Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8
How do I tell all that is in my heart today. There are some Sundays where we just are so enriched by the texts its a temptation to share it all. I love Isaiah's text because of the promises made in it. Ones of comfort, of protection, of forgiveness. I love the fulfillment which comes through in Mark as we get the introduction to this gospel in these words "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ..." I think its because of the good news carried in each.
Isaiah is a promise to a people yet to be fulfilled. Israel is captive again and he imagery of being sustained in the wilderness, of having protection when you don't feel safe, of God comforting them in their sorrow is beautiful, poetic imagery. Yet it really doesn't exist. One commentator wrote this week that no one would have taken off back to Israel through that dessert because there is no water, no way to live and reach the goal. Yet isn't this a part of the imagery to, casting our reliance on God and encouraging others to do so too.
Encouraging words are not always written in realities, but are couched in the beauty of starting again. Such as Mark's gospel is today. With its introduction though the writer weaves in Isaiah's promise of sustenance in the wilderness. It births in it possibilities of something different, something new, and something that is good news. See everyone's idea of good news is different. Good news opens up the reader of it to some kind of healing balm that is born from within. We can't duplicate it for every person, yet we can try our best to be examples of good news in the world.
Good news sparks, ignites us to do work we would never think possible. It crosses all sorts of boundary lines and stretches the imagination. God is in the business of stretching us after all. It is in these deep places of imagination where God has us write a new story just like Isaiah, just like Mark. The question we need to ask is what is our good news to share? The answer is to then do it.
How do I tell all that is in my heart today. There are some Sundays where we just are so enriched by the texts its a temptation to share it all. I love Isaiah's text because of the promises made in it. Ones of comfort, of protection, of forgiveness. I love the fulfillment which comes through in Mark as we get the introduction to this gospel in these words "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ..." I think its because of the good news carried in each.
Isaiah is a promise to a people yet to be fulfilled. Israel is captive again and he imagery of being sustained in the wilderness, of having protection when you don't feel safe, of God comforting them in their sorrow is beautiful, poetic imagery. Yet it really doesn't exist. One commentator wrote this week that no one would have taken off back to Israel through that dessert because there is no water, no way to live and reach the goal. Yet isn't this a part of the imagery to, casting our reliance on God and encouraging others to do so too.
Encouraging words are not always written in realities, but are couched in the beauty of starting again. Such as Mark's gospel is today. With its introduction though the writer weaves in Isaiah's promise of sustenance in the wilderness. It births in it possibilities of something different, something new, and something that is good news. See everyone's idea of good news is different. Good news opens up the reader of it to some kind of healing balm that is born from within. We can't duplicate it for every person, yet we can try our best to be examples of good news in the world.
Good news sparks, ignites us to do work we would never think possible. It crosses all sorts of boundary lines and stretches the imagination. God is in the business of stretching us after all. It is in these deep places of imagination where God has us write a new story just like Isaiah, just like Mark. The question we need to ask is what is our good news to share? The answer is to then do it.
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