2022-12-7 Evening Prayer

2022-12-7 Evening Prayer - Isaiah 24:1-13 1 John 1:1-2:14

Commemoration of Ambrose of Milan

In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

One of the most striking aspects of the texts in today’s daily lectionary is that they articulate extremes.  Isaiah 24 is a description of desolation upon the whole earth. In First John, John makes use of the opposites of Light/Darkness, Truth/Lies, Love/Hate, as he describes the life of Christian discipleship.  There is no gray here.  The matters are black and white. Obedience or disobedience. There is no middle way.

Isaiah 24 describes the physical effects of God’s judgment upon the whole earth. God speaks to us in His Word both Law and Gospel.  The purpose of the Law is to move us into repentance.  God’s law in general serves as a guide to keep all humanity behaving humanely with one another. God’s law also serves as a mirror to show us our sin.  When we cross over the boundaries that God provides for our well-being, he calls us to repentance. If we have ears to hear and faith to grasp the gift of God’s Law, we will seize upon this opportunity to own our transgressions, repent, and ask for God’s forgiveness. 

God sent the people of Israel and Judah many prophets which were more often than not ignored.  The number one item on the prophet’s agenda is addressing idolatry.  But, people more often than not chose to disregard the urgency of the prophet’s message. There might be a change for a while, but before long, the people were enticed by other culture’s gods. Ignoring God’s instructions does not end in bliss, but in wholesale destruction.  

In the Catechism, at the end of the First Part on the Commandments, Martin Luther has us reflect upon what God said to Moses and Moses kindly wrote down for our edification.  Exodus 20:5-6 begins, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” God is loving, kind, generous beyond all measure, yet, God is also jealous. He does not share. He demands fidelity from His creation, and most especially from those with whom he has established His covenant. The rest of the Exodus 20:5-6 describes how punishment for infidelity will affect even the third and fourth generation.  

In Isaiah 24, we have an example of God’s judgment that will last for generations.  In preceding chapters Isaiah spoke of God’s judgment upon different nations.  Here, we see how sin affects every aspect of the created order.  Not just human beings, but the earth and the waters and the plants and animals.  Everything is touched by God’s abundance. And, everything is ruined by unrepentant sin. Isaiah 24 makes clear that God’s coming judgment will be thorough.  Nothing remains untouched. 

Isaiah 24 is a gift to us because it shows us the end game of human rebellion. But, there is hope.  And that hope is the coming Messiah that Isaiah regularly proclaimed. Jesus, the shoot from the stump of Jesse, God’s own Son, born of the Virgin Mary, is our hope. Using the language of the Apostle John, we receive the Good News that Jesus comes to call us out of the darkness into His marvelous, life-affirming light. He comes to rescue us from the Lies of Satan, Death, and Sin and restore us to the Truth and Goodness of God’s grace. He comes to save us from our natural inclinations of making enemies and being filled with Hate and Vengence, and gives us Love to dwell within. 

In Jesus, the gift of God’s grace and mercy is extended far beyond the people of the original covenant.  Jesus dies on the cross for the whole world, Male and Female, Jew and Gentile, Slave and Free, Rich and Poor, Civilized and Barbarian. 

Jesus is lifted upon the cross so that all of us may enjoy the Light, the Truth, and the Love of God’s forgiveness and promise of everlasting love.  The Holy Spirit works in our hearts and minds through the Word to create faith within us to grasp the gift of the cross of Christ. From the moment we hear God’s Word with faith and we continue the journey God leads us into through Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, walking with the saints as together we pray, learn, and worship; we are in the Light, the Truth, and Love of God. 

Jesus calls us into a life of discipleship, a life that deliberately, intentionally, follows Him. Even though we are baptized and receive communion regularly and are strengthened by the fellowship of our congregants, we are not ever completely free of the effects of sin.  We hear God speaking to us through His Word in both Law and Gospel.  In First John, the Apostle warns of any attempt to live a conflicted life.  We can not love God with our whole heart, mind and soul if Hate dwells therein. Because Hate toward a brother or sister or anyone else is a manifestation of sin and it leads us out of the light and into darkness. So, we hear God speaking to us, calling us back into the light through confession and repentance and the mystery of our Lord’s forgiveness. 

The Scriptures today do indeed speak to us of extremes, but this strong speech is for our benefit. For God desires that people be saved. He desires that the elect remain firmly within His light, truth, and love. 

In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.