Isaiah 25:1-9 I have been sitting with the words of the prophet Isaiah in these last days. And I have been wondering at how his words first heard by a broken, lost people must have sounded. I have been wondering what it means that he spoke to a people in exile. And, yes, I am …
Tag: Isaiah
You Are the Light of the World…
Isaiah 58:1-12 Matthew 5:13-20 I heard a few days back that we just finished one of the cloudiest Januaries on record here in Northern Illinois. I didn’t need a weather forecaster to tell me that, though. I have sensed it in my very being as the atmosphere seems to weigh us all down as these …
On Bruised Reeds and Dimly Burning Wicks and Watching for the Promise
Isaiah 42:1-9 I find myself living in the promises of the prophet Isaiah these days. Especially now I am buoyed up by the certainty that our bruised reeds will not be broken and that our dimly burning wicks will keep on burning. And oh, even as I say this I am looking around for signs …
A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse…
Isaiah 11:1-10 I saw a ‘shoot from the stump of Jesse’ all summer long unexpectedly blooming from a crack in my driveway. A purple petunia, a remnant seed, no doubt, from a previous summer’s planting against all odds found root and nourishment and the wherewithal to bloom in this unlikely place. I did not plant …
New Heavens, New Earth…
Isaiah 65:17-25 I confess now to flipping through all the possible lessons assigned for this week before settling on this one. For now, at least, I need to hear such words of resounding hope. Words which speak of a different world than the one I have found myself inhabiting in these last days. A world …
These Precious Gifts of All Saints Day
Isaiah 25:6-9 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44 And oh, it is so that I am needing All Saints Day this year. It has long been a favorite for me, yes, but the losses are running deep and hard this time around and I can hardly wait to stand still in the gifts of the day. Indeed, …
Proclaiming Liberty to the Captives: #Metoo
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 John 1:6-8, 19-28 I won’t lie to you, I am tired. I am weary of hearing day after day about an other one falling. Men, mostly. Wealthy, powerful, influential men who somewhere along the way forgot what it is to be human among humans. Humane among others who are so very vulnerable. …
Abounding in Hope
Isaiah 11:1-10 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:4-13) I’ve had reason to think some about ‘hope’ in these last couple of days: both the kind we live …
All Saints Day: Claiming the Easter Promise
Isaiah 25:6-9John 11:32-44 For as long as I have been a pastor, I have loved All Saints Day. In some years, I have made the time to walk through a local cemetery — returning to those places I have frequented in the months past. Other years, time just gets away from me or the weather …
The Wolf and the Lamb
Isaiah 11:1-10 A while back I was with a family and friends at a local restaurant. We had gathered for lunch after a late morning cemetery committal. Sitting at my end of the table were Ken’s widow, her cousin from California, a co-worker and friend, and another long time friend of the family. The conversation was more …