|
Century Christian
Church 1301 Tamarack Road, Owensboro, KY 42301, (270) 684-0286, Pastor: Rev. Jim Westmoreland |
|
Things to Look for: Life from a Stump Isaiah 11:1-10 by Jim Westmoreland How shall we hear these words from Isaiah, and what can they mean for us? If we are going to look for something that applies to us, we need to start by asking who Jesse is? Because Isaiah is a part of the First Testament division called the writings of the prophets, it will help us to know where Jesse fits in to God’s activity with Israel. Does the name David ring a bell for us? Well, David was one of several sons of Jesse. When Samuel was sent by God to Jesse’s house to look for the second king of Israel, Jesse brought in all of his sons, except one who was out tending sheep. Jesse was the father of the son who would become king of Israel, David. With every king the people’s expectations would rise hoping that the spirit of the Lord would be on him, that he would lead with wisdom, righteousness, with discretion and authority, and that he would rule justly and restrain evil. They felt that God’s anointing and leading was not just for a future Messiah, but for every leader. When their hopes in earthly kings were dashed by the final fall of Jerusalem to foreign powers, they began to think of both an ideal time when things would be right and they also thought that, whenever things seemed darkest, God would bring forth a shoot of life to show them that there was still life that God would bring them. We can learn from the thoughts of a prominent Jewish leader who has spoken to many Christian churches on this text during Advent. Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig is instructor of liturgy and homiletics at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and rabbi emerita of Beth Am, The People's Temple, both in New York City. Rabbi Wenig is one of America's outstanding preachers. She has taught workshops for Christian clergy and is a frequent guest preacher and lecturer to audiences across the country. She writes, “I am a Jew. But for many years I have been a guest at Advent services. Every year I am moved, but also disturbed. Let me tell you why. The answer lies in the following story, a true story, a story which begins in Buchenwald. Buchenwald was a concentration camp for so called "political prisoners." Austrian Jews transferred from Dachau, Jews rounded up in mass arrests on Kristallnacht, Polish, Russian, Hungarian Jews whom the Nazis evacuated from other camps as the Soviet army approached. In the 8 years the camp operated it held 238,380 prisoners of whom "only" 56,549 died. On April 11, 1945, American troops arrived to liberate the camp. From Buchenwald the inmates were transferred to DP camps. In one DP camp a small group of Buchenwald survivors dreamed of settling in Palestine and establishing a kibbutz. Just 3 years later, on June 20, 1948, during a short cease fire in the War of Independence, the kibbutz was founded. Today it flourishes with intensive farming, three industries, and the birth of a third generation. The name of the kibbutz? Netzer, which means twig or shoot. "A shoot shall grow out of the stump of Jesse, a twig, a netzer, shall sprout from his stock." Kibbutz Netzer: a green shoot sprouting from the stump of a grand old tree. This story comes to my mind every year when I listen to my Christian colleagues and friends singing "O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel." This story comes to my mind every year when I hear Isaiah's promise of restoration to Israel, "A shoot shall grow out of the stump of Jesse, a twig shall sprout from his stock," used to suggest that that restoration awaits the advent of Jesus. O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel; that mourns in lonely exile here, until the son of God appear. You see, to Jews, Isaiah's promise of redemption speaks not only of the advent of the messiah at the end of time but also of our recurring experience of redemption through time. We believe that Isaiah's promise has already been fulfilled time and again whenever our people have been felled and new shoots have miraculously appeared. At the time of Cyrus our exiles were restored to Jerusalem (as Isaiah prophesied). After the Romans exiled us from Jerusalem once again seeds of Jewish life were carried by the wind and academies of Jewish learning sprouted in new towns. After our equally devastating expulsion from Spain in 1492, 150,000 Jews planted new roots in Amsterdam, Constantinople, Cairo and the Americas. And today, but 50 years after Hitler attempted to make all of Europe Judenrein, tiny shoots of European Jewish life push through the rubble towards the sun. "O come, O come, Emmanuel, ransom captive Israel?" Jews are not awaiting the advent of a savior to ransom us, God taught us long ago to ransom our captives ourselves. According to the Talmud (BB8b), Pidyon shevuyim, the ransoming of captives, is a commandment of paramount importance. In the Middle Ages Jews had many opportunities to fulfill it but never in the numbers we have known in our era: 50,000 Jews rescued from Yemen between 1948 and 1949; 120,000 Jews from Iraq, two years later; 14,000 Jews from Ethiopia in 1984 ransomed for 35 million dollars. A shoot shall grow out of the stump of Jesse, a twig shall sprout from his stock. The rebirth of the Jewish people like the rebirth of the church in ex-Soviet lands is a testimony to human will but also a testimony to God's will. God's will for all people. For the wolf does not yet lie down with the lamb nor is it yet safe for a baby to play over a viper's hole or even in a city park. People still die of poverty and plague and the earth is filled with violence as water covers the sea. So we are all waiting and working for the advent of justice and peace. We try to heal the sick and free the captive. But when we fail, when, because of our hard hearts or despite our best efforts, lofty old trees and promising young ones are ruthlessly hacked away with iron. But, God does not wish to give death the last word. God does not wish despair to overwhelm humankind. And so, God shows us that from the stumps of many a fallen tree tiny, green shoots sprout with new life.” To me, these are powerful, moving words. How shall we hear these words from Isaiah, and what can they mean for us? Each year, when Fall passes by us too quickly and we pause for a time of Thanksgiving, we find ourselves in the frenzied rush to Christmas. But we have Advent. We have four weeks that are not Christmas, but expectation and preparation for Christmas, a time of preparation for the coming of Immanuel, God with us. But, too often, rather than hopeful, the world seems hopeless, mired in centuries old patterns of mistrust and self-interest. Rather than joyful, the world is depressed. The world knows only the giddiness of materialism, not the joy of a heart-life that comes from an intimate relationship with God. We have all seen old, dead stumps that have been left to rot. And, every now and then, we have seen a miraculous green shoot coming out of looked dead and hopeless. That is the image found in Isaiah. When life seems empty and every day seems pointless, remember that shoot, that Life from a Stump! Isaiah also gave his vision of paradise on the holy mountain of God. He described a world where people would live in peace. "The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together." Isaiah's vision of a better world was also one where people would "fear the Lord." To fear the Lord meant to have both an awareness of God and also a reverence toward God. Isaiah's world was also a place where righteousness and faithfulness would be the order of the day. In other words, his vision would be a world where love would abound. Sometimes life can be chaotic, and we desperately try to maneuver around all the dead stumps in our way while avoiding getting caught up in the unhappiness of greedy, self-centered people. It's supposed to be the season of love, but sometimes you have to look hard to find it. How can God show us that picture of love and peace about which Isaiah wrote. One evening just before Mary Martin was to go on stage in South Pacific, a note was handed to her. It was from Oscar Hammerstein, who was writing from his deathbed. It read, "Dear Mary, a bell's not a bell till you ring it. A song's not a song till you sing it. Love in your heart is not love until you give it away." After the performance a number of people rushed back stage, exclaiming, "Mary, what happened to you out there tonight? We have never heard anything like that performance! You sang with more power than you've ever sung!" Mary then read the note from Hammerstein and said, "Tonight, I gave my love away!" Now, here is how you can change your life and others too. The next time you are down and discouraged and you find life in a stump, remember that God put it there for you, and He wants you to share it with others. “Love in your heart is not love until you give it away!” “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Lord Jesus, come into our hearts today. Amen. Century Christian Church, December 9, 2007 - Sermon by Jim Westmoreland _________________ |
|
|