Isaiah
66:10-14; The Third Sunday after Pentecost; June 30, 2019
Life
in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN
“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be
glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn
over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that
you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.” For thus says
the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of
the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be
carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother
comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall
see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass;
and the hand of the LORD shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his
indignation against his enemies.” (Isaiah 66:10–14, ESV)
Grace
and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
It
began as barley a whisper… a faint sound at the very edge of perception… no one in the house even stirred… except
mother. From the very first, before any
sound at all had filled the ears of anyone else… she awoke crawled out of bed
and began the trek to her infant’s room.
So, by the time he was in full cry, with a voice much more than someone
his size should be able to shout, mother was already crib side. Quickly she raised the infant to her arms, “Hey
Billy, what’s the matter?” She said quietly, as she gathered him to
herself. At first, he was inconsolable,
and his screams echoed through the whole house.
They filled the ears of his brothers and sisters, who muffled the sound
with arms, blankets or pillows in an attempt to return to their dreams. But soon quiet was again restored as the
rocking chair and the sweet sound of mother voice brought infant comfort. He was safe and warm, there in his mother’s
arms, satisfied and at peace.
Oh,
to be at peace… like a little child in its
mother’s arms, satisfied at rest, warm and content…. at peace. But as much as peace is desired it, peace is
seldom found. Maybe that’s why this
image of peace is so powerful for us, because we seldom know this kind of peace
when we are no longer able to lie in our mother’s arms… when we have grown too
large to be cuddled there. There are
other moments of peace in our lives, standing on a quiet beach listening to the
waves rush the shore; Being alone in the
forest when all is quiet except the sounds of nature; Sitting beside the bed of
a sleeping child listening contentedly to the shallow echoes of breath. But, moments of peace are few, because the
world, this world that we live in, is a world of conflict.
A
world of conflict… every day in the newspaper you can read about war somewhere
around the globe. War is the same
everywhere. There are two groups of
people in conflict. They have determined
that their conflict is so great that the only means of resolution is the
violent death of the other party. They
have determined that the only resolution is to disrupt the peace… to arm themselves
with the tools of death. Many people
would say that the exact opposite of peace is war. When the images of war explode onto the news,
the comfort of our mother’s arms is very inviting.
But conflict isn’t just found between
nations at war. We find it even in the
smallest communities. In fact, any
gathering of people is often marked by disagreement that often disrupts the
peace. Do we build a swimming pool or not? Should the cult group be allowed to build a
compound? Should there be a group home in my neighborhood? Should taxes be raised or cut… but it isn’t
just government? There is conflict where
we work… a co-worker we don’t like… a manager that won’t allow time off, or
demands overtime… Work that builds up so
much you are afraid to take time off… Conflict also lives in our homes… family
decisions are marred by arguments and unhappy resolutions. What household has children that don’t fight,
and parents who are always forgiving?
What man and wife have never fought about family finances? Conflict is laced in every aspect of our
lives… our families, friendships, and even our Church. Disharmony is everywhere it affects every
relationship we have. But not all the
conflict is external. Many people have
an internal struggle that far outweighs the discord between people. Internal struggle can fracture the human
psyche. The wounds it can cause are even
more devastating than disagreements between people. We all experience some of that
disunity. We all struggle to do what we
know is right and avoid what we know is wrong.
Saint Paul
For we know that the law is
spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my
own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now
if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is
no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing
good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is
right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want,
but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:14–19, ESV)
When
we think of these conflicts it is no wonder, we long for the comfort of our
mother’s arms. That place where we can be
comforted, safe from conflict, safe from trouble, and at peace.
All the disunity, between nations,
people, families, individuals, and even the internal struggles of people are
really a sign, a window to an even greater more devastating division. Conflict, internal and external, is an image
of the most serious human problem. All
human beings have cut themselves off from God by their own sin. We are fractured people who are determined to
conflict with the very one who made us, the one who designed us for a
relationship with him. We have conflict
with others, we can’t get along with other people; we conflict with ourselves;
because we can’t get along with God.
That is the real source of conflict in our lives.
This is where this
image, given to us in our text, comes in.
God says he will comfort us, brings us peace, like a mother does with
her child. “I will extend peace like a
river… as a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you.” He extends his
arms around us, pulls us to his breast where we are warm, safe and secure. There we find peace. There we find comfort. He ended the conflict with us, because we
didn’t want to end it with him.
For
to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon
his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV)
It is
amazing and somewhat ironic that the one who God sent to restore peace to the
world, the prince of peace, restored our fractured relationship, our conflict,
by means of a violent death. He endured
internal and external conflict on the cross as he was rejected by the Father in
our place. The separation that our
sinful nature desired; the conflict we wished; for was focused on Jesus
Christ. He endured it all instead of
us. And because of that he brought about
peace between us and our Heavenly Father.
But this peace is more than just a peaceful, tranquil feeling. It’s more than a feeling of contentment that
even un-believers can feel. Jesus brings
a peace the is a peace that exists even when we are in conflict. It’s a peace that exists even when we don’t
feel peaceful.
The
peace that Christ brings is like the peace between two warring parties. He declares the hostilities cease. But when peace is declared sometimes the
sides don’t want to end the fighting.
Because we still have the effects of sin in our lives, we don’t always
want God’s peace. We struggle against
it. But, the war is over, Jesus Christ
has won it and he has declared the peace.
It is a peace that passes all our understanding. When we feel it, when we experience that
peaceful feeling like we are wrapped in the Father arms we rejoice; but it is
just as true when we don’t feel it. We
are still even then, because of Christ, at peace with God.
God doesn’t
promise that Christians won’t have conflict in their lives. Christians just like all people will have
internal and external struggles. But
God, through Jesus Christ, has done something about the most serious
conflict. Because of Jesus suffering and
death on the cross we are no longer in conflict with God. Because suffered the separation of that
conflict we can enjoy the comfort the peace.
That peace, whether we feel it or not, effects our whole lives. Our relationships to our families… our relationships
to our friends… our relationships at work...
Our relationships to our community.
That peace earned for us through the death of Christ, has given us peace
with God and has opened the way for us to be at peace with others.
And
let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in
one body. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15, ESV)
Billy
sleeps quietly in his mothers’ arms. He is
at peace, comforted by his mother. The
noise of discord is all but forgotten.
She had come and brought him comfort.
He is safe and warm; he is at peace.
The
peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Jesus
Christ, the Prince of Peace. Amen.
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