Restoration
The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity – 8/18/2024
Isaiah 29:17-24
Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer
That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Old Testament lesson from the book of the prophet Isaiah in the twenty-ninth chapter with special emphasis on verses twenty-two through twenty-four which read as follows:
“Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction.”
Thus far the Scriptures.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God loves more than anything to give you forgiveness, life, and salvation. I want you to know that. It is the most important part of our religion, that God gives us these everlasting gifts. And this is not an ancillary thing, a side issue. It is the very heart of what God does. And this proceeds from His very essence. God is love and because He is love and loves us, He sent His Son to do all things for the realization of our salvation including giving up His life on the cross. Because of this, we have been granted forgiveness and with that life and salvation ensured not by what we have done or will do, but by the work of Christ.
Now I know that this is something that should be obvious to us Christians. We should know this so deeply and have it so basic in our minds and thoughts that we build our whole understanding of the world and ourselves on it. This most basic of truths is the basic thing that informs our place in the world, who God is, and how we relate to Him.
But it doesn’t always seem like this is the case. Maybe it’s just me; maybe not. But I imagine that you’ve probably noticed this as well. There are things in this world that challenge the claim I’ve just made. Evils of every sort. Sins that come against us. Unrest, which seems to be more and more common these days is but the tip of the ice burg. There’s the everyday sort of evil that we see all to often: untimely death, crime, harm, lies, slander, betrayal, and every other thing that harms us in mind, body, or spirit.
The reason I bring this up is simple: many doubt God’s love and care for them because of the evils and harms of this world. The reasoning is simple and seems solid enough. Bad things happened to me. Therefore, God does not love me. From this reasoning springs up all other manner of falsehoods about God. The Almighty is seen as indifferent at best, and evil at worst.
So how can I stand here and say that this line of thinking is wrong? Firstly, we have the great and powerful testimony that is the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. An indifferent God would not do this. An evil God would most certainly not. Only a good, loving, and gracious God would be so willing to pay this debt in by giving His only begotten Son into death. How can anyone say that a God who is willing and able and has done this is anything but loving and caring? Claims to the contrary are so ridiculous that they are absurd due this simple fact alone!
But God is a God who wants you to know with absolute clarity and every certainty of His love and concern for you. This is why in addition to the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, Almighty God also sent the prophets, and later the Apostles, to speak His words of comfort and promise about His desire to save us lost and condemned people. These words of comfort are salve and healing for the wounds of this life, to bind up our hurts, and to give us remedy for all the pains that come from the evils of this life. Here in our reading from Isaiah is an example of this sort of divine proclamation for comfort: The Lord promises restoration to a suffering Israel. Yes, Israel, God’s own chosen nation, the Old Testament Church, suffered under foreign oppression from the Babylonian Empire. And God gave them a good word that the evil inflicted on them by this pagan power would end and that they would be restored unto everlasting care by God.
This message is not unique to the people of the 7th century BC either. God has promised blessing, healing, restoration, and – most importantly – everlasting salvation by His own hand. And this same message is given to us today in the words of the Apostles and prophets recorded in Holy Scripture. It is heard today from the preaching of faithful pastors in their preaching and teaching. It is taught at bedtime and the kitchen table by faithful mothers and fathers. It is shared by grandmas and grandpas when they read Bible stories to their children. This is all to say, the mission of Christ’s holy Church is characterized from top to bottom by the saving message of Jesus Christ. Again, this is by design, because against the false views of God that might arise in this world.
Besides this, our Lord also each week grants us blessings everlasting through the forgiveness of sins found in receiving the true body and blood of the Lord Jesus in the Sacrament of the Altar. Further still, you, His faithful people, you were baptized into Christ and have been born anew there in that baptismal water by the Spirit and the Word of God. And this new self is free from all sin and guilt due to Christ our Lord.
Finally, there are those things in this world that we often overlook, created things, that remind us that God loves us and cares for us. This list of earthly every day blessings is beyond count. As the Lord’s Prayer reminds us, the daily bread, the daily blessings of God include all things needed in this life like food and drink, house and community, good government and employment, possessions and income, friends and family, our bodies and minds, and every other blessing of this world. Even with all the things that might happen in this life to us, we have such an abundance of things bestowed on us by God Almighty that it seems the height of insanity to question the love, mercy, and care of God.
So, dear friends in Christ, take these words of the prophet Isaiah to heart. Treasure them well. God will undo all evil and sin. He, even now, has already laid the foundation for this in the Son, Jesus Christ, who has overcome the devil, and sin, and the world. Even now the triumph of God is being born out into this world in the forgiveness of sins. Even now the enemies of Christ cower and quake before Him and His Name.
Yes, we will suffer and experience hardship. We will have things small and large that attack and undermine us. We will be betrayed and hurt. But, through it all, we have Christ. And in Christ, our suffering is not in vain nor is it the last word. Christ is. He is King of Creation and Lord of lords. He has already won for us life and salvation and forgiveness and will certainly ensure that we will receive it at the end, just as He promises.
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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