Isaiah 25

What God Will Do

Posted on by Betsy

We had a death in our extended family that caught us completely off guard. The last ten days have been a topsy-turvy whirlwind of grief, memories, a celebration of life, plans made, changed, re-made … death left a small tsunami in its wake, but we will be okay.

I was drawn to these words from Isaiah in the lectionary this week. They were spoken in a time of great trial for Israel, yet they lead the hearer to look forward and not dwell in the immediate or the past. As you know, the best way to drive a car is to focus looking out the windshield, not the rear view mirror.

Isaiah 25 (New International Version)
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8     he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.

Something called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb occurs a few times in the Bible (see Revelation 19:9) which is a great feast that takes place at the end of days. This passage suggests that it will take place on earth, not in heaven. It will be resplendent with fine wines and fat meats, but the best part is that it will be a feast for all peoples.

Just last week we studied the Last Supper in Matthew 26. If you attended a Maundy Thursday service, you probably heard this Scripture read aloud. Do you remember when Jesus said, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom”? I wonder if it is this Marriage Supper of the Lamb, held on a beautiful high mountain with all people, where we will take our first communion with the Risen Lord when he returns to redeem his people. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to that.

9 In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;
    we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

I don’t know what you’re going through right now but take heart. There will come a day when every tear is dried, every groan is silenced, every bad thing gone from your life, and we will sup and commune with our Sacrificial Lamb, who indeed came to save us. You can trust this, because God is trustworthy.

Beautiful Mountain by Hannah Cornish

A Shade From the Heat

Posted on by Betsy

I had the pleasure of having a conversation with a trusted and valued friend where the subject of “plans made and suddenly changed” came up. We acknowledged the need for grieving when that happens, and I found her comments to be both wise and helpful. Even when you are handling the change with patience and grace, it is still a good and necessary thing to recognize that unexpected change can take a toll on your heart. I think when we have come out the other side of these events and are mostly “unscathed,” we want to minimize or dismiss the impact that the loss of something that we had planned and looked forward to can have on us. This is not a healthy response. It is good to acknowledge the disruption, mourn over it, work through the grief of that unexpected change, and then seek closure. It is also good to count the blessings we see even in the midst of the trial.

I want to invite you to think about a situation or time when you felt the extreme heat of disappointment, an unfulfilled dream, a sudden illness, the end of a relationship, or a life-changing loss. To liken those events to being engulfed in extreme heat should give you a sense of what Isaiah was writing about in Isaiah 25. He is writing about the unexpected change that came over Israel when the surrounding nations assaulted them and drove his people out. Isaiah wisely acknowledged this tragedy, and then focuses our attention to the “plans formed of old” and praises God for the deliverance that will eventually come.

Isaiah 25 (New Revised Standard Version)

O Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
    plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
2 For you have made the city a heap,
    the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of foreigners is a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
    cities of ruthless nations will fear you.

Note that Isaiah began this writing with words of praise and thanksgiving. The Assyrians had already overtaken the Northern Kingdom and Isaiah’s role as prophet was to warn of the time when the Babylonians would seize Jerusalem. It was a time of great tribulation and a forecast of the Great Tribulation that will come at the end of time. If you are in a tribulation or remembering a time of great trouble, you will find instructions here on how to handle your situation. The first step is to praise. Isaiah said, “I will exalt you,” a reminder that worshipping God in the storm is a choice we make. Will you exalt God in your disappointment?

4 For you have been a refuge to the poor,
    a refuge to the needy in their distress,
    a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
5     the noise of foreigners like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
    the song of the ruthless was stilled.

Even on our worst days, God is worthy to be praised. He offers refuge to the needy and provides shelter in bad times. He fights our battles for us and never leaves our side.

6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
    a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
    of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.

Christian readers will feel an immediate pull toward seeing this next section as a description of the Feast of the Lamb that Revelation talks about:

“for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17

7 And he will destroy on this mountain
    the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
    the covering that is spread over all nations;
8     he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
    and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
    for the Lord has spoken.

All of our disappointments will be swallowed up, for the Lord has spoken. In the end, isn’t that the only thing that really matters?

9 It will be said on that day,
    “See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
    This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
    let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

Having this conversation with my friend provided a shade from the heat. Who in your life is in a predicament that burns? Can you offer comfort just by listening? God is on our side in all times of distress, and we can offer hope to others by reminding them of that very thing. Reach out to someone today and give them a listening ear. You will be blessed to be a blessing.

Let us be glad and rejoice!

Springs of the Water of Life by Kathy Schumacher

Shrouds Enshrouding

Posted on by Betsy

Our lectionary today takes us to Isaiah, where we will read some of the most powerful words of hope that have ever been written. It comes at a time when it is easy for us to feel hopeless. We are facing surges in new variants of the coronavirus, devastating storms that have wiped out entire towns, hate crimes filling the news, and unrest that seems to never end.

We need some good news today.

I think that the current state of things is represented in this passage as a veil or shroud over God’s people. We aren’t meant to live this way. We aren’t supposed to feel the crushing weight of fear, anger, disunity, and despair. God created an Eden for us, but in our sinfulness we preferred the temptations of the evil one…and prefer them to this day.

But there will come a time, says Isaiah, when God will swallow up the veil that is veiling all peoples and the shroud that is enshrouding all nations. Our darkness will be lifted and we will be able to see clearly again and experience what God intended all along.

It starts with a rich feast.

Isaiah 25 (Common English Bible)

On this mountain,
    the Lord of heavenly forces will prepare for all peoples
        a rich feast, a feast of choice wines,
        of select foods rich in flavor,
        of choice wines well refined.
7 He will swallow up on this mountain the veil that is veiling all peoples,
    the shroud enshrouding all nations.

Imagine a heavenly force that will enable us to sit at the table with our enemies and feast on rich foods and choice wines! Then our swords will be turned to plowshares and wars will cease. Harmony will be the rule and sorrowing will end forever.

8 He will swallow up death forever.
The Lord God will wipe tears from every face;
    he will remove his people’s disgrace from off the whole earth,
        for the Lord has spoken.

God’s word assures us that this day will come. Isaiah foretold it and Jesus unfolded it. God has saved us!

9 They will say on that day,
“Look! This is our God,
    for whom we have waited—
    and he has saved us!
This is the Lord, for whom we have waited;
    let’s be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”

So no matter what worries you are carrying in your back pocket today, no matter how heavy your sorrow bucket is, or how deep your anxiety runs, remember this: this is the Lord, for whom we have waited. He has arrived in the person of Jesus Christ. Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Death is swallowed up forever and God wipes the tears from our eyes.

The veil is lifted.

Sun-fire Window Reflections

Post-Pandemic Plans

Posted on by Betsy

My husband just made a reservation at a favorite restaurant in Disney World for September. It is a reservation that in normal times is impossible to get, especially for a popular time in the evening, but it’s ours now. The thing I love the most about this is that we are starting to think in concrete terms about life AP….After Pandemic.

It is good to do this. Our patient watching-and-waiting is energized when we allow ourselves to think about life getting back to normal. We may still be staying at home in September, but it sure feels good to look ahead and dream.

This morning’s reading is just like that. Isaiah, the renowned Old Testament prophet, was also in a watching-and-waiting place. It was during the time when Israel was divided into a Northern Kingdom (Israel) and a Southern Kingdom (Judah). Isaiah watched as the Northern Kingdom was overrun by the Assyrians, and the Israelites were captured and taken to places far away. Judah is hanging on for now, and in the midst of this, Isaiah writes this beautiful vision of a post-diaspora celebration where all the people of the world will come to feast in Jerusalem:

Isaiah 25 (The Message)

But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies
    will throw a feast for all the people of the world,
A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines,
    a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts.
And here on this mountain, God will banish
    the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,

The shadow of doom darkening all nations.
    Yes, he’ll banish death forever.
And God will wipe the tears from every face.
    He’ll remove every sign of disgrace
From his people, wherever they are.
    Yes! God says so!

9-10 Also at that time, people will say,
    “Look at what’s happened! This is our God!
We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
    This God, the one we waited for!
Let’s celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.
    God’s hand rests on this mountain!”

Oh, how this resonates today! We long for God to come and remove the shadow of doom, the PALL of doom, from our world today. We long to be able to gather together, to lay down our masks and gloves, and to feast on the finest foods and vintage wines.

The time is coming. God will wipe the tears from every face. He will remove every sign of this pandemic from his people, wherever they are. God’s hand rests on his creation, and he will show up and save us, in his time.

What are your post-pandemic dreams? What is the first thing you want to do when the restrictions are lifted and the danger has passed? What do you miss the most? Dream and plan, friends! It is good for your soul.

But for now, we wait.

And as we wait, remember this: we are one day closer to the end of this thing. Thanks be to God.

Watching and Waiting. Photo by Michelle Robertson

A Moveable Feast

Posted on by Betsy

Today is Christmas at my daughter’s house, two days after December 25th. We are an airline family; both my husband and youngest daughter work for the airlines. Before he was a commercial pilot, my husband flew in the Navy. From the moment we said I do, we said I don’t need to have things fall on their exact dates. Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. were likely to be celebrated before or after the actual event. Family being together trumps the actual day of a special occurrence, and when our children were very little, I wondered if they were confused about the actual dates of their birthdays and Christmas. It never really mattered much in our household. Many people have to work on holidays and know exactly what I am talking about.

From a liturgical perspective, we are in the twelve days of Christmas, so today we are celebrating the third day of Christmas. Of course when you think about it, Christmas should really be celebrated every day of the year.

On the church calendar, Easter is a movable feast, while Christmas is not. (unless Daddy’s a pilot. Or Mommy’s a first responder…) The date for Easter changes every year because it is based on the lunar calendar, and was fixed by the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. It is set to occur on the Sunday following the first moon after the vernal equinox. Thus Ash Wednesday, Lent and Easter are all movable feasts.

December 25th was chosen as the day to celebrate Christ’s birth somewhere around 336 AD. This was the day of the pagan festival of the winter solstice, where the birthday of the “unconquered sun” was celebrated. The fixing of December 25th as the Christ-mass thus shifted the day to the birthday of the “unconquered Son.”

Feasting was quite the thing among God’s people. The Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Booths, the Passover Feast, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the feast of First Fruits, the Feast of Trumpets….God’s people sure do know how to party!

Isaiah 25

But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies
    will throw a feast for all the people of the world,
A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines,
    a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts.
And here on this mountain, God will banish
    the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,
The shadow of doom darkening all nations.
    Yes, he’ll banish death forever.
And God will wipe the tears from every face.
    He’ll remove every sign of disgrace
From his people, wherever they are.
    Yes! God says so!

This prophecy is about another movable feast. When Christ came, he brought with him the feast described in the passage. When Christ returns, this movable feast will be celebrated again. Think of it! The finest foods, vintage wines, seven courses, gourmet desserts, and NO MORE DOOM.

As you sit down to a meal today, make it a feast. Think about all that you’ve been given and think especially about the feast to come. We are living in times when the pall of gloom has darkened our nation, our spirits, and our souls. But a better feast is coming. A brighter day is promised. A gathering of God’s people is being planned even now. Will you come to the table?

Yes! God says so!

The Table is Set by Mary Anne Mong Cramer