jumping off the page

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
so that they might declare my praise.

Every once in a while there are words in the assigned readings that jump from the page with vigor and vitality and hit me in the heart.

Today in addition to regular worship, study and fellowship, our congregation at Christ the Redeemer will gather for an important congregational meeting. We are electing new members to the Vision Board (our governing council). We are voting on a proposal to purchase and install a new organ. We are going to talk about the transition process as our pastor of 30+ years retires and we enter an "interim" stage.

Oh sure, WE are going to DO many new things aren't we? And we won't all see things the same way...and we won't all have the same thoughts about how this or that process should unfold.

How appropriate it is to cling to the the prophetic words of today's lesson in Isaiah:

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?

The Lord our God is always up to something creative. Although there are times when we are invited to remember the amazing deliverance stories of the past, today we are told to look towards new things that God is doing in our midst.

It takes courage to gather together on the brink on the unknown and vote on issues that will guide our steps during the months and years ahead. It takes patience and humility to ponder alternatives, to express viewpoints, and then cast a vote this way or that, knowing that compared to what God is seeing, our vision may be distorted at best, and possibly even blind.

Well, I don't know any magical answers....however I do know that scripture is the Living Word of God. And I know (from the past) that God has moved me and nudged me through scripture... His truth steps forward and is branded upon my heart!

So there it is again, jumping off the page: I am about to do a new thing! That WILL happen in spite of us....whether we see it clearly or wonder (and wander) through issues as if we are in a fog. God is still at work...and His New Thing WILL spring forth.

There is steadfast hope in that promise...thanks be to God!