Chapter 41: No cause for dismay

41:10   ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.’

Rough seas. Icebergs. Decks sliding. A band playing something. Lifeboats? Who’s first? Chilly waters. Darkness. Time running out.

But, stand your ground. Listen and Look. God will show you what and how and when.

Trust

Entrust

Trusted

As a 16^th century mystic, St Teresa of Avila wrote :

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

#JourneyIsaiah

Isaiah chapter 40: Beauty is within you

40:6-7   ‘“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them.’

As people age their physical appearance, form and strength changes. Aches and pains, hearing, eyesight, physical stamina signal change. And memory can be impaired in old age.  The world we live in values what it defines as beauty, image, power, style and possession. Celebrity magazines sell well. Yet, the true beauty is within known to, and seen by, God alone. We might catch a glimpse of this beauty within from time to time. It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul.

(From Chapter 40 onwards, the tone, style and context of the Book of Isaiah changes. Scholars believe that chapters 40-55 were written by a different person and at a different time – when the people of Israel were in captivity in Babylon and Jerusalem had already been destroyed. Middle Isaiah – chapters 40-55 – are full of consolation and hope).

                                                       Pic: www.quotesvalley.com

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Isaiah chapter 39: Writing that letter

39:8   ‘There will be peace and security in my lifetime’

That’s what King Hezekiah thought anyway.  We don’t know what tomorrow or today brings. But, we can be sure that peace and security is our ultimate aim and gift not just for ourselves alone but for everyone else as well. Time to write that letter! Christmas is only a little over 3 weeks away.

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Not knowing

 ‘… Be on guard! Be alert’ (Mark 13:33)

Mark 13:33-37 (Year B: Advent 1)

#tothesources

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I remember the summer of 1984. It was generally warm and dry in this part of the world. An unusual sort of Irish summer. Back then, nobody (certainly not me) would have been able to imagine the world as it would be 30 years later in 2014. A peace process in Northern Ireland with former enemies sharing government, a Celtic Tiger that would lift Ireland from relative international poverty and under-development, a Great Crash in 2008 that would, for a while, throw us back, the ‘fall of the wall’ in 1989 – almost without a shot being fired – the arrival of internet, email, smartphones.  Can anyone of us dare predict what the world will be like in 30 years time in 2044? One thing is sure – there will be surprises.

This time last year – the first Sunday of Advent fell on 1 December. Did you foresee all that was to happen to you personally and in your own life since then?  (A few surprises came my way including the death of my own mother). What will be your story on the first Sunday of Advent on 29^th November 2015?

In large organisations there is frequent recourse to ‘business planning’ and ‘risk register’ analysis. What could go wrong? What if this happens or that? What level of risk is present and how critical is it? What stop-gaps must be taken. 

In our own personal lives we sometimes take out insurance or assurance (if we can afford to do so).

 Life is down to risk management and analysis, so it seems.

But, in all honesty we must admit We don’t know ….

Sometimes it is not knowing that is the worst part of sickness or waiting for a health report, for example.  Not knowing what or when or how.  If we think about it, life is more full of not knowing than knowing. We don’t know what the future holds, when we will die, who will be with us and how.  We must live fully in the only reality that we know – the now and the here.

This we can do while keeping our sights on the goal of our lives. We must be, at all times, ready, alert and active because we do not know the day nor the hour.

Vigilance, care, foresight stand to us on the journey of life.  When faced with difficulties or trials of one sort or another we can hold fast to God in silence and stillness while being fully alert and mindful of what is happening around us and within us. Attentiveness to the person next to us in the present moment of life is liberating.

Saint Augustine once wrote:

‘The time present of things past is memory; the time present of things present is direct experience; the time present of things future is expectation.’ Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 20.

Each time doubt, pain and worry presses in we do well to:

Slow down

Relax (breathe in)

Listen

Look

Let go

Let God

Isaiah ch 38: A bitter lesson

38:17   ‘Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction you have put all my sins behind your back’

Looking back on trials and exceptionally difficult times in our life can be uncomfortable. But, approaching and accepting the lessons is a gift.

#JourneyIsaiah

Isaiah chapter 37: A word of forgiveness

37:21   ‘Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.’

Words can cut deeply into our psyche.  It is said that we sin more with the tongue than any other organ of the body.  We also encounter harsh words, judgment, criticism. It can be difficult to deal with especially if we feel that we have been very misunderstood and no matter what we say or do the misunderstanding cannot be removed.

We must hold fast in trust to the assurance of God’s understanding leaving the person who has hurt to us his great mercy.

                                                         pic: cynthiaschultz1.wordpress.com

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Isaiah chapter 36: Words and wisdom

36:21   ‘   “ But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, ‘Do not answer him.’’

We do well to remain silent when hassled by negative forces. Take stock. Listen, pause for a further while. Do not answer. And wisdom will be given about what to say or do.

‘ But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.’ (Luke 21:14)

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Chapter 35: Help is on its way

35:4   ‘   “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come’

In the final weeks before the liberation of Paris in 1944 messages of support and encouragement were relayed through to the people of that city from outside. It was a time of enormous bravery as people risked everything.  So much is owed to those who will never be forgotten.

We can feel under siege from negative forces. Hold out. Hold on. Your God will come soon. ‘Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away’ (verse 10)

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Chapter 34: An open book

34:16   ‘ Look in the scroll of the Lord and read’

In moments when we seek guidance, consolation or reassurance the scroll of the Lord lies before us. In there we find light and food for the weary soul and mind. May we never grow tired of this source day after day, morning after morning, evening after evening.

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Help us to hear them, to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word, we may embrace and for ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen (Book of Common Prayer)

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Chapter 33: Every morning

33:2   ‘Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.’

Mornings are special.  The best time of the day:

Start again.

Hope.

Be quiet for a while.

And then throw yourself into it.

#JourneyIsaiah

Isaiah chapter 32: Confidence

32:4   ‘The fearful heart will know and understand’

• Decisions beckon.
• Deadlines loom.
• Time is passing
• And doubt assails you.

‘Trust in God. You are where God wants you to be at this very moment. Every experience is part of his divine plan’

Understanding and knowledge will emerge to guide your decision if you are immersed in that very trust. Hold on ‘till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.’ (verse 15).  For ‘The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field.’ (verse 16). And ‘the fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.’ (verse 17).  In that unmistakable lasting quietness and confidence will be your light, your guidance and your decision.

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The Republic of Heaven

 ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45)

#tothesources

Matthew 25:31-46 (Year A: Christ the King)

                                           pic: thoughtsofaith.wordpress.com/

Royalty and images of royalty run through the Old and New Testaments. Jesus adds a new dimension in claiming a Kingdom of Heaven – distinct from the earthly notions and realities entertained in the world around him.  He turns everything upside down by declaring the values of a kingdom where those least powerful, least honoured, least regarded are placed in a position of kings and queens. He goes even further by saying ‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (25:40) The corollary is clear: ‘whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (25:45).

Nobody has ever identified himself or herself so radically and so completely with those in need as Jesus did – neither before then or after then.

Sometimes we can read these passages as about good living – doling out a bit of our time and a bit of our money ‘to those in need’. At worst it can become a type of direct debit comfort to the conscience.

The writer Ron Rolheiser tells a story about a town built just beyond the bend of large river. One day three bodies were sighted floating along downstream in the river. One body was dead so they buried it. One was alive, but quite ill, so they put that person into the hospital. The third turned out to be a healthy child, who was placed with a family who cared for the child and who took her to school.  ‘However, during all these years and despite all that generosity and effort, nobody thought to go up the river, beyond the bend that hid from their sight what was above them, and find out why, daily, those bodies came floating down the river’

The story is about how we behave towards one another in a world where our sights need to be raised and our hearts enlarged.  This calls us out of a narrow interpretation of need, its response and our role.

Images of royalty – which continue to be relevant (after all we pray ‘Thy Kingdom come’ every day) – are complemented by images of civic, spiritual republicanism where we become citizens of a heavenly kingdom already emerging here on earth.

Isaiah 30: A new spring in your step

30:15   ‘“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength’

Salvation and strength are daily blessings. To be saved from our darkness – the darkness within that shuts out the light within – is our deepest desire. To be strong in faith, hope and love is the means of happiness and fulfilment.  But, how do we reach these things? The answer is in repentance – a turning away from those things that separate us from others and from God. In repentance and in a quiet, restful trust we can let go of our turmoil for a moment or two and drink in the calm and blessed healing of the Holy One of Israel. He is stronger than our weakness and more compassionate than anyone else we know.

Let us make way for this healing in places and times of quiet, trust and repentance. When all around is noise and confusion; when all within us is fear and doubt let us make way for the saving power of God who desires with all his heart our happiness, our healing, our liberation.

Believe it.

Trust him.

Start again.

Be quiet for a moment.

Repent in silence.

Repent in your heart.

And go out again among people with a new spring in your step.

#JourneyIsaiah

Isaiah chapter 31: Be not afraid

31:4   ‘This is what the Lord says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey— and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamour’

Holding our own in battles on life’s journey. Sometimes stiff, sudden and what seems like overwhelming opposition may come our way. Sometimes, the opposition is from within ourselves and sometimes from without. We can be prisoners to the opinions, expectations and caricatures placed on ourselves.

                                                    pic: www.acherishedkeeper.com

Be not frightened or disturbed is what God says to us. As a 16^th century mystic, St Teresa of Avila wrote :

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

#JourneyIsaiah

Isaiah Chapter 29: Lip service

29:13   ‘‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.'

Once, when Jesus was addressing the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law he declared in somewhat abrupt terms the very words from Isaiah 29:13 (see Matthew 15:8). The context was set by a question about why the disciples of Jesus didn’t wash their hands before they eat. Sounds far-fetched today? Not really. Religious zealotry knows no bounds. It knows how to make a mountain out of a very secondary matter and make nothing out of something absolutely central. But, before we dismiss such zealotry as applicable to others we need to examine our own consciences. Are there times in our lives when we, conveniently, avoid taking a stand against the type of religious hypocrisy and double-dealing condemned in Isaiah and taken up by Jesus? 

Do we offer worship with our lips day after day and week after week but our hearts are from God who is compassion and infinite mercy?  Do we engage in the ultimate idolatry of worshiping human rules designed, interpreted and packaged as God-given  rules when, in truth, we serve our own fears and ideologies.

We can’t fool God with that sort of worship.

#JourneyIsaiah