The lectionary texts this morning provide many overtones — sounds that connect with other parts of our life of prayer. The beginning portion of Isaiah 61 is one of the selections for the burial rite; Psalm 126 is one of the appointed psalms for noonday prayer; the portion from First Thessalonians is an echo (or preview, as it was written first) of Philippians 4 (‘Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice’), and the mention of John the Baptist in the opening of the gospel according to John appears at Christmas. As happens so often, the readings weave a rich tapestry such that as we consider one passage, we hear the others at the same time.
As promised last week, this morning we will focus more on the reading from Isaiah. Not only is it appointed for the burial office but it also is cited in Luke’s gospel account of Jesus’ appearance at the temple where he unrolled the scroll and read from it. The passage unto itself is powerful and evokes equally Mary’s song, the Magnificat, which we will hear next week.
The Hebrew Scripture reading, from the third part of the large book of the prophet Isaiah (otherwise called Third Isaiah), echoes themes of Second Isaiah, that part wherein we hear of the Suffering Servant (most frequently associated with Holy Week). In both parts of Isaiah, the servant is anointed by the spirit for a ministry of mercy in a jubilee year of favour.
Leviticus 25, that portion of the Hebrew Scriptures that focuses so much on the way the people of Israel was to live, describes what a jubilee year looks like: such a year was proclaimed every fifty years for the purpose of having debts canceled, granting general forgiveness, and for recovering lost property. Third Isaiah reiterates these themes in chapter 61 of the book.
In all these activities, the prophet speaks of reversals of fate to those in various states of destitution and deprivation. Earlier readings this Advent from the Hebrew Scriptures have also referred to the afflicted; the difference with today’s text is that now it speaks of a person who will address these problems and take positive action. When the reversals have all taken place, those freed will have a new inner state of hope and joy.
The words of anointing that Isaiah speaks presage the words Jesus will later say at the beginning of his ministry, a ministry that likewise reflects concepts of jubilee. Both Isaiah and Jesus bring good news to the oppressed, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners, provide comfort to those who mourn, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
Isaiah moves from seeing his people as broken hearted and oppressed to those who now are free, now that they have returned to Jerusalem. However, for the people, it will take a long time because they have only known oppression. A lot has happened in the years of exile to break many hearts. ‘They still need liberty proclaimed to their inmost beings. Spiritually and psychologically, they are still prisoners. They are still in mourning, for years lost, a country lost, self-respect lost.
[So] ‘Isaiah walks among the people as he offers these next splendid and beautiful images. [He goes] to one person and say[s], “I want you to have a garland instead of ashes;” to another, “You should feel the oil of gladness instead of mourning”; and yet to another, “Do you know what you need? You need a mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.” All the time he is speaking he is healing, comforting, encouraging, energizing, coaxing, persuading.… This is the kind of ministry we are called upon to exercise with each other today — a ministry of encouraging and healing each other.’ (1)
Isaiah’s prophecy is not just for long ago; it is for us now. It is you and I who are poor. We suffer broken hearts in those lives and loves and labours that mark our existence. As we receive this prophecy, we recognise our own truths. We too are captive, prisoners of fear, egotism, betrayals, misplaced priorities. As harsh as this list sounds, we know that we don’t have to remain stuck in those hard places. We can return from spiritual exile, too.
Psalm 126 accompanies well the reading from Isaiah because it speaks of this return from exile. The psalm looks to the past and what has taken place and injects a prayer for good fortune in the future. The dry river beds and the dusty gullies of the desert will flow with water again; life will again be abundant; new growth will emerge from that which was considered barren.
We, too, are called to be a people of hope and joy, bringing new life to barren places. We, too, are called to be those change agents in the world, people of jubilee, who will work toward release and liberty of the oppressed and disenfranchised. Each of us can make a difference in our daily lives and we must. We are already jubilee people by virtue of our baptism; now we have to figure out how to make that a reality in our daily life.
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The question lies before us today: how does each one of us engage in a ministry of encouraging and healing each other? How do we become a people of hope and joy, bringing new life to barren places, especially right now when things seem to be so hard for so many people? How does each one of us make a difference in our daily lives and those of others?
These are not merely rhetorical questions — they are the essence of what our life as the baptised means. What we do as the baptised, not just in church but also in our daily lives, can have a huge impact on others. Fundamentally, each one of us is called to reconcile the world to God in Christ. Each one of us will find the way to do so. As we find our unique voice, we can bring about healing and restoration for others. At the same time, to preach hope also means that we need to listen carefully to each other.
A caveat, however: it is hard to preach hope if one does not know it. Hope is not the same as optimism, which can often preach a false ‘things will get better.’ The optimist lives by the pretension of being able to control the present. People of faith live with the strength that comes from having a large vision of the God who promises liberation from all that binds and oppresses human beings. Hope in the Christian sense takes into account the real sufferings of the moment and places them into prayer. Hope gives us a broader view, one that always leads us back to God, whose mercy is never-ending. People of hope want to do the will of God the liberator, want to offer light and life to those who live in dark places, want to be a sign of a liberating future in a world that thinks only of the present and its unlimited possibilities for self-serving.
Perhaps that God-given, God-based hope is what a co-worker needs. Perhaps it is what the person in the hospital bed needs. Perhaps it is what the person sitting in the pew next to you needs. Perhaps it is what this parish needs.
During this Advent, we can begin in our hearts to explore what it means to listen to one another, to speak in clear terms and directly, and to find our own ways of articulating the hope that comes to us in the Christ child. Use the remaining precious time of Advent to pray about how you can find your voice of hope, to whom and how you might share this message of hope.
Like the prophets, we have a message and an action to offer this world… for ‘the Spirit of the Lord is upon us because the Lord has anointed us.’ May God help us to spread that urgent message of hope today, tomorrow and always.
END NOTE
(1) Herbert O’Driscoll, The Word Today, Year B, Volume 1 (Toronto, ONT: Anglican Book Centre, 2001), 23-24.
[photo: frozen cherry tree]
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