Isaiah 62:1-5. Speak up - because of Christmas!! 15/1/07
(1) For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. {2} The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. {3} You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. {4} No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah ; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. {5} As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
In recent weeks we have again been reminded of what God has done, and is doing, in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christmas message assured us again of the fact that God is with us: that he is here to help, save, restore and improve life for us, resulting in peace and joy for us all. We heard again of the blessing that is promised is ours in this New Year. Now here again, we are reminded of other great benefits that are now ours as a result of God himself coming into our world.
So from all of this we can see that we have great things going for us. We have every reason to rejoice and be happy. We have before us the greatest news we can ever know or be a part of. Things surely must be so much different for us now as we go ahead as the people of God.
But that is not the way it is - is it? As we look around us, everything is not rosy. In fact the picture is not good at all. The reality does not seem to be what we have just heard. I think I can hear many of you saying to yourselves, ‘Come on, where is this good and positive life.’ ‘What we are experiencing is not the life that you, pastor, are trying to get us to believe.’ ‘Yes, we have much to be thankful for; but what about all the difficulties that we have to face. We can’t always be so positive.’
And on the one hand, I have to say that you are right: the scene that we are facing today and tomorrow is not good. As I look around, I too at times become despondent. As I look around and see what is happening in our church and in our society today, I am deeply saddened. As I see our church depart from the Word and the Confessions of the church and try to twist and turn it all to suit the current whims of our society: As I see so many in our society take the Almighty God for granted and couldn't really give a damn about him and his Church, and who deliberately make excuses and even flaunt themselves against God. At times I almost cry as I think about these things. Where are we at? What is happening today? Is it any wonder that life is the way it is, with all of its hassles and hardships? If something doesn't change soon, it will be tragic for so many people.
But it is here again that this reading spurs me on. For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. I will not stay quiet. For your sake I can not and will not keep silent. For this community and this country, I must not remain quiet; till there is a change in the thinking, attitude and focus of us all; including our community and country. I cannot stop till God’s righteousness and salvation shines in our midst once again.
Here let us remember that we too are called by a new name - we are Christians. Christ is in us - by his calling - not our decision. We are his because of what our God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been washed clean in the waters of baptism and joined into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We have just heard again in recent weeks that he has promised to be with us and bless us. Christmas and New Year Services have emphasised these things for us over and over again.
God has been true to his promises throughout history. So we have everything that is true and important and good. Yes we still live in the midst of difficulties and tragedies because of sin. Even as Christians we have been told by our Lord that we will not have life here on this earth easy. In fact we will have to bear our crosses. But it is now all seen in the context of Jesus and his cross. His death brings victory. As we share in his cross we now are assured that we also share in his victory. God is at work in our difficulties and crosses, in order to bring about eternal good. So even in the face of what outwardly looks to be a not so good future, we have the certainty o life and salvation. We have peace and joy, no matter what. Great things lay before us, because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That being the case I, and we all, surely, will be like Isaiah; we cannot be silent on this matter. A couple of verses on from this reading gives us further encouragement in this regard. 'You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.' Well it is time for us to call on God to remember these promises that he has made to us. Let us here, give him no rest till he gets things in order here; and let us in this regard remember the parable of the persistent widow.
[Luke 18:1-8.] 'Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"
And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
Do we have this faith to believe that he has and can bring change into the thinking within our church and nation? Do we believe and trust that he can do it? Do we take seriously what he says here and elsewhere in the Bible about giving us salvation and new life: about his giving us a right relationship with himself, which includes living the right way? Does the name Christian really mean anything worthwhile to us?
Well I certainly do – and I will not keep silent for your sake or for our country. I know the Lord is faithful and trustworthy. He will not let us down. He is with us. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. He is our only hope.
That means I will hold him to his word. But it also means that I will not go easy on myself or you. I will not keep silent in your presence either, about what the Scriptures and the Church say and believe. Till God’s righteousness and salvation shines forth from your lives for others to see, I will continue to hold Jesus Christ up before you as Lord and Saviour. I will continue to challenge you and our community to take him seriously for all of life: To trust that he is more important to you than your dollars, material possessions, work, sport and merely having a good time. It is in God alone that we find meaning and purpose to life. It is in and through Jesus Christ that we have forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. It is in Scripture alone that we find the truth. It is what God alone has done for us in Jesus Christ that is to be our primary focus, not ourselves and what we do, think and feel. And on these things I will not keep quiet. And if I do, please give me good swift kick.
Let none of us here be the cause of any further down-slide in what is happening in our church and our country. There is enough immorality, selfishness, idolatry, and all the rest out there without us giving further encouragement to it. There is far too much emphasis on us and what we do rather than on Christ and what he has done and what he has to say to us. The Law and Gospel needs to be kept in balance if we are to fully appreciate what Christ has done for us. A Word and Sacraments focus needs to be maintained if we are to have the comfort and assurance that we have the certainty of the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation that is promised to us and which is of utmost importance for us.
Let us not keep silent for each others sake. Let us remind our Lord and each other of the many promises that we have before us. Let us rejoice and be glad for the salvation that has been won for us, and the righteousness that has been given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. And let us not be complacent as we go on from here. There is a great need for changes ahead, and we have God promise of his presence and blessing. So let us not be quiet for each others sake, or be silent because of the need of our nation, till righteousness and salvation is the shining light for all to see: till every knee bends and every tongue confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. For to him alone belongs all glory and praise, now and for evermore. AMEN.
Pastor Roger Atze
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Toowoomba
(1) For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. {2} The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. {3} You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. {4} No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah ; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. {5} As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
In recent weeks we have again been reminded of what God has done, and is doing, in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christmas message assured us again of the fact that God is with us: that he is here to help, save, restore and improve life for us, resulting in peace and joy for us all. We heard again of the blessing that is promised is ours in this New Year. Now here again, we are reminded of other great benefits that are now ours as a result of God himself coming into our world.
So from all of this we can see that we have great things going for us. We have every reason to rejoice and be happy. We have before us the greatest news we can ever know or be a part of. Things surely must be so much different for us now as we go ahead as the people of God.
But that is not the way it is - is it? As we look around us, everything is not rosy. In fact the picture is not good at all. The reality does not seem to be what we have just heard. I think I can hear many of you saying to yourselves, ‘Come on, where is this good and positive life.’ ‘What we are experiencing is not the life that you, pastor, are trying to get us to believe.’ ‘Yes, we have much to be thankful for; but what about all the difficulties that we have to face. We can’t always be so positive.’
And on the one hand, I have to say that you are right: the scene that we are facing today and tomorrow is not good. As I look around, I too at times become despondent. As I look around and see what is happening in our church and in our society today, I am deeply saddened. As I see our church depart from the Word and the Confessions of the church and try to twist and turn it all to suit the current whims of our society: As I see so many in our society take the Almighty God for granted and couldn't really give a damn about him and his Church, and who deliberately make excuses and even flaunt themselves against God. At times I almost cry as I think about these things. Where are we at? What is happening today? Is it any wonder that life is the way it is, with all of its hassles and hardships? If something doesn't change soon, it will be tragic for so many people.
But it is here again that this reading spurs me on. For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. I will not stay quiet. For your sake I can not and will not keep silent. For this community and this country, I must not remain quiet; till there is a change in the thinking, attitude and focus of us all; including our community and country. I cannot stop till God’s righteousness and salvation shines in our midst once again.
Here let us remember that we too are called by a new name - we are Christians. Christ is in us - by his calling - not our decision. We are his because of what our God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been washed clean in the waters of baptism and joined into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We have just heard again in recent weeks that he has promised to be with us and bless us. Christmas and New Year Services have emphasised these things for us over and over again.
God has been true to his promises throughout history. So we have everything that is true and important and good. Yes we still live in the midst of difficulties and tragedies because of sin. Even as Christians we have been told by our Lord that we will not have life here on this earth easy. In fact we will have to bear our crosses. But it is now all seen in the context of Jesus and his cross. His death brings victory. As we share in his cross we now are assured that we also share in his victory. God is at work in our difficulties and crosses, in order to bring about eternal good. So even in the face of what outwardly looks to be a not so good future, we have the certainty o life and salvation. We have peace and joy, no matter what. Great things lay before us, because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That being the case I, and we all, surely, will be like Isaiah; we cannot be silent on this matter. A couple of verses on from this reading gives us further encouragement in this regard. 'You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.' Well it is time for us to call on God to remember these promises that he has made to us. Let us here, give him no rest till he gets things in order here; and let us in this regard remember the parable of the persistent widow.
[Luke 18:1-8.] 'Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"
And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
Do we have this faith to believe that he has and can bring change into the thinking within our church and nation? Do we believe and trust that he can do it? Do we take seriously what he says here and elsewhere in the Bible about giving us salvation and new life: about his giving us a right relationship with himself, which includes living the right way? Does the name Christian really mean anything worthwhile to us?
Well I certainly do – and I will not keep silent for your sake or for our country. I know the Lord is faithful and trustworthy. He will not let us down. He is with us. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. He is our only hope.
That means I will hold him to his word. But it also means that I will not go easy on myself or you. I will not keep silent in your presence either, about what the Scriptures and the Church say and believe. Till God’s righteousness and salvation shines forth from your lives for others to see, I will continue to hold Jesus Christ up before you as Lord and Saviour. I will continue to challenge you and our community to take him seriously for all of life: To trust that he is more important to you than your dollars, material possessions, work, sport and merely having a good time. It is in God alone that we find meaning and purpose to life. It is in and through Jesus Christ that we have forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. It is in Scripture alone that we find the truth. It is what God alone has done for us in Jesus Christ that is to be our primary focus, not ourselves and what we do, think and feel. And on these things I will not keep quiet. And if I do, please give me good swift kick.
Let none of us here be the cause of any further down-slide in what is happening in our church and our country. There is enough immorality, selfishness, idolatry, and all the rest out there without us giving further encouragement to it. There is far too much emphasis on us and what we do rather than on Christ and what he has done and what he has to say to us. The Law and Gospel needs to be kept in balance if we are to fully appreciate what Christ has done for us. A Word and Sacraments focus needs to be maintained if we are to have the comfort and assurance that we have the certainty of the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation that is promised to us and which is of utmost importance for us.
Let us not keep silent for each others sake. Let us remind our Lord and each other of the many promises that we have before us. Let us rejoice and be glad for the salvation that has been won for us, and the righteousness that has been given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. And let us not be complacent as we go on from here. There is a great need for changes ahead, and we have God promise of his presence and blessing. So let us not be quiet for each others sake, or be silent because of the need of our nation, till righteousness and salvation is the shining light for all to see: till every knee bends and every tongue confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. For to him alone belongs all glory and praise, now and for evermore. AMEN.
Pastor Roger Atze
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Toowoomba
posted by Roger at
3:46 pm
|
0 comments
