Try the uplook
Commentary
Some prophets are preoccupied with the work of God in nature. Others speak and write of the activity of God in the inner life of a person. Isaiah's concern is to see God in history. From his perspective, the course of human events is not a helter-skelter, aimless unfolding of meaningless happenings. No, for Isaiah history itself is testimony for the reality of God's work in the world. And that involvement of God goes on even when there seems to be no apparent sign of it.
There is a sharp contrast between chapters 59 and 60. In 59 the prophet paints a grim picture of the condition of the world and of Isaiah: "Your sins have hidden his face from you ; "Your hands are defiled with blood ; "The way of peace they do not know ; "Truth is lacking ; and more. This is the "thick darkness that Isaiah refers to in passing in 60:2. We recall the reference to one of the plagues from Exodus 10:21: "a darkness that can be felt. We are almost never without light and cannot imagine a darkness like this. It is a darkness so deep that one dare not take even one step.
But that is the human condition. In spite of all that darkness, God has not abandoned the world or the people who are set apart to be a light to the nations. Those who have scattered to the four winds will begin to return. Prosperity, now only a distant memory, will be restored.
Is Isaiah out of touch with reality? Is it even appropriate for him to lift their hopes to such a high level when there is so little evidence at hand that these things will happen? He knows his task. He knows that it is not the calling of a prophet to bring out evidence and guarantees that his word will be fulfilled. His only commission is to proclaim what he believes is the word God has put in his heart.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Earlier in life I assumed that parenthetical phrases and footnotes were repositories for unimportant and superfluous comments. Somewhere along the way I learned that the very opposite is often the case - that the gems of a piece of writing are sometimes found in these unlikely places.
That is the case with this text. We might very well place parenthetical marks before verse 2 and after verse 12. As we are inclined to do at times in our preaching and writing, the author interrupts his train of thought to go off on a tangent. But what a tangent! For sheer theological depth this passage has few rivals in the New Testament. There is a great mystery in the world, indeed, in the universe. It is the goal of all philosophy. It is the search of every seeking mind. And the answer is Jesus Chris In his life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ opens the door to the safe that has been locked. Now the riches are revealed. All who come to faith in Christ share in the treasure.
The Greek term translated as "mystery appears four times in these few verses. The word is used in the New Testament in a peculiar way. It conveys the idea that this is not something which can never be known, but something which can only be known under certain circumstances. If this Good News remains a "mystery" it is because of lack of faith. Paul, for example, did not understand the mystery when he watched Stephen being stoned. But on the road to Damascus the veil was removed and the mystery revealed.
The text also accents the depth of this mystery. "Boundless" in verse 8 can also be translated "unsearchable" or "trackless" or "unexplorable" in the sense that no matter how long we live with it, the "mystery has more room for discovery. "The whole is too vast to be mapped out and measured," writes Francis Beare. The "mystery" is "a treasure house of grace, vast beyond all conceiving, so that no matter how far we penetrate there are rooms and corridors opening out in endless vistas, far beyond our capacity of apprehension or of vision." (Francis Beare, The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. X, New York: Abingdon Press, 1953, p. 669.) This is why we take such delight in knowing those 80- and 90-year-old saints whose faith is.
As Kittel points out, the term translated as "mystery always carries with it an eschatological sense wherever it is used in the New Testament. This is not a truth only for the individual or for the here and now. The whole course of human history is bound up and revealed in the coming of Christ and in God's eternal purpose through him. The riddle of the course of history is finally unraveled. And at the heart of it is the church - the body of Christ in the world.
What a message for the New Year!
Matthew 2:1-12
The best science of the first-century world conceived of the universe as a series of spheres, with the earth at the center. While sun, moon, and stars were fixed, it was thought that the planets moved with some freedom. While it was also thought that each object in space had its peculiar "angel to guide it, those who governed the planets were thought to have special powers. Thus, to "follow a star or a wandering planet or comet was not a matter of wild speculation. Those who followed this star were only doing what "wise men of that time might do.
But while it may have been a "natural phenomenon and even a "natural thing for these men to do, Matthew's clear purpose is to tell us that this is a miracle. God is at work in an unusual and "unnatural way to herald the coming of the Christ.
Herod and the entire city of Jerusalem are described as "frightened or "troubled by the news that another "king is born. For them, there is room for only one king. Thus, Matthew is setting up in this story the seed for the conflict that will grow and grow until those in authority, at the behest of the Jerusalem crowds, call for his crucifixion. This story is, in effect, the first of the messianic claims that will pit Jesus against the powers of this world.
This text also raises the interesting question of how God works among those who are not a part of the believing community. The Magi are, of course, "believers" in the sense that they have followed the star. And Matthew wants us to understand that they do so because God is at work in these events. But it is also clear from the text that their search cannot be complete without a word from the sacred scriptures of the Hebrew people. Though the chief priests and scribes are not sensitive to what is happening they at least know from their scriptures that it will be in "Bethlehem, in the land of Judah that a ruler for the people will appear."
When we link this text with chapter 1 of Matthew the purpose of the apostle seems clear. He wants it to be known that Jesus Christ is part and parcel of the unfolding revelation of God through the people whose lineage can be traced back through David to Abraham. But this Promised One is more than a king to one people. He is the king of all. Wise men and women of all nations will not find the answer to their search until they respond to God's act of revelation and come to Christ with their gifts of reverie and faith. "The Epiphany of our Lord is more than a time of celebration for the church; it is a time of revelation for the whole human family."
Suggestions For Preaching
As we cross the threshold into a new year on this Sunday of the Epiphany of our Lord, it is good to recall that while the circumstances are different from the time of Isaiah, Jesus, or Paul, the need to trust is the same. We, too, must go to our place of prophetic proclamation on this Sunday and call for our generation to "Arise, shine; for your light has come.
Not everyone who sits in the pew on this Sunday will greet the New Year with confidence and hope. Not everyone relishes the thought of making resolutions that will once again fall far short of their intended goals. They need a word of hope, assuring them that there is grace to forgive us for our sins and shortcomings of the past year, and grace to give us hope for whatever lies ahead in the year to come.
This is also a good Sunday to accept the missionary task of the church. God is surely at work where the Gospel has never been heard. We can affirm the apostolic witness that God "has not left himself without witness (Acts 14:17) in any corner of this world. Yet, just as the Magi could not come to complete satisfaction of their search without a clear and direct word from God, so we believe that the mission of the church is driven by our conviction that the deepest needs of the human heart go unsatisfied until one comes to know Jesus Christ. The call to share the Good News and to support the church's mission to the whole world is a good way to begin a new year of preaching.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By James A. Nestingen
Isaiah 60:1-6
From hope's minimums, the sputtering pilot light of Ecclesiastes, the lectionary carries us to the edge of a roaring flame: Isaiah once more, virtually ecstatic with anticipation, expecting Epiphany-like light to bring an end to the darkness.
Minimums pose self-evident problems - the flame never looks like it will last long. What about maximums? In fact, a full-blown hope like Isaiah's can also be problematic. If it is fired by creation rather than Creator, the changes rather than the source of them, it will flame out in ashes, especially as the circumstances - the rhythm of seasons - prove unyielding.
There's no doubt about the difficulties that confronted Isaiah's listeners: the darkness was overwhelming. Their leaders all in captivity, the gifted and talented diverted to another nation, God's covenant people had disappeared, gone the way of other nations who flared across the sky and burned out. They were in exile, struggling in the oblivion of another nation's service, convinced that there was nothing ahead but more of the same.
Yet there's no doubt about Isaiah's expectations, either. He's got a list of particulars as specific as sparks, apocalyptic in their intensity. He sees the light. The very fact that he has to rely on his hearers' ears to get to their eyes may suggest that the darkness hasn't quite disappeared. But Isaiah is undeterred.
The prophet sets out a threefold promise, hope driven all right, yet enough to inspire caution as well. The darkness that now enshrouds God's people will cover all the other nations, reversing the movement so that the rest will seek Judah's light; the empty larder, the barren pastures will be filled with overflowing abundance, an ocean's worth; the ignominious poverty will be replaced with spreading wealth, the most precious of the world's goods filling hands and pockets.
It appears that Isaiah is leading with his chin, letting his heart run away with his head. Historically speaking, there is no doubt about it. The exiles did return, but in a sputter rather than a roaring conflagration reversing earthly fortunes. They got stuck in the rhythms, only an occasional flash suggesting that the darkness has been broken.
Then what about it? Was Isaiah wrong? Hardly. Hope can see in the dark, observing the hand of the Creator even in the disappointments of creation. So Christians, looking over Isaiah's shoulder in the light of Epiphany, Good Friday, and Easter, see an eyeful: deep in the specifics, right down to the toenails, there is not something but someone, the Lord Christ appearing amidst darkness and disappointment, light for the nations.
There is a sharp contrast between chapters 59 and 60. In 59 the prophet paints a grim picture of the condition of the world and of Isaiah: "Your sins have hidden his face from you ; "Your hands are defiled with blood ; "The way of peace they do not know ; "Truth is lacking ; and more. This is the "thick darkness that Isaiah refers to in passing in 60:2. We recall the reference to one of the plagues from Exodus 10:21: "a darkness that can be felt. We are almost never without light and cannot imagine a darkness like this. It is a darkness so deep that one dare not take even one step.
But that is the human condition. In spite of all that darkness, God has not abandoned the world or the people who are set apart to be a light to the nations. Those who have scattered to the four winds will begin to return. Prosperity, now only a distant memory, will be restored.
Is Isaiah out of touch with reality? Is it even appropriate for him to lift their hopes to such a high level when there is so little evidence at hand that these things will happen? He knows his task. He knows that it is not the calling of a prophet to bring out evidence and guarantees that his word will be fulfilled. His only commission is to proclaim what he believes is the word God has put in his heart.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Earlier in life I assumed that parenthetical phrases and footnotes were repositories for unimportant and superfluous comments. Somewhere along the way I learned that the very opposite is often the case - that the gems of a piece of writing are sometimes found in these unlikely places.
That is the case with this text. We might very well place parenthetical marks before verse 2 and after verse 12. As we are inclined to do at times in our preaching and writing, the author interrupts his train of thought to go off on a tangent. But what a tangent! For sheer theological depth this passage has few rivals in the New Testament. There is a great mystery in the world, indeed, in the universe. It is the goal of all philosophy. It is the search of every seeking mind. And the answer is Jesus Chris In his life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ opens the door to the safe that has been locked. Now the riches are revealed. All who come to faith in Christ share in the treasure.
The Greek term translated as "mystery appears four times in these few verses. The word is used in the New Testament in a peculiar way. It conveys the idea that this is not something which can never be known, but something which can only be known under certain circumstances. If this Good News remains a "mystery" it is because of lack of faith. Paul, for example, did not understand the mystery when he watched Stephen being stoned. But on the road to Damascus the veil was removed and the mystery revealed.
The text also accents the depth of this mystery. "Boundless" in verse 8 can also be translated "unsearchable" or "trackless" or "unexplorable" in the sense that no matter how long we live with it, the "mystery has more room for discovery. "The whole is too vast to be mapped out and measured," writes Francis Beare. The "mystery" is "a treasure house of grace, vast beyond all conceiving, so that no matter how far we penetrate there are rooms and corridors opening out in endless vistas, far beyond our capacity of apprehension or of vision." (Francis Beare, The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. X, New York: Abingdon Press, 1953, p. 669.) This is why we take such delight in knowing those 80- and 90-year-old saints whose faith is.
As Kittel points out, the term translated as "mystery always carries with it an eschatological sense wherever it is used in the New Testament. This is not a truth only for the individual or for the here and now. The whole course of human history is bound up and revealed in the coming of Christ and in God's eternal purpose through him. The riddle of the course of history is finally unraveled. And at the heart of it is the church - the body of Christ in the world.
What a message for the New Year!
Matthew 2:1-12
The best science of the first-century world conceived of the universe as a series of spheres, with the earth at the center. While sun, moon, and stars were fixed, it was thought that the planets moved with some freedom. While it was also thought that each object in space had its peculiar "angel to guide it, those who governed the planets were thought to have special powers. Thus, to "follow a star or a wandering planet or comet was not a matter of wild speculation. Those who followed this star were only doing what "wise men of that time might do.
But while it may have been a "natural phenomenon and even a "natural thing for these men to do, Matthew's clear purpose is to tell us that this is a miracle. God is at work in an unusual and "unnatural way to herald the coming of the Christ.
Herod and the entire city of Jerusalem are described as "frightened or "troubled by the news that another "king is born. For them, there is room for only one king. Thus, Matthew is setting up in this story the seed for the conflict that will grow and grow until those in authority, at the behest of the Jerusalem crowds, call for his crucifixion. This story is, in effect, the first of the messianic claims that will pit Jesus against the powers of this world.
This text also raises the interesting question of how God works among those who are not a part of the believing community. The Magi are, of course, "believers" in the sense that they have followed the star. And Matthew wants us to understand that they do so because God is at work in these events. But it is also clear from the text that their search cannot be complete without a word from the sacred scriptures of the Hebrew people. Though the chief priests and scribes are not sensitive to what is happening they at least know from their scriptures that it will be in "Bethlehem, in the land of Judah that a ruler for the people will appear."
When we link this text with chapter 1 of Matthew the purpose of the apostle seems clear. He wants it to be known that Jesus Christ is part and parcel of the unfolding revelation of God through the people whose lineage can be traced back through David to Abraham. But this Promised One is more than a king to one people. He is the king of all. Wise men and women of all nations will not find the answer to their search until they respond to God's act of revelation and come to Christ with their gifts of reverie and faith. "The Epiphany of our Lord is more than a time of celebration for the church; it is a time of revelation for the whole human family."
Suggestions For Preaching
As we cross the threshold into a new year on this Sunday of the Epiphany of our Lord, it is good to recall that while the circumstances are different from the time of Isaiah, Jesus, or Paul, the need to trust is the same. We, too, must go to our place of prophetic proclamation on this Sunday and call for our generation to "Arise, shine; for your light has come.
Not everyone who sits in the pew on this Sunday will greet the New Year with confidence and hope. Not everyone relishes the thought of making resolutions that will once again fall far short of their intended goals. They need a word of hope, assuring them that there is grace to forgive us for our sins and shortcomings of the past year, and grace to give us hope for whatever lies ahead in the year to come.
This is also a good Sunday to accept the missionary task of the church. God is surely at work where the Gospel has never been heard. We can affirm the apostolic witness that God "has not left himself without witness (Acts 14:17) in any corner of this world. Yet, just as the Magi could not come to complete satisfaction of their search without a clear and direct word from God, so we believe that the mission of the church is driven by our conviction that the deepest needs of the human heart go unsatisfied until one comes to know Jesus Christ. The call to share the Good News and to support the church's mission to the whole world is a good way to begin a new year of preaching.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By James A. Nestingen
Isaiah 60:1-6
From hope's minimums, the sputtering pilot light of Ecclesiastes, the lectionary carries us to the edge of a roaring flame: Isaiah once more, virtually ecstatic with anticipation, expecting Epiphany-like light to bring an end to the darkness.
Minimums pose self-evident problems - the flame never looks like it will last long. What about maximums? In fact, a full-blown hope like Isaiah's can also be problematic. If it is fired by creation rather than Creator, the changes rather than the source of them, it will flame out in ashes, especially as the circumstances - the rhythm of seasons - prove unyielding.
There's no doubt about the difficulties that confronted Isaiah's listeners: the darkness was overwhelming. Their leaders all in captivity, the gifted and talented diverted to another nation, God's covenant people had disappeared, gone the way of other nations who flared across the sky and burned out. They were in exile, struggling in the oblivion of another nation's service, convinced that there was nothing ahead but more of the same.
Yet there's no doubt about Isaiah's expectations, either. He's got a list of particulars as specific as sparks, apocalyptic in their intensity. He sees the light. The very fact that he has to rely on his hearers' ears to get to their eyes may suggest that the darkness hasn't quite disappeared. But Isaiah is undeterred.
The prophet sets out a threefold promise, hope driven all right, yet enough to inspire caution as well. The darkness that now enshrouds God's people will cover all the other nations, reversing the movement so that the rest will seek Judah's light; the empty larder, the barren pastures will be filled with overflowing abundance, an ocean's worth; the ignominious poverty will be replaced with spreading wealth, the most precious of the world's goods filling hands and pockets.
It appears that Isaiah is leading with his chin, letting his heart run away with his head. Historically speaking, there is no doubt about it. The exiles did return, but in a sputter rather than a roaring conflagration reversing earthly fortunes. They got stuck in the rhythms, only an occasional flash suggesting that the darkness has been broken.
Then what about it? Was Isaiah wrong? Hardly. Hope can see in the dark, observing the hand of the Creator even in the disappointments of creation. So Christians, looking over Isaiah's shoulder in the light of Epiphany, Good Friday, and Easter, see an eyeful: deep in the specifics, right down to the toenails, there is not something but someone, the Lord Christ appearing amidst darkness and disappointment, light for the nations.
