Isaiah 40:28-31
I had
planned on preaching from Luke 5 today but as the week rolled on, the words I
had prepared didn’t seem to fit anymore.
Instead, I’d like to share with you some words from Isaiah 40:28-31. (Read text).
We’ve just
been through a stretch of church life that has left many people weary. The holidays are over now. We’ve just gone through a
longer-than-typical budget process. I
have placed some challenges before us as a congregation that will require
work. Many of you, I know, are weary. If that’s you, I share in your
experience. It seemed to me a couple of
days ago like a good time to be reminded of these truths in Isaiah.
Isaiah
speaks to Jewish captives in Babylon that were weary too. The Babylonians were powerful. They were definitely in charge. But the Jewish captives were also wondering
if God was paying attention to their needs.
These words
remain one of the primary confessions of biblical faith.[1] They are for weary people. Here, God is proclaimed to be stronger than
the Babylonians and attentive to the exiles.
On both counts of strength and attentiveness, God is incomparable.[2] Like the rush of a forceful storm wind,
God’s entry into these people’s lives sweeps away every obstacle that stands
between the community and its God.[3] So we have an answer for weary people in
this text that says, “This is how God is.
We should have known.” Whenever
you feel like you’re ready to be swept away, remember that God is strong. God is attentive.[4]
Some of my own weariness is directly
related to yours. During January, I
preached from the book of Nehemiah about plunging deeper into our faith. I used the story of Nehemiah leading a
rebuilding effort in Jerusalem to talk about us rebuilding our faith. As I’ve talked with some of you about all
this, it seems the message you have heard is not always what I hoped you’d take
away from this study. It seems to have
strengthened some, but made others weary.
And so I feel a need to clarify.
When I talked about rebuilding our
faith, some of you heard this as a call to plunge deeper into our faith. Some of you heard, “I’m nothing but a pile
of rubble. I’m a mess.” My words made some weary.
When I talked about gaps to rebuild,
some of you heard a call to build upon present ministries. Some of you heard me say there was nothing
worth saving at Cane Creek and we should just start over.
Some of the images I used that I hoped
would be helpful in binding us all together in a unified pursuit, seemed to
create division between old and new, young and old, those who have been here a
long while and those who have more recently arrived.
In short, for too many, the message I
thought I was delivering and the message too many received was dramatically
different. I feel greatly responsible
and deeply, deeply sorry. For those who
are weary, and feel that the content of my messages is partly or wholly
responsible for that, I seek your forgiveness.
While I hoped God would stir renewal in all us, I never dreamed of
hurting anyone.
I have spent a good deal of time in
prayer the last few days. Isaiah
reminds me that God was not just all-powerful for those weary in Babylon, but
is all powerful for us. God was not
just attentive to the ancients, but hears our every sigh as well.
We stand in the line of a wonderful
tradition here. When Nehemiah began
rebuilding the walls in Jerusalem, the foundation was there to build upon. People have worshipped and served here for
over 200 years. Our foundation is here
– Jesus Christ and the example of those who have been part of this church
through the decades and centuries. For
those who have been challenged and encouraged in recent weeks, don’t stop but
maybe shift down a gear because some of us need to catch up. Isaiah says to wait for the Lord. Seek the heart of God. For those who are weary, I’m sorry, and we
won’t be at our strongest as a congregation until your strength is
renewed.
I won’t stop trying to nudge up deeper
into our faith. That’s my job. That’s what you pay me to do and that’s how
God has called me to live. But I ask
you to help me pay attention to what you’re hearing: what God is telling you
and what you’re hearing from me.
But those who wait for the Lord shall
renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall
run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Amen.
[1] Paul D. Hanson, Interpretation: A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1995), p. 32.
[2] Walter Brueggemann, Westminster Bible Companion: Isaiah 40-66 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998), p. 22.
[3] Paul D. Hanson, Interpretation: A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1995), p. 32.
[4] Walter Brueggemann, Westminster Bible Companion: Isaiah 40-66 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998), p. 28.