Prepare to Listen. Like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Prayerfully Read Isaiah 53:7-9 7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. 9They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect Behold the Lamb of God. What do you see about him in this reading? These verses are a scene from the playbook of Jesus’ trial and death. After an active ministry of healing and teaching, after his arrest Jesus was remarkably silent and passive. His trial was “spectacular betrayals of genuine justice.”[1] Things were done to him, lies said about him but “he did not open his mouth.” He was treated in death the same way he was treated in life—utterly guilty. Yet “like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” In verse 6 ‘we’ are described as being like sheep who have gone astray. The Messiah too is like a sheep, but unlike us he was vulnerable, innocent, accepting, even of a murderous and cruel death, “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter.” Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The vicious cycle of sin and disobedience was broken. But not as is the way of the world. We think we can defeat our enemy, overcome wrongdoing with force and violence and vigorous self-assertion. And all that does is escalate violence and prompt our enemy to respond in kind. The power of Jesus is the very opposite of what we think power ought to be. Jesus’ silent acceptance of violence done to him was the power that changed the world for good. He did not open his mouth and yet we heard him. Once again, the way of Jesus is bewildering, a mystery. How can you be more like Jesus, living his way of power that rejects violence in all its forms? Prayerfully Respond Lord Jesus I’ll never understand your way because it is so contrary to the way of the world that I’m used to. Give me the courage to be more like you and less like the world around me. Amen. Live obediently. Follow the silent but powerful One. [1] Brueggemann, Walter. Isaiah 40-66. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 1998, p. 147.
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Prepare to Listen. The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Prayerfully Read Isaiah 53:4-6 4Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect There’s a contrast in these verses between what the Servant (think Messiah Jesus) did for the people (think you and I) and how ‘we’ respond. Did you notice? Look again at verse 4—first two lines about Messiah; next two about the people. How does this affect you? What emotion does it evoke? The first word, surely, suggests surprise in Hebrew. Despite being despised, rejected, considered of no account, a nobody who attracted little attention (v. 3), Messiah is actively involved, doing something decisive for his people. It’s surprising, bewildering, and should move us to be “lost in wonder, love and praise.”[1] But instead, writes the prophet, “we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.” While the we in the verse meant Israel, we can see ourselves in this we. The same contrast appears again in verses 5 and 6. The Servant (Messiah) was wounded for us, bore punishment intended for us. And what did we do? We went astray like mindless sheep, following the crowd following the populist leader whose way is more comfortable and less demanding than Jesus’ way. We turned to our own way, that rejected the costly way of Jesus. As a result, “the LORD has laid on him [not us] the iniquity of us all.” The contrasts are bewildering. After all we, the recalcitrant and disobedient people of God have done, Christ, the Servant took upon himself all that belonged on us. God never gave up on us. When we think about it, it ought to bewilder us, and also make us grateful. What bewildered and surprised you in these verses? Does it evoke gratitude? Prayerfully Respond I am bewildered, Lord at the way you chose to redeem your world, including me. All that I can do is thank you and seek to live your way, not mine. Amen. Live obediently. Be bewildered and grateful. [1] Charles Wesley’s hymn, “Love Divine all Love’s Excelling.” Prepare to Listen. He was despised, and we held him of no account.
Prayerfully Read Isaiah 53:1-3 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect Most of us can’t help reading these verses with Jesus and the gospel story in view, even though we know the prophet wasn’t thinking about Jesus. Where do you see Jesus in these few verses? Is it the Jesus you follow? The message begins with two unanswered questions: “Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD [God’s power] been revealed?” Unless God’s power, God’s arm has been revealed, the answer to these questions is, “No one.” And, if the Lord’s servant comes in the humiliating circumstances described in this poem, in hidden power, which Jesus did, we need a revelation from God to believe. Jesus didn’t come as an attractive, populist leader. The Isaiah poet describes him in very unattractive terms—a root out of dry ground, no form or majesty, nothing to make us notice and desire his company, let alone his leadership. “This is one of the little ones, surely of no consequence.”[1] He wouldn’t appear on our grandstands or popular TV shows. He wouldn’t raise millions of dollars for his cause. Instead, as the alto, in a minor key, sings in Handel’s Messiah, “He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Isaiah adds more—people hid from him, didn’t want to be seen associating with him. They “held him of no account.” We know today that this describes Jesus exactly. He was despised and rejected. If this despised Servant came to your town today, would you want to be seen with him? Or would you too hold him “of no account” and follow a more popular and attractive leader? Prayerfully Respond Help me resist the populist candidates and follow Jesus, the least popular, because only you, O Lord have the power to save us all. Amen. Live obediently. Be courageous and follow the despised one, Jesus. [1] Brueggemann, Walter. Isaiah 40-66. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 1998, p. 145. Prepare to Listen. Morning by morning he wakens my ear to listen.
Prayerfully Read Isaiah 50:4-7 4The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens-- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. 5The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backwards. 6I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. 7The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect What connected with you in these verses? The chorus in Handel’s Messiah from v. 6, “He gave his back to the smiters,” makes us think this is about Jesus, period. And yes, Jesus was mocked and beaten with a whip of cords. But the prophet isn’t so narrowly focused. He writes of “the servant,” without identifying him or her. We can, therefore, apply these verses to ourselves, servants of the Lord. Three times he says, “The Lord GOD…”, followed by an active verb of what God does for the servant. The decisive action is all God’s. The servant is merely an obedient and trustworthy recipient. First, the Lord GOD gives him the tongue of the teacher so that he can sustain the weary. This is more than a pastoral word of comfort in need. It’s a word of truth to those in danger of accepting words from false teachers that contradict God’s power or confuse God’s power with political power and authority. The servant’s word energizes the weary, so they remain faithful to God despite any risks. Second, the Lord GOD awakens her ear to hear as one taught, that is, she has learned to listen to God’s instruction and therefore remains unflinching in her obedience even in the face of abusive opposition. She will submit to “the smiters”, even when they are her own people. Third, “the Lord GOD helps me,” therefore the servant doesn’t cave under pressure. He remains resolved in his loyalty to God and God’s ways. “The servant is fully confident of Yahweh as a sufficient support to do what Yahweh has mandated.”[1] What do you think the Lord GOD has given you to help you do the work to which you’ve been called? Prayerfully Respond Lord God you have given me much so I know that you will support me as I seek to do the work to which you have called me. Amen Live obediently. Live in humble response to what God has given you. [1] Brueggemann, Walter. Isaiah 40-66. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 1998, p. 122. Prepare to Listen. For I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Prayerfully Read Jeremiah 31:31-34 31The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the LORD’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect What caught your attention in these verses today? There are some things we never forget, and others we wish we could forget. We never forget exciting moments, but have a hard time forgetting bad things that happened to us or the stupid things we’ve done. Some things we desperately want to be forgotten. We don’t want our sins remembered because we want to begin again with a new slate. The new covenant, promised first to Israel and now to those in Christ, offers forgetfulness of sin and newness. Of the promises in this covenant, the final one is probably the most crucial, forming the basis for them all: “for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” God, the LORD will forgive and forget, making possible opportunities to begin again. Because we’re forgiven, God will write his law on our hearts (not on stones that can be broken and forgotten) and say of the forgiven, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” God will live in solidarity with us, in a new and intimate relationship. All peoples, “from the least of them to the greatest,” will have direct access to God and they will know, that is, experience God in a personal relationship. All this because God is willing to forgive and forget. When Jesus walked past John the Baptizer, John pointed to him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Forgiveness is a God-thing, the primary business of God. No human can forgive our sins and give us access to God. Only God in Christ Jesus does this and is willing to do this for us so that we can begin again with new possibilities. How does this new covenant help you better understand our God? Prayerfully Respond Lord you and you alone can forgive and create new possibilities to live fully. Help me live in ways that reflect your compassionate forgiveness to myself and to others. Amen. Live obediently. Accept God’s willingness to forgive and forget. Prepare to Listen. Father, glorify your name.
Prayerfully Read John 12:27-33 27‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ 30Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect “His hour” refers to Jesus’ death, the reason he came. What surprised you in Jesus’ words? In the previous verses we met Greeks who asked to see Jesus. John leaves us wondering whether they ever did see him, up close and personal. Jesus used their request to teach basic truths about himself and how all peoples can see him, regardless of who or where they are. He teaches us all where to look in order to see him. Do you know where to look to see Jesus? It’s easy to look in the wrong places, at the wrong evidence, at the wrong people. If you want to see Jesus, look up for he will be “lifted up.” This is the second time he said he must be lifted up (Jn 3:14), this time adding it was to draw all people to himself. John explains that his words indicates “the kind of death he was to die.” People living in Palestine then knew being “lifted up” didn’t mean Jesus would be placed on a high pedestal, in glamourous advertisements easily visible to all. It meant being lifted up on a cross and dying. Therefore, look up to the cross, to the wounds to see Jesus. One day a former student told me that her church emphasized showing mercy to all people, regardless of who or where they came from. She hoped this would draw people to Jesus and her church. Mercy is attractive. It particularly attracts the attention of people on the periphery of society—the disenfranchised and marginalized; the poor and the aliens; the suffering and neglected; the sort we often prefer to avoid. They will come to mercy and when they do, that’s where we will see Jesus, in the wounds of the marginalized. Where are you looking to see Jesus? Prayerfully Respond Lord, if you’re best seen in the wounds of the marginalized, the poor and struggling, give me the courage to see their wounds and show them your mercy where and how I’m able. Amen. Live obediently. Look up and see Jesus in the wounded and struggling. Prepare to Listen. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.
Prayerfully Read John 12:20-26 20Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect How would you respond to the Greeks’ request to see Jesus? We don’t know whether the Greeks ever got to see Jesus. We do know that Jesus used their wish to see him as a crucial teaching moment for his disciples. His teaching isn’t easy to understand. It’s not clear where to draw the line between what he teaches about himself and what he says about his disciples. One thing is clear, he teaches about death, both his own (“to be glorified” is a reference to his death), and the necessity of death (spiritual) for his disciples. I once thought that the parable about the grain of wheat was only about the meaning of Jesus’ death and thus I failed to see its relation to death in my life. Then one day my life spiraled out of control. I entered a dark pit of doubt and unknowing that felt like a death. The old certainties were in ruins. Thanks to the guidance of a mature Christian, I discovered this is the way of true growth in the spiritual life. To live, we must first descend into the ground and die. I stopped fighting the dying process. I learned, as Richard Rohr writes, “the idea that the spiritual life will eventually require us to descend into a dark tunnel, to descend into unknowing and doubt, to descend into a loss of certainty, to descend through a process that feels like dying”[1] was necessary and healthy. Without this descent into doubt and unknowing there can be no true growth. To bear much fruit, we must first die. Recall your own experiences with doubt and unknowing and what growth it led you to. Prayerfully Respond Lord, help me follow your way even to death, so that by dying I may bear much fruit for your glory. Amen. Live obediently. Serve Jesus by following him, even to “death.” [1] https://cac.org/doubt-a-necessary-tool-for-growth-2021-02-01 Prepare to Listen. But God, who is rich in mercy.
Prayerfully Read Ephesians 2:1-10 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved--6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God--9not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect What surprised or encouraged you in these verses? Life before Christ isn’t a pretty picture—dead in sin, enslaved to the ways of the world and its ruler, Satan, and to the desires of the flesh. It’s an ugly, depressing picture of helplessness. But God. Our salvation begins, continues and ends in this but God. God, who is rich in mercy, who loves us with a great love, changes the picture from ugly to beautiful. From dead in sin to “alive together with Christ;” from enslavement to life-draining passions to raised up with Christ. But God has changed everything. Pause and let this great truth sink in: made alive and raised up with Christ. Two things result. First, while God’s work immeasurably benefits us who believe, it is for God’s pleasure. We become pictures in God’s brag book, displaying to the world “the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Second, we become “what God has made us,” that is God’s “workmanship.” There is an artistic ring to this, suggesting that what God did for us in Jesus “is a work of art,”[1] putting us at the center of God’s new creation in order to enact the good works “which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” These aren’t works to earn God’s favor. But works that are offered to the world, works that display to the world the grace and love of our God. All made possible because, as Paul states twice, “by grace you have been saved.” Therefore, by grace we now live. How can the truth that you are God’s artistic creation change/shape how you live today? Prayerfully Respond Lord I give you thanks for your generous grace that has made me alive in Christ, alive to do good works that will be life-giving to those I meet today. Point me to the good works you want me to do today. Amen. Live obediently. Display God’s grace in your good works for others. [1] Wright, N. T. Ephesians. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Connect, 2009, p. 22. Prepare to Listen. Let those who are wise give heed to these things.
Prayerfully Read Psalm 107:33-43 33He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, 34a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants. 35He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. 36And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in; 37they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield. 38By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease. 39When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, 40he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; 41but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks. 42The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth. 43Let those who are wise give heed to these things and consider the steadfast love of the LORD. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect A psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance ends with: “Let those who are wise give heed to these things.” What do you think this suggests about what it means to be wise? The stories of the redeemed have been told (vv. 4-32), but the psalmist isn’t done. She believes it’s important to “consider the steadfast love of the LORD.” Consider, give all your attention to God’s steadfast love. This Hebrew term, hesed describes the essential character of God as well as God’s characteristic way of acting. It’s a favorite term in the Psalter, used over 120 times, more than the rest of Bible put together. “Hesed is both who the Lord is and what the Lord does.”[1] It can be defined as “a free-flowing love that knows no bounds,”[2] which is evident in the stories of the redeemed in Psalm 107. In these verses, the psalmist focuses on God’s sovereign power to provide for the needy, those needing food and shelter. The God who can turn a river into a parched desert can also turn “a desert into pools of water,” where the hungry will not merely survive, but thrive. God will not tolerate any who try to diminish others “through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.” The oppressors, most often the rulers, will end up in the “trackless wastes” God redeemed these story tellers from. The point the psalmist makes is this: it is God, not humans, who gives the means to thrive. The upright, those loyal to God, will see this and be glad. Let those who are wise give heed, consider, remain focused on the steadfast love, hesed of the LORD. Where have you seen and/or experienced for yourself the steadfast love of the Lord? Prayerfully Respond Lord, please remind me today to remember to pay attention to your steadfast love that never fails and may I reflect this love to the those around me. Amen. Live obediently. Consider God’s steadfast love. [1] Nancy deClaissé-Walford N., Jacobson R, and Tanner, B. The Book of Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2014, p. 8. [2] Ibid, p. 405. Being a word rich in meaning, hesed can be translated in many ways in English. Prepare to Listen. O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever.
Prayerfully Read Psalm 107:1-9 1O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. 2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble 3and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; 5hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; 7he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. 8Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. 9For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect What caught your attention in this Psalm today? “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story.”[1] And in Psalm 107 they do. Four groups tell their stories of redemption. Their circumstances were different—lost in a desert (v. 4), in darkness and gloom (v. 10), sick (v. 17) in a storm at sea (v. 23). But what was the same for all of them was God’s deliverance. The psalmist gathered their stories and wrote a psalm for the worshipping community to sing. Each story has the same four-part format—a description of distress, a prayer to the Lord for help, the details of their deliverance and the same conclusion: “Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.” Tell your story! It will be both different and similar to these ancient stories of redemption. Use the four parts in their stories as a guide. First, remember the details of your trouble. Perhaps you’ve never gotten lost in a desert, but maybe you’ve been lost in a spiritual desert. What happened? Second, what was your prayer to the Lord? In each of these four stories, the prayer is the same, a cry to the Lord followed by the response: “he delivered them from their distress” (v. 6). Third, if you were delivered, give the details of God’s deliverance. It will be different for each person. Four, conclude with thanksgiving and encourage others to give thanks with you. Take time to think through your story of redemption and then join the redeemed and tell your story. Prayerfully Respond Lord, in your steadfast love you are always willing to hear our cries for help and to deliver, in your time and in your way. May I live in thanksgiving today. Amen. Live obediently. Tell your story and give thanks. [1] NIV translation of v. 2. |
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