Prepare to Listen. Be still, believe: God will feed his flock like a shepherd.
Prayerfully Read Isaiah 40:6-11 6A voice says, ‘Cry out!’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 7The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. 8The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever. 9Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ 10See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. Prayerfully Wonder Humans, like grass, lack constancy, wither and fade in their efforts to comfort. Not so God! The poet claims that “the word of our God will stand forever.” That’s good news, yet there’s more. Twice the herald of good tidings (or gospel) is called to fearlessly shout, Here is your God. That’s the gospel in its most profound sense. Here, not over there in distant space, but here and now God is with us. “The gospel makes the God of Israel visible and effective in a setting from which Yahweh had seemed to be expelled.”[1] The gospel, good tidings of God’s presence includes two important realities. First, judgment: “his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” Judgment has to do with setting the world to rights, restoring goodness, truth, justice, righteousness, for all people. Second, nurture and thus Messiah will feed his flock like a shepherd and speak tenderly to them. None of the harsh, judgmental words we too often hear from some who claim to be Christian. When Handel put music to these words about the shepherd feeding his flock, he used soothing, soft notes that emphasize the gentle and tender care of Messiah. Prayerfully Reflect How can you be a herald of good tidings speaking tenderly to God’s flock, whoever and wherever? Prayerfully Respond Your presence, O Lord, is good news. May I experience your tenderness and nourishment today as I move among different people and diverse situations. And may I be good news to all. Amen. Live obediently. Be a herald of good tidings in deeds not merely words. [1] Brueggemann, W. Isaiah 40-66. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998, p. 20.
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