The Message, July 16, 2023: "Bursting ..." Isaiah 55:10-13 (Psalm 65:9-13)
Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
July 18, 2023
“Bursting …”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Isaiah 55:10-13 (Psalm 65:9-13)
Obviously, when I sat down several
weeks ago to do my worship planning for the summer, I had absolutely no way of
knowing that this Sunday we would find ourselves in the midst of an uncharacteristically
prolonged period of awful weather. I believe that in the month of June we
experienced rain twenty-five out of the thirty days of the month. And the rain
has not relented here in the month of July.
A majority of the conversations that
I have had over the last month and a half have included complaints or comments
about this weather pattern.
“I cannot mow my lawn.”
“When I was finally able to mow, the
grass was two feet tall!”
“The weeds in my garden are seven
feet tall!”
“I feel like a prisoner in my home.”
“My dogs are going stir crazy!”
“All of my clothes are soaking wet!”
Full disclosure … those are all
statements that I have made over the last couple of weeks! But my guess is that
those comments sound familiar to many of you. Perhaps you have uttered them
yourselves.
But, as we know, this stretch of
weather has been more than a nuisance. It has been destructive. We have seen
what has happened to our neighbors in Vermont and New Hampshire. Streams and
rivers overflowing their banks and submerging entire communities. Friends and
family have suffered flooded basements. We have water damage right downstairs
in this building.
There may not be many here this
morning that are singing their praises to the blessing of water! This chapter
of Isaiah begins with these words: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.” We do not
need to come to the waters. The water came to us!
As
is often the case, a little context will help us understand what is happening
here.
The
Children of God were in exile in Babylon. Earlier in Isaiah, we hear that the
people were being condemned by the prophet because they had been offered the
restorative and sustaining waters … waters that offered strength and support …
but they refused the waters. They turned their backs. And because of that, the
people had lost their way, and then they lost their homeland. Their beautiful
orchards and vineyards had given way to thorns and thistles.
Here
at the end of Isaiah, we hear an invitation to participate in a new age. “Come
to the waters … all of you who are thirsty … come to the waters.” Could there
be anyone more “thirsty” than those who had been hauled away into exile
hundreds of miles from home?
Isaiah
55 begins with the instruction to leave the old ways behind. It is like John
the Baptist’s call to repentance. Turn away from the old ways. Turn away from
your preoccupation with things of this world, things that are not sacred or
holy, and turn toward God.
But
the chapter was not intended to shame or dun the People of God. Rather, it was
a celebration of the faithfulness of God.
The
rain and snow that fall to the ground cannot be reversed; they cannot be thrown
back to heaven. The rain and snow fall to the earth. That is what they do. That
is their nature. They fall to the ground and nourish the earth.
That
is the nature of God. The Word of God falls upon the earth. God’s vision, God’s
plan “falls” upon all people. And just like the rain, it nourishes and builds,
and strengthens. The Word of God cannot fail. The purposes of God will not be
thwarted by evil, doubt or despair.
Psalm
65 is a companion passage to this chapter of Isaiah; they are often read
together.
“You
care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and
bless its crops.
You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with
abundance.
The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with
grain;
they shout for joy and sing.” (Psalm 65:9-13)
In
the Psalm, God is described as the Cosmic Farmer that tends the fields and
vineyards. God is always working … preparing, nurturing, watering, and
harvesting. The cycle repeats year after year, season after season, generation
after generation.
In
that labor, God is patient. And in that role, God forgives.
God’s
grace, God’s forgiveness creates a new person. Those who fell away from God
will be re-created when they turn back toward God.
As
Isaiah is a celebration of God’s faithfulness, Psalm 65 is a song of joyful
praise! The People of God stand in the Presence of God in gratitude, awe and
joy!
The
“water” is the source of all life and abundance. It is an inexhaustible flow, a
never-ending blessing from God. God’s goodness falls from the heavens. God’s
goodness bursts forth from the ground. God’s goodness offers life and hope to
all people of the earth.
Our passage from Isaiah refers to
what many scholars call the “Second Exodus.” God’s people will once again be
delivered out of captivity. They will return home from exile and God will
provide for them. God will clear the thorns and briars from the vineyards and
the orchards. The thorns and thistles will be replaced by cypress and myrtle.
The land will be restored, and the forests will stand as a testimony to the
faithfulness and the power of God.
The
celebration will be great! Even the earth itself will break forth in song. The
trees will clap their hands!
Those ancient words still speak to us today.
Come to the waters, all who are thirsty …
All
who are lost …
All
who are lonely …
Come
to the waters, all who labor under a heavy burden …
Come.
God’s
life-giving, sustaining water is all around us. The Word of God will fill us,
renew us, and restore our souls.
Drink
deeply. Feel the doubt and despair slip away.
Drink
deeply and burst forth with joy and thanksgiving!
God
is here. God is always here. How can we keep from singing!
Amen.
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