A song of restoration (Isaiah 55:10-13)

 Scholars tell us that the book of Isaiah can be divided into different sections, each section written in a different time period, and probably by different authors.

The first section of Isaiah includes chapters 1 – 39. It is assumed that this section was, in fact, written by the prophet Isaiah. In this section, Isaiah condemns the social and economic injustice of the time, saying that it threatens the nation’s relationship with God. Thus, the nation is judged for forsaking God’s ways, for turning its back on the poor and vulnerable, for neglecting to do what is right. 

The consequence for their lack of justice is captivity in a foreign land.

The second section of Isaiah includes chapters 40 – 55. The time is much later. The people’s exile into captivity has taken place, and in fact, it is almost over. There is joyful anticipation and hope of a return to their homeland and the restoration of their nation. 

The author of this section sees their return as a sort of “second exodus.” In Chapter 43, Isaiah writes that “The Lord makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters…”

This is clearly a reference to the Exodus, when God led the people out of slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, on a journey to the promised land, where they would be free to live lives of wholeness; where their labor would produce fruits that they themselves could enjoy, rather than have all the results of their labor go to benefit only pharaoh. 

Here, the prophet is saying that God is bringing about a new exodus, when the people who have been sent into captivity will be led back to their homeland.

Then, in chapter 49, God says to the prisoners, “Come out,” and to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.” 

God says “you shall no longer hunger or thirst…” 

And the prophet writes: “Sing for joy,... for the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones.”

Not only will the people be led back to their homeland, but they will experience comfort and joy and abundance.

I get the feeling that some who heard these words were skeptical. They didn’t believe that these things would actually come to pass. They thought that their restoration was nothing more than a dream that would never come true.

They had been forced to live in a land not their own for a long time. And perhaps they had been told too many lies. Perhaps those who had taken control of them, and forced their relocation, had made many promises to them, yet had not fulfilled any of those promises. 

It was hard for them to get their hopes up.

So in chapter 55 we have this assurance:

The assurance that God’s word is a promise that will be fulfilled. It is true! There is no gap between what God speaks and what God does. 

When God speaks of restoration, one doesn’t need to wonder if God will follow through on what God says; for as soon as God’s word is spoken, the thing that is spoken becomes a reality… 

It makes me think of the creation story in Genesis 1, in addition to the exodus story. In Genesis 1, we hear repeatedly that God spoke… and it was so.

God said “let there be light,” and there was light.

God said “let there be waters on the earth and land on the earth, and let the land be filled with vegetation and with animals…” and it was so.

God spoke, and it was so. 

That’s how it is with God! God’s word accomplishes its purpose. God’s promises are not empty promises. What God says, God will do!

The promises of God, and the fulfilment of those promises, are so connected, that anything spoken by God is synonymous with truth.

Oh that it were so with humans! People often speak, but their words mean nothing. Just because someone says something doesn’t make it real. People often say one thing and do another. Trust is broken. Words become cheap; meaningless.

Advances in AI make it even easier to lie. Photos and videos look real, but aren’t. It used to be said that a photo is worth 1,000 words, but now, we know, that a photo is often worth 1,000 lies.

I hope we are learning to never share anything on social media unless we verify it first. Make sure it is really real. Because otherwise our own credibility will be weakened.

There are some good uses of AI: I just heard about Edward Kang, a high school student in New Jersey, who developed an AI tool that diagnoses autism and ADHD using retinal images, allowing for earlier diagnoses that can help individuals receive helpful services and accommodations. 

I’ve also heard of AI tools that can diagnose cancer earlier than other methods, enabling cancer patients to receive earlier treatment and increasing their chances of survival. 

Those are great uses of AI!

But that is not how AI is mostly used. Too often, AI is used to try to get people to believe something that just isn’t true. For this and other reasons, I generally consider most uses of AI to be contrary to the kingdom of God.

God’s word is true. Once you know that a word has come from God, you know it’s true. 

So when God says there will be restoration, that all that has been lost will be restored, you can count on it.

God’s word will not go out and return empty. It will accomplish what it sets out to do.

In this case, God’s word will cause the thorns and briers of the world to give way to cypresses and myrtles.

I like that image. It reminds me of something our youth like to do, when they meet here at church, or when they go to camp.

It’s called “thorns and roses.”

It usually happens at the end of a youth group meeting, or at the end of a small group session at camp, or at the end of the day in one’s cabin, just before lights out.  Each youth is invited to share, briefly, one high and one low from their day. One thorn, and one rose.

It provides an opportunity for each youth to speak the truth about what they are experiencing. It’s not like the answer one gives when greeted with a perfunctory, “how are you?” The answer to that question is usually, “fine’ or ‘good.” such answers are polite, but they aren’t always true.

But in Thorns and Roses, there is the invitation to share something that is a little more true, a little more real…and to know that the truth you speak will be heard and received.

That’s a powerful thing.

At Camp Walter Scott last week, one of the most powerful moments came during a worship one evening, which took place after dark at the outdoor chapel. 

The camper who was leading the worship invited all the other youth to share something true; they were invited to share a way in which they hoped God would help them grow during their week at camp.

And these prayers, shared out loud, were powerful. Emboldened by the darkness, The youth risked vulnerability, and the truth they spoke was raw and honest. And powerful.

TRUTH is powerful.

LIES can be powerful, too, but in a very negative way.

In fact, the words of many that speak lies are thorns and briers that choke out what is good in the world. Words of hate. Words of condemnation.

Maybe to some, these are “just words.” But words are never “just words.” The lies are not harmless. And words spoken against people carry consequences.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers to let their “yes” be “yes;” let your “no” be “no.” Anything else, Jesus says, is evil. [Matthew 5:37]

Jesus also says that words should never be used to insult or harm another. “Do not insult anyone,” he says in Matthew 5:22; “do not call anyone a “fool.” 

Let your words be true, and let them be used for healing, and not for harm.

Yet many of the words we hear spoken—even by those who profess to be Christian—are lies meant to harm.

Words spoken against immigrants, who are labelled “criminals,” “thugs,” “animals,” even though they are human just like everyone else; humans made in the image of God, the vast majority of them seeking the same peace and security that we ourselves desire.

Words spoken against those who are transgender; lies meant to spread false rumors about how they are a threat to society, to deny rights and humanity, and cause harm.

Immigrants and Transgender people are just two categories of people who have been subjected to the lies, libel, and slander that take away their dignity and threaten their lives. Acts of hate and violence committed against these and other communities are often inspired by the words of politicians and other influencers.

That’s the power of words spoken falsely and maliciously. Words like that are contrary to God’s vision for the world.

We can remove the thorns of society; we can work with God to plant good, beautiful trees and plants.

By speaking only what is true.

By speaking only what uplifts.

By speaking and acting with kindness and love.

By working to let our nature be a reflection of God’s nature, for God is true, and God works toward restoration.

Let your words be true. Let your words be for healing and restoration. Let your words resemble the words spoken by God…so that all may go out in joy and be led back in peace, experiencing the restoration that God promises for all creation.

Welcome (Matthew 10:40-42)

 I saw this image on social media last week. It shows two different types of macaroni and cheese.

The one labeled “Juneteenth” shows a baked macaroni and cheese, with the edges golden and crispy.

The one labeled “July 4th” shows a creamier, less crispy mac and cheese, one that was probably made on the stovetop, and not in the oven.

I don’t know where this meme originated. I don’t know who created it. And I don’t know the message they were intending.

Some have said it is racist, implying that the baked version is favored by Black Americans, while the creamy version is favored by white Americans; yet I haven’t seen any commentary saying which version of mac and cheese is the better version.

To me, they both look good.

But people do have their preferences. And some will take a meme like this, that appears on social media, and use it as a way to divide us from one another.

They’ll say: “there’s only one right way to make mac and cheese.”

They’ll say: “anyone who makes their mac and cheese the wrong way is just, well, wrong.”

Well, let’s imagine that, in honor of the 250th birthday of the United States, that we’re having a Great American picnic. The question is: Which type of mac and cheese will we serve?

But maybe that’s the wrong question. Because isn’t there room at our Great American picnic for both? 

Of course there is! But only if we make room for both.

I’ve been to chili cookoffs, where there were dozens of different types of chili present. Everyone has their own preference. Some like it spicy. Some like it mild. Some like it with beans. Some like it without beans. Some like it with a little bit of cumin. Some like it with other spices.

There’s room for all different types of chili at the cookoff.

So why would we ever insist that there is only one right way to make mac and cheese?

There is room at our Great American Picnic for both.

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For the early Christians, one of the most pressing questions was whether there was room in the movement for both Jews and Gentiles.

We know that the Jesus movement began with Jews. Jesus was a Jew; the twelve disciples were Jews. In fact, the reason there were 12 disciples is probably because there were 12 tribes of Israel. 

This was a Jewish movement.

But Jesus also interacted with and welcomed non-Jews as well as those who were “sorta” Jews, those who maybe considered themselves part of the Jewish people, but whose practices and ideas differed to some degree from the Judaism practiced and taught at the temple in Jerusalem.

Then, on Pentecost, the Spirit gave the disciples the ability to speak in many different languages, the languages of Jewish and non-Jewish people; and the movement began to spread around the world.

And soon, among the disciples and other early Jewish followers of Jesus, the question arose: is there room for everyone in the movement?

Those non-Jewish followers: they were different. They made the Jewish followers uncomfortable. Their customs were different. They spoke in different accents and different languages. 

How do we welcome those who are different, whose ways we don’t understand, whose presence and lifestyle and customs make us uncomfortable?

Some of the Jews believed that non-Jews should be welcomed into the movement only if they became Jews. They needed to leave behind those ways that made them uncomfortable.

They needed to make their mac and cheese the right way.

Last week, we heard a reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans. One of the prominent themes in Romans is the tension between Jews and non-Jews.

Paul urged Jews to welcome non-Jews wholeheartedly. Paul insisted that non-Jews did not need to become like Jews and adopt Jewish ways in order to be followers of Jesus. They didn’t need to be circumcised. They didn’t need to follow Jewish customs. They could follow Jesus, and be part of the movement, just as they were.

In today’s short scripture reading from Matthew, the word “welcome” appears six times. But because we heard a reading from Romans last week, and because I’m currently reading a book on Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul’s emphasis on welcome is echoing in my mind. 

 ****** “Welcome one another,” Paul wrote, “As Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

The welcome Jesus talks about in today’s scripture, from Matthew, is a little different. Jesus is talking to his disciples, giving them instructions for the mission they are to carry out.

And when, in Matthew 10, Jesus talks about welcome, he’s talking about those who welcome them, and those who refuse to welcome them. 

But even though the context is a little different here in Matthew than in Romans, the idea of welcome and hospitality remains central.

******

Earlier in this same chapter (Matthew 10), Jesus makes a reference to Sodom and Gomorrah, cities that were famous for their lack of welcome. 

Jesus says to his disciples, “If anyone welcomes you and offers you peace, great! But if anyone refuses to welcome you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for those who refuse to welcome you.”

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is, itself, about welcome. Two strangers, visitors from another land, come to Sodom. 

They are different. They are foreigners. Some would say they are the ones who make their mac and cheese the wrong way.

And yet, a man named Lot welcomes them into his home. He follows the code of hospitality by giving them a safe place to stay, and offering them his protection.

But a group of citizens from that town arrive at Lot’s door, and demand that he turn these two visitors over to them. 

They don’t like these two visitors. They don’t like the way they make their mac and cheese. It makes them uncomfortable. 

And so they seek to humiliate and punish these strangers in order to differentiate themselves from them, and to make them feel unwelcome.

******

And every time Sodom is mentioned in scripture after that, it is to show an example of a city that did not provide hospitality or protection to those who were vulnerable; a city that did not welcome those who were different, those who were poor and needy.

I know; you may have been told that that’s not what the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is about. You may have been told that the whole point of that story is something else entirely.

Because the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is often used (or misused) to show that homosexuality is a sin.

But the fact that people are making this false claim actually helps emphasize the point I’m trying to make.

For some, the presence, the mere existence, of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender makes them uncomfortable.

They don’t like the way they make their mac and cheese (one might say).

And so, ironically, they will take a story from the Bible—a story that is about welcoming and providing hospitality and offering protection—and they’ll tell you that it’s a story that justifies exclusion and condemnation; and they’ll then use their own misguided interpretation as a weapon to demonize those whose existence makes them uncomfortable.

In other words, they’ll use the story to justify their own behavior, even though their own behavior is exactly the behavior that the story condemns.

And this practice continues today.

But not here. Not at First Christian Church. And not at the dozen or so other churches here in Bloomington-Normal, and countless congregations in our denomination and in many other denominations, who all understand that, central to the gospel message, is the message of welcome. The message of inclusion.

They understand that the welcome we are called to extend must be extended especially to those who are vulnerable, to those who are different from us… even if we need to overcome our discomfort in order to do so.

This is an ongoing process. Yes, we are an open and affirming congregation; but that doesn’t mean we have perfected the art of welcoming others.

In fact, there may be someone here who, in your head, you know should be welcomed, but in your heart, you have to admit—if you’re being honest—that that’s challenging for you, that their presence makes you at least a little uncomfortable.

I have no shame in admitting that it took me a long time to get over my discomfort of people who are different—people who make their mac and cheese different—and that I’m still examining my own biases and prejudices in an effort to overcome those biases and prejudices.

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that, even though some people make their mac and cheese differently, that doesn’t mean it isn’t good.

And maybe for you there are people who you tolerate and accept, but to whom you have been less than 100% welcoming. People about whom you may think, “Well, they can worship here, but I’m not going to go out of my way to greet them or welcome them.”

Yet that is precisely what the gospel calls on us to do. Welcome one another, as Christ has welcomed you…

How would Christ welcome them? How would Christ let them know that they are welcome here, that they are wanted here, that this is their home as much as it is anyone else’s home? ………

I’m proud of the welcome we at FCC offer. Visitors report feeling truly welcome.

But we can do better. We can always do better. 

So if there is someone you’ve been avoiding, someone to whom you’ve shown a less-than-enthusiastic welcome, I would encourage you to pray about that, and to ask God to show you how you can do better, how you can grow in this area, in the way you welcome one another.

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You may not know it, but the passing of the peace we do toward the beginning of each worship service… the scriptural precedent for that is Jesus’ instruction that if you are angry or have some sort of grudge against a fellow worshiper, you are to go and be reconciled to that person before you come to worship, before you offer up your praise to God or your offering to God.

And in a similar way, the apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, admonishes the believers for gathering for the Lord’s Supper while doing nothing to overcome the divisions among them. Paul’s instructions are to seek reconciliation and unity with one another before partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

That’s why we do a passing of the peace.

So if there is someone with whom you need reconciliation, someone from whom you feel divided, someone who you have not been enthusiastic about loving and welcoming and embracing as a sibling in Christ, 

…I invite you to pray about that. Ask God to show you how your love can be more genuine toward that person, how you can be more welcoming, how you can let that person know that you are glad they are a part of our church family.

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Let them know that their mac and cheese is delicious just the way it is, that you love their mac and cheese even if it’s not the same as your mac and cheese.

And together, we will grow in unity; and our love for one another, and our love for all who seek to join us, will be a sign to the world that truly we are followers of Christ.

They’ll know we are Christians by our love.