ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 13, 2025
In Chapter one of Isaiah, the Prophet is brutal when it comes to his description of Judah and Israel’s future. What were once faithful people committed to justice are now murders (1:21). The author leaves the impression that there is no hope. The future isn’t simply bleak, but irredeemable. We turn the page, and in Chapter two, we find:
In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
You think the Prophet and God have given up and moved on, but then suddenly you find yourself in the middle of some beautiful and promising language about the future. So what is true? Has God thrown in the towel, or will God continue to work toward a future of healing and redemption?
Walter Brueggemann, one of the single most respected Old Testament scholars (recently died), suggested that the prophets were casting a vision of an alternative reality through their critique of the current culture. Their prophetic imagination, standing in such sharp contrast to the current reality of injustice, inequality, and oppression, presented a clear and undeniable choice. Or to say it another way, “To which world do you wish to commit your life? The dire nature of the current situation was probably overstated by the prophets, as that was their style. Maybe not the best example, but I made a few threats to my child that were a bit over the top. For instance, I believe I suggested that a grounding could last until Jesus returned, which I did not believe was going to occur soon. Of course, I quickly realized that I did not want my child still grounded when I was eighty years old.
This Sunday, I am preaching on a text from the Prophet Isaiah in which the language seems pretty harsh, even hopeless. It almost feels as if God will say, “I’m done with these creatures called humans. I think I’ll go try again with some creatures on another planet. Maybe it will work out better there.” The stark and abrasive tone of the prophet serves a purpose, ultimately shocking the system and moving the people back to a place of faithfulness. In this new reality, justice, kindness, and mercy are the primary instruments used in societal interactions.
Help me to read the prophets of old, not as those whose righteous indignation had relinquished all hope, but as those whose profession of sacred dreaming loved humanity and desired to see a transformation to a just and whole world. Holy God, draw me into the prophetic imagination where I am better able to glimpse your alternative reality. Amen.
