Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-2
The LORD God’s spirit is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release for captives, and liberation for prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and a day of vindication for our God, to comfort all who mourn…
Thought for the Day: This is the mission of the Prophet Isaiah, or maybe it should be understood as a clarification of his purpose. In chapter 59, we read how the Spirit was with Isaiah, and how the Lord had put the divine word in his mouth. As we turn to chapter 61, we find a clear picture of what that word looks like. These are proclamations offered to a people returning from exile, yet things don’t look as good as they had hoped. Despite hearing some pretty harsh and judgmental words in earlier chapters, these words are so full of hope and promise. There are times when it feels as if a single prophet is playing both roles in the proverbial good cop – bad cop routine. There are moments when it appears as if there is absolutely no hope, and about the time you believe there is no hope, hope appears. To me, that sounds a little like life. Some event happens, and though I don’t lose my faith, I begin to wonder. Right after the flood, I was a bit overwhelmed as I know many of you were. But hope seems to always make it’s way back around. In cases when we’ve gone astray or caused great problems, the prophets used hard-nosed declarations to shake us into reality. Once we recognize how we might be to blame, then comes the words of hope – words of good news, the Lord’s favor, vindication and comfort.
Prayer: Whether I am to blame or I am the victim or some combination of both, I seek your gift of hope announced by ancient prophets and embodied in Jesus. Lord God, your Spirit continues to come upon us and move among us. May it provide us a glimpse of your hope, especially when feelings of hopelessness have found their way into our hearts. Amen.
SUNDAY’S SERMON
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…
