Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Scripture: Isaiah 43.16-21
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 that they might declare my praise.
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 that they might declare my praise.
Painting by Pablo Picasso
Devotion:
A new thing. When we think about new things in our lives, we most often think of the new things that were an improvement or a good thing. Things that come to mind for me: the brand new very cool wide leg jeans I got for my first day of middle school, my first cell phone as a sophomore in college in its brand new packaging, my new hairstyle when I first dyed it a loud shade of purple, and my first new car, with its new car smell and clean interior. New usually means something good and better, something with a new set of possibilities, free from being worn out or beaten up. New is contrasted to things that are old and need to be replaced: pink worn out tennis shoes from my childhood with holes in the toes, an old toothbrush with its bent down bristles, an old coffee mug with a chip and a crack in it, an old car that sometimes refuses to turn over on cold mornings. Every day in our lives, we come into contact with items in our lives that are old and need replaced or new things we want or have. Commercials and advertisements capitalize on our desire for something new and on the concept and assumption that something new is inherently better than something old.
In this passage from the prophet Isaiah, God is declaring new intentions for the future of Israel, a new way forward out of the muck of the past and the exile of the present. It is easy to look at this passage with our current lenses: that new is better, more functional, more comfortable than old. But the truth is that this passage is a little weird. We would be wary if we saw a river in a desert, wondering where it came from and if it were safe to drink from. We would be baffled by wild animals behaving themselves and getting along. We might be suspicious of the strange types of changes that God is describing here. It is a reminder that new things are not always inherently easy to get used to: new shoes need to be broken in, a new baseball mitt needs to be well oiled and beaten to be soft enough for good use, a new haircut takes time to get used to. In the church and in our faith life, there are always new things that God is doing, and they are always good. But they don’t always feel good right away; it takes time for us to break in God’s new things, to get used to God’s new direction in our lives. Join us on Sunday morning as we prayerfully consider how to receive God’s new message of hope each day.
A new thing. When we think about new things in our lives, we most often think of the new things that were an improvement or a good thing. Things that come to mind for me: the brand new very cool wide leg jeans I got for my first day of middle school, my first cell phone as a sophomore in college in its brand new packaging, my new hairstyle when I first dyed it a loud shade of purple, and my first new car, with its new car smell and clean interior. New usually means something good and better, something with a new set of possibilities, free from being worn out or beaten up. New is contrasted to things that are old and need to be replaced: pink worn out tennis shoes from my childhood with holes in the toes, an old toothbrush with its bent down bristles, an old coffee mug with a chip and a crack in it, an old car that sometimes refuses to turn over on cold mornings. Every day in our lives, we come into contact with items in our lives that are old and need replaced or new things we want or have. Commercials and advertisements capitalize on our desire for something new and on the concept and assumption that something new is inherently better than something old.
In this passage from the prophet Isaiah, God is declaring new intentions for the future of Israel, a new way forward out of the muck of the past and the exile of the present. It is easy to look at this passage with our current lenses: that new is better, more functional, more comfortable than old. But the truth is that this passage is a little weird. We would be wary if we saw a river in a desert, wondering where it came from and if it were safe to drink from. We would be baffled by wild animals behaving themselves and getting along. We might be suspicious of the strange types of changes that God is describing here. It is a reminder that new things are not always inherently easy to get used to: new shoes need to be broken in, a new baseball mitt needs to be well oiled and beaten to be soft enough for good use, a new haircut takes time to get used to. In the church and in our faith life, there are always new things that God is doing, and they are always good. But they don’t always feel good right away; it takes time for us to break in God’s new things, to get used to God’s new direction in our lives. Join us on Sunday morning as we prayerfully consider how to receive God’s new message of hope each day.