Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
SUSTAINING HOPE

Isaiah 40:21-31
But those who hope in the Lord
 will renew their strength. 
They will soar on wings like eagles; 
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40: 31)
Isaiah 40 gives the message of hope and comfort. When we are faced with natural calamities and catastrophes the general tendency is to get panic and feel utterly helpless. But the message of Isaiah is that the all powerful Lord God who “marked off the heavens” and “enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure” (v12) comes with might and arms of strength. Only when we grasp God’s power and our powerlessness does a word of hope emerge – namely that “those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” (v 31).

Painful realities of contemporary crises: The first hearers of this message were those in exile in Babylon. For the exiles, captivity in Babylon was a painful reality. They were forced from their homes, eked out from the Promised Land, scattered, and became refugees in a foreign land. They are a people who longed for Jerusalem and wept by the rivers of Babylon (Psalms 137); they are the faint and powerless. From this condition each Israelite concludes, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God” (v.27). The prophet proclaims that Israel’s God is also the creator of the universe and the God of all the nations. Verse 21 makes it clear that Israel’s knowledge is not new information or recently acquired. It is a knowledge that had been known from the “beginning” and “from the foundations of the earth”. It is knowledge of YHWH work in history and in the life of the people. This knowledge is relevant for the contemporary crisis.

Wait for God and receive strength: The prophet affirms that the God who creates not only gave life at the beginning but gives new life in the present (vv. 28-31). Reiterating the initial question in verse 21 “have you not known?, have you not heard?” the prophet assures that this God is eternal, tireless and understand far more than they know. Where Israel questions and doubts, the prophet reassures them that God will never fail. The crisis of the Babylonian exile caused the people to forget their own story, the story of God’s attentiveness and dependability, the story of God’s love for Israel. Because they have forgotten, they are questioning the presence and power of this God. But those who remember their history and believe in the God who fulfills promises will be able to receive new strength and life from their relationship with this God. The ones who need help the most are the ones who will receive it from the creator, the all-powerful God. The faint and the powerless will receive new strength and power. Times are so difficult and the challenges are severe that even the young will faint and grow weary. Hope may be hard to sustain, but if we depend on God and wait and trust in our own story, we will receive the ability to meet the challenges and, indeed, to rise above them. Amen.


Prayer: Let us pray for those who are affected by natural calamities, war and poverty.

Rev. Joseph Johnny, New York







Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more