“Don’t Settle In, God Isn’t Done Yet” 2013

Isaiah 43:1, 15-21 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Isaiah 43:1, 15-21

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

* When I went to Syria, we spent several days in Damascus,

and then very early one morning,

we drove 150 miles north out into the desert

to spend a day or so in the ancient city of Palmyra,

an oasis along a major trade route, known as, The Silk Road.

After lunch, one of the site archeologists led and explained to us

all about the ancient ruins of Palmyra, which dated back à

to before the Canaanite and Roman civilizations.

It was an exhausting day out in the desert sun and hot winds,

as we walked among the ruins of so much ancient history.

Toward evening we got back to the hotel, collapsed in the lounge,

and our guide offered to take anyone in his jeep

who still wanted to hike to the castle on the mountaintop.

He said, the trail would be about a 2 mile fairly steep hike,

and if we moved along, could probably reach it by sundown.

Most in our group were quite content to rest & relax in the lounge,

and had no desire for anymore walking or archeology that day –

- but about four of us really wanted to see that crusader castle.

The hike was very strenuous, and it took all I had to get there,

but finally I made it into the castle and up to the battlement

that overlooked Palmyra just as the sun was setting.

It was one of the most remarkable & amazing sight I have ever seen,

as the eerie shadows lengthened across the palm trees,

and seemed to highlight the columns of the ancient ruins…

… demonstrating that my decision to hike a little bit further

was a wise one, well worth the extra effort,

and even my aching back and weary muscles.

* When the section of Isaiah that we read was first written,

the people had been living in Babylon for close to 70 years,

and had made comfortable homes and lives for themselves.

These were the descendants of those taken into exile,

but now, they were at ease, comfortable and established,

and no longer even thinking about a return home to Israel.

For the most part, they were prosperous and well-acclimated

to an easy and familiar life in Babylon, they were satisfied.

But God intended much more for them, to bless them beyond Babylon,

and was calling them to rebuild their cities and nation;à

and so God sent Isaiah to proclaim God’s word & promise to them,

and to rekindle a sacred longing for new possibilities.

The message of Isaiah, was don’t settle for mere comfort & ease,

and don’t abandon your dreams or stop striving for more.

Remember your rich heritage and history, and God’s promises,

and don’t just accept the way things are now, as final!

So why not settle in and be content?

Because your God loves you, and has so much more for you!

vs. 1, 16~20

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, … I have called you by name, you are mine. … Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, … I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

Just as God provided the way to pass through the sea in Exodus,

so now God will provide a way through the wilderness for youà

- that’s God’s promise and your call to go further and higher,

so shake loose the shackles of lazy comfortable complacency.

Don’t clinging to your comfort, & stop accepting that this is it,

or you will miss out on seeing the new your God is creating.

vs. 19

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

* Here’s the message through Isaiah:

Babylon isn’t your real home, it’s not your final destination-

- the Lord loves you, and has way more blessings for you –

in fact, God will even transform the wilderness for you.

“I will build a wilderness road for you between Babylon and home.

I will care for you so abundantly in that desert wilderness,

with enough life-giving water, that even the wild animals

will have plenty to drink, and they will honor me…

vs. 19~20

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

The message: you have a choice –

a life of compromise and accommodation in Babylon,

or the rich life and purposes I have prepared for you --

- I’m doing a new thing, don’t you want to be in on it?

Or as the last lines of Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken”,

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

In the 2^nd Corinthians passage,

Paul writes that the love of Christ makes all the difference.

vs. 14a, 17

For the love of Christ urges us on, … So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

The Apostle’s concern was that the church in Corinth

had grown too comfortable and complacent in their faith,

and they were fitting into their culture too easily.

They weren’t living much different than their pagan neighbors,

and were settling for far less than a full commitment

to Christ and the life that God intended for them.

* The love of Christ urges and enables us to take a different path,

and that makes all the difference … a new creation …

… which Paul explains in several different ways.

vs. 15~17

… those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him … we regard no one from a human point of view … So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

Just like Isaiah wrote,

God is up to something new, and don’t want to be in on it?

God’s love and promises

are way beyond this world’s perspective and limitations,

for knowing that

our true citizenship is in the Kingdom of God,

frees us to live in hopeful confidence…

… hope far beyond the boundaries of these our mortal lives,

unimaginable joy and delight that awaits God’s children.

So we don’t allow this world or our circumstances

to define our life and reality, our values or our goals,

but rather conduct our lives on the basis of the gospel.

We don’t live by appearances or the successes of this world;

but rather, the love of Christ affirms and guides our lives.

* God’s message and call to hope through both Isaiah and Paul

is don’t settle for partial complacent commitment, andà

don’t quit now, but go for the best and go a little further-

- for there is so much more and much better just ahead.

If we focus on the love of Christ, that changes everything ---

- the way we see ourselves as God’s precious children,

- the way we look at the hurting & lost world around us,

- the way we look at other people- also God’s beloved

- and the way we look at God, à

à not as an angry judge, but a wise, patient, and merciful Father.

Then Paul describes this new creation in terms of reconciliation.

vs. 19, 18, 20

… in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, … and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. … All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation … So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us.

* Consider your own experience with human relationships;

when you have messed-up,

said or done something wrong or hurtful,

that resulted in an angry argument with a friend…

… and how painful, when a relationship falls apart.

And then, when you found your way back to reconciliation,

do you recall the relief of overcoming resentment,

that wonderful, amazing and joyful

experience of restoration & reconciliation …

… nothing better than an important relationship lost or damaged,

that can somehow survive the storms of destruction.

* That is a snapshot

of what God has done for us through the grace of Jesus Christ,

and so now we are called

to serve in response to that gracious love;à

à the mercy, forbearance and forgiveness we received

we’re empowered to demonstrate that truth and wonder

of God’s love and grace out into the world around us.

Years ago, I had a friend at the Jordanian embassy.

and whenever we met at the Embassy,

he would always greet me, “Welcome to Jordan”;

for the embassy property was a tiny bit of his home country

though he was in Washington DC, it was a piece a Jordan.

* The church is like an embassy,

a tiny, local presence of the Kingdom of God in this world,

& the church exists, for the reconciliation of the world.

Beyond his job at the embassy, anytime and anywhere

my friend was in public or met someone, they looked at him,

to form their impressions of the nation and of Jordanians.

He could either reflect favorably or unfavorably on his country.

So too, the world and all who know us, look at us,

to form their impression - to reflect God's truth…

… and so beyond just our intentional words of proclamation,

our very lives speak and display God’s grace and glory.

Our families, our friends, our neighbors and acquaintances

all look toward us for Christian definition of 'Christ-like'

to see if the love and power of God is real or not,

and to see if the promises of God really can be trusted.

We are all called by God to demonstrate a new quality of life,

as a new creation, as those reconciled to God through Christ,

in the church, and through the church to the world,

to live in a way consistent with reconciliation & grace…

… to live as a new creation, a new quality of lifeà

of trust and hope in the sustaining grace-love of God…

…and so this ministry of reconciliation Paul describes,

isn't something just to talk about, but is something we live.

* The best evidence of God’s reconciling grace, a new creation,

is not that we have some amazing spiritual experience,

but, if when tested and I most desire revenge,

can I be faithful, will I allow reconciliation

and for God to love the world through me? ---

--- for that is what it means

to hike a bit further along our journey of faith.

A great example, and one of my favorite reconciliation stories,

is about an Episcopal church service in Richmond, Virginia,

in June, 1865, just two months after the end of the Civil War

drawing from an eyewitness’ account:

The scene unfolded on a Sunday in the sanctuary of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. As the rector was set to serve communion and the white worshipers were prepared to take their assumed rightful place of being served before the black worshipers, a strange action redirected the attention of the congregation from the expected to the unexpected.

A distinguished looking black man rose from the side galley and walked directly to the altar to receive the symbols of Christ's death and resurrection. It was one thing for the white south to endure defeat and poverty, or to accept the fact that slaves were now free; it was quite another for a black man to stride up to the front of the church as though an equal.

While the black man knelt, the other worshippers seemed paralyzed. Then a white man—whose life had been radically reoriented from wealth to poverty, from a mansion in Arlington to homelessness in Richmond, from a generalship with the power to influence the fate of millions to the surrender of his command at Appomattox —broke the deadlock by an act of worship equal to that of his black brother. Robert E. Lee rose from his pew, walked to the altar and knelt beside him to receive communion.

** In that moment,

reconciliation became real, a hopeful possibility.