Faith

Open your umbrella if you plan to pray for rain- Thursday, 3rd week in Advent – Isaiah 54: 1-10

Separation from the one you love is never easy and that separation is even more painful when you have to make a choice to stay away from the one you love because of their infidelity. The people of Israel had been the unfaithful spouse of Yahweh and finally Yahweh separated himself from his beloved people, Israel. We know that period of separation to be called as the exile. For seventy years the people of Israel lived in Babylon. They were separated from land and home, from relatives and friends and from cult and the temple.

Chapter 54 follows the narrative of the Suffering servant; a text read each year on Good Friday. The suffering of the servant is not only in the wounds he bore in his body (54:4-5) but even more the pain he suffered in his heart 54:8. The text of today forms part of the second book of Isaiah. The people of Israel were now free to go back to their homeland; the Persian Empire had routed the Babylonians. The prophet, in announcing this news of great joy, (Isaiah 40:1) now wants the hearts of his people to hope in a new beginning and even more in a new relationship with Yahweh.

The tenderness of God is now out on display for all to see. Even though Yahweh is without fault and has an errant spouse in his people Israel, it is Yahweh who is apologizing. “For a brief moment I abandoned you but with great compassion I will gather you.” ( Isaiah 54:7). The God who ‘hid his face now renews his everlasting love and compassion.’ Harkening to the promise he had made to Noah, (Genesis 8:21) to never destroy the earth again, he swears (verse 8) that even if the mountains may fall and the hills turn to dust, his steadfast love will never depart from them.

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Advent: a time when we are RE-MINDed – 3rd Sunday in Advent – Luke 3:10-18

Last Sunday, John the Baptist was given an office in the wilderness and a mission that was seemingly impossible considering that many ‘illustrious’ persons were mentioned in the Gospel were overlooked for the mission. Emperors and chief priests were not found worthy to bear the message that a simple desert prophet was. Considering that John was a nothing from nowhere one would exercise caution when approaching such a daunting task and yet John seems to be very brazen in his approach.

Verses 7 -9 which are not part of our Gospel text gives us an insight into John’s rather radical approach. Most preachers begin their homily asking for the help of God. We say, “ may almighty God bless our hearts and our lips so that we may worthily proclaim his holy Gospel.” John began name calling his congregation. He called them ‘a brood of vipers’; the most deadliest and venomous snake in the Judean desert. No matter how grave the sin of the congregation, I most certainly would not be that brazen to call you that. Yet, John’s unusual homiletic style brought him rich dividends.

There is only one reason why a preacher can call out the sins of his congregation in such a harsh manner and still get away with it; John’s congregation knew the reputation of the preacher. They knew that his authentic life permitted him to so confidently call out their sins. Here in lies a lesson for the Christian; preacher and congregant. An authentic Christian life permits us to speak boldly rather than find comfort in shadowy conversations and veiled messages.

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Nobody with nothing out of nowhere – Second Sunday in Advent – Luke 3:1-6

The opening verses of today’s Gospel gives us the ‘A-listers’ of the first century world. You have an emperor, a governor, three tetrarchs and two high priests, all of whom are mentioned by name. At the end of this list, St Luke gives us another name, John, son of Zechariah. St Luke was not just providing a historical basis to his ‘detailed account’ but showing us the plan of salvation of God for us.

Reading these illustrious names and then letting your eyes settle on John, son of Zechariah is like saying in the year 2021, when Joe Biden was the president of the United States of America and Francis was Roman Pontiff and Modi was prime minister of India and Cardinal Oswald was Archbishop of Bombay, the word of the Lord came to Peter from Tardeo! I guess the first reaction of every one would be who is Peter from Tardeo? Sounds like a nobody with nothing out of nowhere. Yet that is how salvation history unfolds.

John was already made a prophet before his birth and now once again that mission is reiterated; ‘the word of the Lord came to John.’ God chooses him, a nobody from nowhere and not the A-listers of his time. God chooses us too, yet we resist our own calling to serve him.

John’s credentials are given to us as that of the son of Zechariah and he is called to set up his office in the wilderness and not in the palace. His mission was in the real world not in an ivory tower. He was to ‘proclaim a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.’ There was no beating around with this mission. God was clear.

How odd, it may seem to many of us, that such a huge task was given to John with neither a title nor a typewriter. In face the very place that God chooses for him to operate sounds like it is doomed to failure; he is to begin in the wilderness. Yet we know that from Abraham, Moses, Elijah and Jesus, the mission of God has begun in the wilderness. The wilderness may not provide you with a sense of security, on the contrary, it makes you feel vulnerable but it is in vulnerability that God appears; it is in vulnerability that we learn to depend on God. With the preaching of John, the wilderness is not a place of desolation but of Hope.

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Advent explained, advent expressed – Monday, 1st week in Advent – Isaiah 2:1-5 (crf Micah 4:1-5)

The text of today occurs twice in the Bible-with minor variations; here in Isaiah and again in Micah 4:1-3. Interpreters have had as little success solving the “which came first” question as people have had with the proverbial chicken and egg. Micah and Isaiah are contemporaries, both are prophets of the eighth century B.C. and both were concerned primarily with issues of justice and integrity before God in a time of social inequality and hypocritical worship.

We know little about Isaiah other than what is revealed in this book. Most scholars believe that this Isaiah wrote chapters 1-39 of this book and that another person or persons added chapters 40-66. We know nothing about his father Amoz, who should not be confused with Amos, the prophet. Our text today is from the historical Isaiah or what is called ‘first Isaiah’, son of Amoz, who lived during the reigns of King Uzziah to King Hezekiah in Judah. His partner in life was a prophetess (Isaiah 8:3) and together they had several children.

The text of today opens with the words, “In days to come or in latter days.” This phrase, points to the future, but offers no clue as to how far in the future this might be, signalling that, however attractive the promise of no more war sounds, it is not one that we can usher in in our own time or in our own way. When and how it comes is God’s business; though this does not at all mean that the word has no message for present hearers. What is clear is that it will be, by the grace of Yahweh, a glorious future.

When you look at the text of today, the word of promise in Isaiah 2:1-5 is embedded within prophetic oracles of judgment (see Isaiah 1:21-31; 2:5-22). In the prior chapter, the “holy” city of Jerusalem is accused of murder, rebellion, injustice, and corruption (Isaiah 1:21-23). And the texts immediately following Isaiah 2:1-5, claim that God’s people have forsaken God’s ways (Isaiah 2:6-9). So, while chapter 1 speaks of Judah’s sin and the judgment that its people could expect, it also offers a brief glimpses of hope; of Yahweh’s enduring love.

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Understanding Apocalyptic writing – Saturday, 34th Week in ordinary time – Daniel 7:15- 27

Chapters 1-6 of the book of Daniel contained 6 stories of faithfulness. Chapter 7-12 contains 4 visions that Daniel saw. These visions pertain to the religious crisis that the Jews were undergoing in the second century under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The setting or the background of these visions is still Babylon where Daniel is an official though now advanced in age. Daniel is still the hero of this section as he was in the last section but there are differences.

In the stories previously Daniel was the interpreter of visions now he is the recipient of dreams; he narrates  them. In the stories previously, Daniel is spoken of in the third person. Now, Daniel narrates the visions in the first person. In both sections the message is the same; to encourage Jews of the Maccabean age to remain loyal to their religion but the form of the message is communicated differently. Now the form used is not stories, but VISIONS. The author looks forward to the end of the present age.

From this section onwards, the literary form used is Apocalyptic. Apocalyptic thinking and writing arose out of a historical situation consisting of three elements. The problem of evil, the emergence of “righteous remnant” who were loyal to God against the prevailing mood of compromise and the cessation or the end of prophecy at the very time when the people needed a divine explanation for their historical plight.

Apocalyptic thought is always eschatological, focusing on the end times. The eyes of apocalyptist are focused on some future period of time when God will break into this world of time and space to bring the entire present world system to a final judgement. Apocalyptic thought also has signs like cosmic upheaval. Besides this, apocalyptic thought is dualistic; it believes in the existence of two supernatural powers (God and Satan), two worlds (heaven and hell) and two ages.

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