Open-ended,
Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of the Hebrew Bible Readings in the
Australian Prayer Book.
IS
49:1-6...Birth of John the Baptiser, Year C... (For LK 1: 57-80,
or 8:26-39 scroll on site.)
NOTES: 1]Always read the Hebrew Bible in the light
of our Christian understanding of God revealed in Jesus.2] Not the original IS, but another
Prophet [Eugene Peterson calls him, 'Isaiah of
the Exile'] wrote Ch.40-55 to encourage Hebrew deportees in the mid
500's BC. 3] This is the
3rd of the great poems known as 'Servant Songs', pointing to
Jesus
as God's Servant, & fulfilled in His Passion. (For other Songs:
Chs.42, 50, & 52-53.) 4] Why
might this passage be set for today's Festival of J the B? 5] 'Israel'in v.3 & elsewhere may mean
the nation (as Servant), or the personified Servant to come.
WARMING
UP: How do we feel about the new light bulbs we're being
encouraged to fit?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
1-2 Has listening become a lost
art? Does anyone actually listen to anyone any more? Does anyone ever
listen to us? Why would they?
What do we have to say that's of worth? Where does worth come from? Who
decides what's worth listening to & what's not? Are there those who
are attracting hearers today?
Has the voice of God become lost in the conflicting voices of politics,
environment, sciences, etc.? Do we believe God is still plugging away
through ancient Prophets & those called to follow in their
footsteps today? Is it time God & large & small P/p rophets
gave it away as a lost cause? Wasn't even J the B inclined to do that?
Is the 'predestination' IS
speaks of here a positive concept compared with predestination to
failure, destruction, etc.? If we take the idea of predestination too
far, don't we really do away with free will? Are
we, any of us, sharp enough swords or polished enough arrows for God?
What might that imagery actually mean? Do we spend too much
time hiding ourself in God's shadow or in God's quiver to be a weapon
for God anyway?
3-4 Does the
idea of servanthood, in any way, shape, or form, sit too uncomfortably
with us today for it to be a useful religious image let alone calling?
Must we re-learn servanthood in the biblical sense before we can
understand servanthood or become a servant in any sense? What is servanthood in the biblical
sense? Why is it so important for us to a) understand it, & b)
practise it? Is there a supreme biblical example of servanthood?
Is God too demanding of his servants for us to want to
contemplate being called as one? Is servanthood always 'futile'? What
if IS, J the B, & Jesus himself had taken that line? Is there any
point in spending all our strength for nothing, even if our cause
is God's cause, & our reward 'with God'?
5-6 Do
we ever ask serious questions about why we exist at all? Is
serving God a better cause than most of the ones we espouse or chase
after? Does our personal ministry have any component of bringing people
back to God? How can we bring anyone back to God if they haven't been
connected to God in the first place? Or have we all been connected,
even before birth? Are we making too many false assumptions about where
people are, spiritually? Do we have any sense of being 'honoured in
God's sight'? What about the 'God becoming our strength' bit?
How do we respond (if we
respond!) to words here like: light / raise up / restore / survivors /
salvation, etc., here? If we
were appointing someone to be 'God's Servant' (!) what kind of score
would they need to get on all the above questions? Is there any
encouragement for us in the way IS, J the B, & Jesus kept on
responding to God's call to be his
Servant? Is encouragement enough?
