there are other moments when God does not intervene). For what we look forward to, for total peace, we must look at Isaiah 2 they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation,  neither shall they learn war any more. A time not only of peace built on fear or weariness, when one military is just so strong, no one messes with them. Isaiah points to a time when the very desire to war is gone.  when all worship, all know they are loved by God, when the greater good of all people is the driving force of our interactions. Take the instruments of death and turn them into instruments of life.

In a much less celebrated verse (that we more often live by) the prophet Joel tells us the opposite  “Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears! Let the weak say, 'I too am a warrior” Here, we take the instruments of life and turn them into instruments of death,  We are waiting for God’s peace, the stuff that goes beyond all understanding.  This will be the Lord’s work. We try what we can now, but we look forward to God’s intervention.