What Does It Mean To Be The People of God?

Isaiah 49:1-12
What does it mean to be the people of God? For one thing, it means bearing the news of God’s salvation to the world. As the prophet Isaiah tells us, “Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I have answered you, on a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves’” (Isaiah 49:8-9a). As an aspect of their own salvation, God has given God’s people as a covenant, a sign of God’s abiding presence to all the nations, but more specifically to those who suffer or are oppressed. What an amazing message we carry when we speak of God’s grace. To those who have been disenfranchised we grant a share of the kingdom and restore fairness to the means of self-fulfillment. To those in prison we offer a way out. We encourage those who have remained hidden, who cower under cover of night, to step forward without fear. We do not clutch at God’s blessings as though they were ours alone, we do not turn inward at the exclusion of others. We recognize that the circle of God’s grace moves ever outward encircling all whom God includes.

God has long used God’s people as a blessing to others. Noah and his family were set aside by God as a means of grace for generations to come, reestablishing God’s relationship with humanity. Abraham and Sarah were likewise called to be a source of goodness to the nations. Like our reading from Isaiah today, the message of the prophets can often be summed up as an exhortation to care for the alien and the outcast in our midst. And with the words of the great commission Jesus Christ, too, sends all who would be disciples into the world to meet needs and lift spirits.

There is a poignancy to Isaiah’s words. As a parent I can think of a number of times when I’ve encouraged my children to set aside their fears and to step forward, to trust me to love them and to take care of them. God wants that message conveyed to all people. God wants all nations, all races, all cultures to trust in the divine will, to accept the good news of salvation, and then to care for one another with open hearts and open hands. To be God’s people, then, is not to end a journey, it is to be reoriented along a new path that carries us well beyond ourselves, to a world that God loves and to people for whom God cares deeply.

Prayer: Lord God, in love and grace you have called your people to care for one another and to reach far into the world with your good news. May we find the strength and courage to serve you in all we do, for it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.

On Getting Even

Matthew 7:1-12

Jesus said, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Simple. Straight forward. To the point. Act towards others the way you would like them to act towards you. The problem is that too often we turn Jesus’ words completely around. Too often we prefer to “do to others as they have already done to us.”

Notice how Jesus made no allowances for past actions? Jesus does not promises us the opportunity to “get even.” Indeed, Jesus’ words at the beginning of the passage are just as clear. “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged” (v. 1). Why is this so difficult? Why do we work so hard to get around it? Judgment belongs to God, and we are called to live by a higher standard regardless of how we have been treated. Even if the other person started it, even if the other person doesn’t follow the same rules, even if we don’t like it. “This is the law and the prophets,” Jesus tells us. This isn’t new it’s what God has been saying all along.

Is it realistic to treat others better than they treat us? Maybe not in human terms. But if we intend to live as disciples of Jesus Christ we had better take these words seriously and had better pay attention to what we are doing. Jesus is pretty clear.

Prayer: Lord, sometimes it is so difficult to live according to your word. Give us the strength to hear and to follow you in faithful obedience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.