Lectionary Readings for September 5, 2021
Reading One: Isaiah 35:4-7 (NRSV)
Song: Graves Into Gardens (lyrics here)
Reflection
The lectionary readings this week have a fascinating thread weaving through all of them—a thread of reversal. Each, in some way, speaks to the ways in which the saving grace of God upends established norms, defying assumptions and shattering expectations. The message is this—when God shows up, get ready for things to change. Dramatically.
In Isaiah’s text, the God who comes to shake things up is neither gentle nor quiet about it. Isaiah says that God comes “with vengeance, with terrible recompense.” (v. 4) Those are difficult words, and bring to mind an image of God that we sometimes would rather not engage. But the very next sentence puts that vengeance and recompense into perspective: “He will come and save you. (v. 4)
The reversals that follow are dramatic:
—the eyes of the blind are opened
—the ears of the deaf unstopped
—the lame leap like deer
—the tongues of the speechless sing for joy
—water breaks through into the wilderness
—streams appear in the desert
—burning sand becomes a refreshing pool
—dry and thirsty ground becomes a spring of water
These are all images of salvation and wholeness. This is what the God who has come to save will do.
In that light, the “vengeance and recompense” of God are seen in a new way. This is how passionate God is for his people, and how much his anger is stirred against those would oppress them. Yes, his love is tender and kind. But like a parent who will stop at nothing to protect a child, God’s love is also fierce. And when his fierce love is unleashed, the natural order itself is turned on its head.
This is the kingdom of God coming into being. This is food for the hungry, water for the thirsty, healing for the broken, freedom for the helpless and exploited. This is the love of God, expressed in an unbridled, unstoppable passion to see his people set free. This is the love that sent Jesus to earth. In his life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection…sin and death themselves are reversed. The deliverance Isaiah looked for and prophesied has come.
He has come and saved us.
When you consider the love of God in this way, as fierce, vengeful, and passionate in the face of sin and oppression, does it make you uncomfortable? If it does, why do you suppose that is? How can Isaiah’s words lead you into a deeper understanding of the depth of God’s love? Spend some time meditating on the truth that God’s salvation is rooted in a love that burns with holy fire, and was willing to go to the farthest lengths to bring us back to himself.
You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You're the only one who canYou turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You're the only one who can
You're the only one who can
Reading Two: Psalm 146 (NRSV)
Song: Praise the Lord (lyrics here)
Reflection
In Psalm 146 the great, reality-reversing love of God becomes reason for praise. Earthly powers are put in their place, and the God of Jacob proves to be our only trustworthy help and hope. And again, things are turned on their head:
—the oppressed find justice
—the hungry find food
—the prisoners find freedom
—the blind find sight
—the lowly find a lift up
—the strangers find they are not alone
—the orphan and the widow find sustenance and strength
In light of these things, the psalmist cannot help but break into a song of praise that will last “all my life long.” (v. 2)
These days it can be difficult to muster the kind of awe and wonder the psalmist expresses here. So much in our world reflects not reversal, but decline. But this is not unexpected. Jesus himself spoke of things getting worse before they get better, with wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes, persecution and hatred. (Matt. 24) It can be tempting to think that the days of reversal are in the past for good.
But the truth is this: lives are still being changed. The hungry are still being fed. People are finding salvation and wholeness. But the reality is…those don’t make for good TV ratings. So we rarely hear about it. But it is happening. We just need to look, to tear our eyes away from the mess and notice how God is still very much at work in our midst, still turning things upside-down and setting them right.
And so even as the storms rage, we are invited to join our voices with the psalmist:
Praise the Lord, oh my soul
I will praise the Lord as long as I live
I will sing praises to my God
Even with my dying breath
Are you prone to focus on the chaos of the world? How might you be more intentional about looking for ways God is at work around you? What voices are perhaps best silenced so you can hear the shouts of joy that are raised to heaven as God’s kingdom work continues? Spend some time in prayer asking God to show you ways in which the words of Psalm 146 can come alive in your midst.
Reading Three: James 2:1-17 (NRSV)
Song: God of Justice (lyrics here)
Reflection
Before we get too settled in our seats and assume that we are merely spectators to the great works of reversal God is doing in the world, James comes into the picture. And like he does, he reminds us that we have a part to play in all of this. And he warns us not to make assumptions about things.
In this passage, James focuses on the distinction of rich and poor, and reminds the reader that deference should not be shown simply on the basis of economic status. Echoing the reversals we’ve already encountered, James hammers home an important truth:
“Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?” (v. 5)
In fact, James says, it is the poor who deserve our attention the most, because they are most in need. And here we come to an important truth about kingdom reversal:
Sometimes we are the ones called to make it happen.
The justice that God is seeking to bring to the world is supernaturally empowered, but sometimes we forget that we’re the ones who are supposed to be the vessels for that power. We can easily assume it’s someone else’s problem, or that God will just simply make it happen. Sometimes he will. But other times, he asks us to be part of that work.
“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them,’"Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?
So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (vv. 15-17)
When these verses come up, people often get sidetracked by the whole “faith vs. works” argument. I think that is a meaningless distraction. I don’t think James is saying that we must perform works to be saved. I think he’s saying that saving faith will, by its very nature, inspire us to works of love and justice.
The song “God of Justice” captures this call on our lives in a powerful way. It also makes an important link between spiritual formation and service:
Fill us up, and send us out.
The truth is this: the closer we draw to Jesus, the more his love will flow through us and the more his priorities will become our priorities. In other words, the more of Jesus we let into our lives, the more we will become part of his world-changing ministry of reversal.
Spend some time in prayer asking God to make you more open to the ways he would call you into his kingdom work. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you about the opportunities you may not even be aware of that sit right at your door, and ask him to prepare you for them by filling your life with the love and power of Christ.
Reading Four: Mark 7:24-37 (NRSV)
Song: And Dreams (lyrics here)
Reflection
This may seem an odd choice for a song to pair with the Mark text, given that it’s based on a Christmas poem. But when you read the lyrics and dwell with them, you can see that it’s a poem that captures the hunger and hope for those who have yet to experience God’s mighty power. It’s a poem that imagines people from all over going to bed on the same night that Jesus is born, and dreaming of something better.
The truth is, there are still people who live that every day. They go to bed in the midst of their pain, their hunger, and brokenness, and they wonder if life can ever be different. Is change possible, or is the situation they currently know…the only one they will ever know?
Let’s close our time of reflection praying for all those who need a reversal in their lives, for whatever reason. Listen to and read the words of this poem which Michael Card has set to music. Let these prayers shape yours.
That night when in Judean skies
The wondrous star did shine so bright
A blind man moved while in his sleep
And dreamed that he had sight
That night when Magi traveled far
While o'er the house the star drew near
A deaf man stirred in slumber's spell
And dreamed that he could hear
That night when safe in Joseph's arms
The little king was held secure
A captive child smiled in her sleep
And dreamed that she was pure
That night when o'er the newborn Babe
The tender Mary rose to lean
A leper slept a happy sleep
And dreamed that he was clean
And all the while the dreamers dreamed
The Child who would redeem them
Lay weeping for the world
He would waken
That night when in the manger lay
The Son of God who came to save
A man moved in the sleep of death
And dreamed there was no grave