welcoming the world, part 2

Good morning friends,

Today's reading continues the thought from yesterday about the nations coming to worship in Jerusalem. 

God bless,

Sam

Isaiah 60:9-14

⁹For the coastlands shall wait for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from far away, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. ¹⁰Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you down, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. ¹¹Your gates shall always be open; day and night they shall not be shut, so that nations shall bring you their wealth, with their kings led in procession.

¹²For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. ¹³The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will glorify where my feet rest. ¹⁴The descendants of those who oppressed you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

welcome for all

Good evening friends,

Today's reading comes from Isaiah, written either during Judah's exile or on their return home to a devastated land. Isaiah prophesies a time when the nations will come to Jerusalem to worship God. We hope for a day of unity and peace when Christ returns. We also know that in Jesus, this hope is fulfilled because in Christ all are welcome. May we always be ready to welcome others with God's love.

God bless,

Sam

Isaiah 60:1-8

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. ²For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. ³Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. ⁴Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.

⁵Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. ⁶A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. ⁷All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be acceptable on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house. ⁸Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?

kings shall come

Good morning friends (it's morning in California anyway),
First I want to remind you of an important worship opportunity in our presbytery. On Thursday, January 6 at 6 pm First Presbyterian Church of Caledonia (3080 main Street Caledonia 14423) is hosting a prayer vigil for the people of Sudan. The struggles of the people of Darfur have been in the news in the last couple of years, but the southern section of the nation has faced amazing hardship and oppression as well. As part of a ceasefire agreement ending (or maybe only pausing) the civil war between northern and southern Sudan, the nation is holding a referendum vote on independence for the southern part of the country. There is a great deal at stake here, and apart from the political complexities involved we are called to hold our Sudanese brothers and sisters in prayer.

Like the prayer vigil, our reading for today comes from the lectionary readings for Epiphany (Thursday). Epiphany is when we celebrate the arrival of the three wise men to worship Jesus. Our reading for today looks to Isaiah's prophecy of renewal for Israel. That renewal of faithfulness doesn't just mean freedom for Israel but also light from God for the whole world. That new light of God's love for the world has always been part of God's plan, and it comes to fruition in Christ. The wise men from the east symbolize this because they come from a far away land and recognize that God is doing a new thing in the birth of Christ. May the nations continue to see and recognize the light of God's peace, and may that peace grow strong in each of us.

God bless,
Sam

Isaiah 60:1-6

1Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms. 5Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

peace and justice

Good morning all,
We've heard Isaiah preaching judgment on Israel; today he preaches God's bright future. Once Israel repents and God restores them to health in their land they will not only be independent, but also a beacon of light for others. One day other nations will come to the city of Jerusalem to learn God's law and peace will fill the earth. Notice that God's correct judgment is at the center of that peace. After all real peace only works when there is true peace. Lord, may we see and be a part of that day when we would not need to study war anymore.
Blessings,
Sam

Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Israel and the nations

Good morning everyone,
We are nearing the end of Amos and the words of judgment continue. I think the most interesting development in this passage is in the second paragraph. Amos says (speaking for God), "Are you not like the Ethiopians to me?" He then goes on to mention the story of the exodus from Egypt along with the stories of the Philistines and Arameans moving to their current homes. The point here is that not only did God bring Israel out of Egypt to their land, he also brought other nations to where they are now. In other words, Israel is not the only nation God leads and pays attention to.

It's important to read this word in context, especially since Christians have a long history of anti-semitism. Amos was delivering God's word to Israel when they felt very self-assured and when their sense of God's unique favor made many complacent. The point was to remind them that they weren't the only nation God had dealings with. While this passage tends to downplay the relationship between God and Israel there are many other passages that emphasize that Israel is indeed special to God. The New Testament also affirms that God's covenant with Israel lasts forever. As with most scripture the most productive way to hear this passage is as a caution when we are tempted to think too well of ourselves either personally or nationally or in the church. The truth is that God does know each of us uniquely and has plans for us, but God also knows and cares for all the people in the world and indeed for all creation.

God bless,
Sam

Amos 9:1-10
I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away, not one of them shall escape. 2Though they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. 3Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search out and take them; and though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the sea-serpent, and it shall bite them. 4And though they go into captivity in front of their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes on them for harm and not for good.

5The Lord, God of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who live in it mourn, and all of it rises like the Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt; 6who builds his upper chambers in the heavens, and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth— the Lord is his name. 7Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, O people of Israel? says the Lord. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir? 8The eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth—except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the Lord. 9For lo, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes with a sieve, but no pebble shall fall to the ground. 10All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, “Evil shall not overtake or meet us.”