April 17, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (Isaiah 60.1-3)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

What many in biblical scholarly circles called “Deutero-Isaiah,” or Third Isaiah, contains numerous references to the Messianic Promise in life, death and resurrection. And while the verses for reflection today are spoken to the future of Israel in its restoration following the reunion of exiles with their homeland, we can certainly see the foreshadowing of the greatest day for believers this side of the Second Coming of Christ. That day is, of course, Resurrection Sunday. Today, in the Church’s liturgical calendar, is known as Maundy Thursday. It is the Christian version of remembering, via the Last Supper, the Passover meal or Seder Feast of the Jewish tradition. The Passover meal was commissioned on the very night in Egypt when the Spirit of God moved over the Kingdom of Pharaoh’s Egypt and passed over every house upon which “the blood of the Lamb that was slain” was painted on the door lintel. Of course, that would mean that all those in a Hebrew home were spared. After the sojourn in the Wilderness of Tsin, or in English “The Wilderness of Sin,” the remembrance of that deliverance of Israel out of Egypt expanded with several elements included to remind them of the plagues, bitter fruit, flat bread, bloodshed and the new covenant. Of course, I am not sure how many congregations (especially evangelical ones who claim to honor biblical authenticity) actually offer and practice the remembrance of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday. I say that knowing that communion in regular worship rarely speaks of “this do in remembrance of Me” as the elements are offered in haste. It would perhaps be the same “haste” which caused the Hebrews to eat unleavened bread as they fled Egypt to head into the wilderness for the purpose of reaching the Promised Land.

Did reaching the Promised Land accomplish the goal and thus mute the need to live as a righteous people? It seems to be the practice of many who, after achieving a goal, seem to fall back from pursuing other goals. Are there no other goals to reach? When Paul spoke to the early communities of faith united together as “the Church,” he mentioned the goal of the gifts, talents and abilities bestowed on believers by the Holy Spirit. The gifts, talents and abilities might be the same for non-believers. They have them as well. But the goal of them is different for those on whom and in whom the Spirit of God rests. The goal for the believer, in the teaching of Paul, was to “build up the body of Christ, the Church, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4.13) We have a lot of work and workout to do when it comes to achieving this goal. We all have a stake in the effort as it will not be finished until Christ returns to gather up the Church, His Holy Bride, and they unite as one in the “house not built by human hands (that is, the Temple) eternal in the heavens.” This should be our daily goal. (The reflection of Sabbath is to remind the body of the progress and the “more to do” to accomplish this goal recognizing it cannot be accomplished on our own efforts by joint efforts in Christ.) If we are not doing that, then why do anything of a faith nature at all?

So, in Isaiah 60, both Jew and now Christian are reminded of that glorious future when all things will be made new. It speaks to the joy of completion when the Redeemer returns to Zion, Jerusalem, the earth and takes His rightful place as told in Isaiah 59. What some might see as the “new Jerusalem” in Old Testament prophecy or in New Testament Revelation, is revealed in a pre-emptive way at resurrection. It is there that I see Isaiah 60.1-2 coming to life bringing the past to a close and the future nearer. I see this word being spoken to the Jews who had cast their lot on Jesus of Nazareth as the David of old who would defend Israel from the godless giants of the world. I see this word being spoken to the disciples in the Upper Room following the crucifixion of Jesus having seen His empty shell having been bled out and breathed out buried like any other human being. I see this word hovering over all the believers who were not in Jerusalem as the word of His death reached out to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth before the news of His resurrection which hopefully and prayerfully followed in days. The darkness had covered over their world just as the darkness covered over the chaos at the beginning of creation. Then the light shone as the glory of the Lord appeared by God’s command in the presence of the Holy Spirit first to Jesus in death resting in “peace,” then to the Marys who came to complete the burial (defying the traditional knowledge that by the third day His body would be rankerous), then to Peter and John who dared to leave the Upper Room in hiding for fear of the Jews to rush to the tomb where Jesus had lain and find it empty as the women said that the angels said, then to the other disciples that evening in the Upper Room appearing through the door and supping with them, then to Cleopas and his wife on the Road to Emmaus, then a week later to Thomas who grief in doubt had separated him from the others and to five hundred others after that. What a litany of revelation of resurrection to the glory of God. The glory filled the body, the temple of which Jesus spoke to the Temple rulers which would be raised in three days, and the long-expected age began. It was and continues to be the “Age of the Church.” Pro or con, for or against, the Church remains a bastion of faith, hope and love. Is it perfect? By no means! Is it completed? Not yet! Is it ineffective? The history of the Church continues to press into history throughout history for nearly 2000 years and cannot be silenced. This is the witness which Isaiah was told to give. It is a word of the “already but not yet.” This is where, I believe, our thoughts and minds and actions and spirit should be especially now in this “Easter” season which is actually our “Resurrection” season. Thanks be to God from whom this blessing comes.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness which we know is folly but righteous works which declare Your glory and further witness the truth that can set all who believe free from death. So may we live by the name of Jesus our Christ. AMEN.