From the Pastor |
I once heard a story about two brothers who were NOT good men. They drank heavily… they were unfaithful to their wives, abusive to their children, and dishonest in business. They were loud, violent, and just plain rude to nearly everyone. In fact, everyone in town was afraid of them.
Suddenly, one day, the younger brother died. The older brother went to the minister of the local church and said, “Reverend, I’d like you to conduct my brother’s funeral. And it’s important to me that during the service, you tell everyone that my brother was a saint.” The minister said, “I can’t do that. We both know he was far from being a saint.” The older brother advanced with a menacing growl, pulled out his checkbook and said “Listen here… you WILL publicly state that my brother was a saint… and I will give $500,000 to your church.” So, on the day of the funeral, the minister began his message by fulfilling that one request… he announced to the people gathered “Everyone here knows that the deceased was a wicked man, a womanizer, and a violent drunk. He terrorized his employees and cheated on his taxes.” The minister paused for a second and then continued, “But as evil and sinful as this man was, compared to his older brother, he was a saint!” As Christians, we are called to be saints. Unfortunately, like the men in the story, we tend to fail and fall flat on our faces, but we ARE all called to be saints. No pressure, right? After all… The Greek word translated “saint” is “hagios”, which means “set apart” or “holy one”. And according to Paul… every Christian is a saint… “…sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people” … set apart by God…in fellowship with Christ… servants of the Lord. Servants like the one Isaiah speaks of… the servant who will lead the people. This second section of Isaiah was written around 540 BCE… about 45 years AFTER the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire. God’s people… have been defeated, their temple destroyed. They had been taken in chains to Babylon, alienated from their land and their God. They had to be feeling devastated, broken and abandoned… This was not only a crisis of political and socioeconomic proportions… this was a crisis of faith and their national identity as God’s chosen people. It was into this crisis that Isaiah speaks a word of hope. The Lord has promised to send God’s servant to lead the people… one who will restore justice and peace and bring Israel back home… back to the Lord. Isaiah assures the exiles that God still has compassion for them and that God reigns supreme. The disorientation of their exile is replaced by a new orientation that is more than just returning to the way things were before exile. God has so much more in mind. In fact… it is like Isaiah shouts this news from the rooftops… Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! God will raise up a servant… a leader… one who God knew before this leader was even born…A servant-leader who will be a light not just to their people but to all people. “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” God’s salvation will come, but not just for one specific set of people… for all people… the servant of God will provide leadership and care that will be light and hope… that will bring those who suffer out of despair. This leadership that is not self-centered, but God-centered… and it will focus on the welfare of all in the community. What tremendous words of hope Isaiah brings from God to a broken and beaten people. The prophet ushers in a great hope of divine restoration. Israel’s humiliation will lead to glory… and that message of hope is extended… as God’s light… to the nations. It is not to big of a stretch to find parallels between the plight of ancient Israel and where we find ourselves today. For, like the people of Israel… our own nation is broken and suffering… our people divided, fearful and angry. There are too many people caught in the storms that swirl out of control in this world. There is the economic storm that has blown people out of jobs and out of their homes. There is the storm of violence that continues to claim more and more lives every year. There are storms of animosity and prejudice and greed and indifference. Politics, religion, racism, sexism, all continue to feed the storms of division and discord on a daily basis. Even our churches are fractured. Much like the church in Corinth, we have too many Christians who are boasting of their own self-importance while tearing their brothers and sisters down. There is far too much condescension and distain for one another… too many instances of inconsideration and individualism… too much “us vs. them”. It often feels like God has abandoned us all… when the truth is that our society has abandoned God. Like the people of ancient Israel… we have turned away from God… living within a covenant broken on humanity’s side. Paul reminds us that all who follow Christ are “called to be [God’s] holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours…” but too often it seems we have “have labored in vain, [and] have spent [our] strength for nothing and vanity;” As far as the Old Testament is concerned, the Servant Isiah referred to symbolized both Israel and the coming messiah. Israel, as history show us, fell far short… Isaiah's Servant is an idealized Israel, the Israel that should have been… the Israel that would one day be. However, the Servant is also, without a doubt, the messiah, the faithful savior of lost Israel and the world. Thankfully for us… Isaiah's description of the Servant found its fulfillment in Christ Jesus… the servant of God who came to restore the chosen people of Israel… AND who has also been a light to all the nations of the world. Through Christ, we too have been called by God… sanctified and called to be his holy people… together… brought into fellowship with Christ and with one another… Because we are one with Jesus, we have joined the ranks of the faithful people of God… therefore… we are now… in this time… the Servants of the Lord. As the body of Christ, the church, we take on the status, the responsibilities and the blessings accorded to the faithful Servant of the Lord. We are called to be a “light to the nations”… to serve as God’s Servant to our broken world; displaying God’s light and truth to the ends of the earth. Isaiah’s prophecy was first spoken to the Hebrew people, and now to the followers of Christ. Through these words, God calls each of us to be a light to every person, every tribe, and every nation. In a world where far too many spew scathing, hurtful, hate-filled words… we are to speak words of kindness and compassion. In a world where society draws lines between winners and losers, we are to work for the common good. In a world where many promote an “us versus them” mentality, we are to remind people that we are all children of God and God wishes for us to live together in peace. Surrounded by the glories of God’s beautiful creations amid a world of pain, suffering and hatred… we are given a divine command… challenging us to lean into the future and to become more than we are today – more welcoming, more caring, more giving, more devoted to seeking justice, more committed to making peace. To this very day… Jesus continues to call us, challenge us, and convicts us, to show our love for him by feeding his lambs, tending his sheep. By loving our neighbor as he has loved us, by loving others as we love ourselves. Calling us to always remember that whatever we did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, we did for Jesus himself. [Matthew 25:40] As we sit here in church Sunday after Sunday, let us not forget who we are… Servants, saints… in union and fellowship with Christ Jesus our Lord and with one another
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Yeon Shin
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