Day 1847 - A Light to Nations Trapped in Deepest Dark

A sermon shared with First Presbyterian Church, Dec. 31, 2017 in Spring City, TN

Note: The scripture url’s refer to the on-line NIV Bible Gateway version rather than the usual Oremus Bible Browser because the latter does not preserve the poetic structure of the texts.

Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Luke 2:22-40

Well here we are again with all our young people.  I am really sorry I missed you the last time because I've been a little on the under the weather the last several weeks.

Today, I’m doing my sermon a little differently.  I’m going to share the first part directly with you (though I hope everybody else listens also because this is only “part 1.”)  I'm going to read to you one of the Scriptures, Isaiah 61:10 through 62:3. Then I’ll finish with the NT reading for all of us (part 2). There is a method to doing it this way.

Depending on what grade you are in school, and how they teach English and writing, you may know that there are there are at least two different ways that we talk about things.  One of the ways that we talk about things is called prose.  The other is called poetry, or song.

I call prose talking in the cold hard facts. In the extreme case, it is like an instruction manual for putting together the piece of furniture. Well-written instructions leave little room for error or mistake. They may say step one: attach board marked “A” to board marked “B” using screws numbered 1 in the holes numbered 1,2,3 in Board B and A and so on.  You'll go through the instructions and when you're done you have a nice dresser or a bookshelf or something like that to paint and fill with things.  That's what prose does-  it gives you what I'll call the cold hard facts.  It is full of meaning and it is written to have a very clear and precise meaning that is difficult to misunderstand.

Poetry (and song) however is a different kind of writing. Poetry is written to the heart, while prose is written to the brain.

When I say something is written to the heart, this is what I mean.  The writer describes an event or a fact using the ideas of his or her imagination and experience. The writer has seen personally a particularly beautiful sunrise, for example, and when the writer describes a sunset he or she describes a very clear and personal experience that they have lived to conveys a symbolic meaning to the sunset.  Poetry captures not the cold facts but the emotion and feeling of the personal moment.  Songs are another form of poetry. I know you all have some favorite song that touches a special feeling you have. That feeling gives the song meaning. Songs are just another way of writing poems that use a special personal experience to communicate meaning.

When you read a poem or listen to a song you hear the words that the writer felt in his/her own heart used to describe the image of the writer’s eye.  But the words are spoken to your heart and when you hear the words you connect them to something in your own experience.  It might be the love that your parents have for you.  It might be the love you have for your parent or parents.  It might be anger or sadness or happiness that you feel when things you wish for comes true or not.  Your feelings may not even be exactly the same as the writer because things that happen in your life aren't exactly the same, or not even the same as a person sitting next to you because they have had different experiences and ideas.

Poetry and song are so powerful because they connect a real world experience of the writer to your own heart, experience and feelings so that you get a very special sense of what the song means in your heart.

Today I read some of Isaiah’s poetry that aims to communicate the praise, thanksgiving and rejoice because the Lord has promised salvation to Israel and Judah, a promise that God will not rest until it is fulfilled.

For the previous hundreds of years, the 10 northern tribes called Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin have languished in captivity and oppression by foreign nations. The Temple in Jerusalem has been destroyed, the land of Judah and Israel has been stripped by invaders of everything of value except its soil.  All the riches, the gold and silver in the temple and property of the people, all the priests and rich of society have been carried into captivity and the kings and family either killed or dragged along.

The only thing left behind is the poor who worked the land that is now burned and desolate, and a promise that the Lord will restore their fortunes.  Today we hear the poetry of Isaiah expressing the grief, joy and the hope in the promise of salvation of the Promised Land by the Lord for his people. Here is how it reads:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

            my whole being shall exalt in my God;

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

            he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

            and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots,

            and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

            to spring up before all the nations.

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,

            and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,

until her vindication shines out like the dawn,

            and her salvation like a burning torch.

The nations shall see your vindication,

            and all the kings your glory;

and you shall be called by a new name

            that the mouth of the Lord will give.

You shall be a crown of beauty and the hand of the Lord,

            and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”

There is a little more to share.  I try always to make a Christmas card because it carries the personal touch of poetry from the heart. I missed sharing it with you because I was sick.  So, I brought a few today to show you because they are important to this sermon about “A Light to Nations Trapped in Deepest Darkness.” My card has a related piece of prophetic poetry on it from the “minor” prophet Joel.

Because it snowed a little a week or so before Christmas, just enough stuck on the bannister of my porch that I was able to make a simple, small snowman for the cover.  You can see I gave it tiny stick arms, little eyes and a nose and a smiling face using part of a curled leaf stem and a hat made from a piece of leaf.

When you open it up inside you will see at the very top the verses that I’ve read to you before from Joel (2:26-28,32). Its poetry and about the coming day of the Lord:

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

            and praise the name of the Lord your God,

            who has dealt wondrously with you.

And my people shall never again be put to shame.

You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,

            and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.

And my people shall never again

            be put to shame.

Then afterward

            I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

            your old men shall dream dreams,

            and your young men shall see visions.

And everyone who calls

            on the name of the Lord shall be saved;

for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem

            there shall be those who escape,

            as the Lord has said,

and among the survivors shall be those

            whom the Lord calls.

The message of the poem is that you are our dreams. You are our future. You will eat in plenty and the Lord will pour out his spirit on all flesh. You shall prophesy, see visions and even if you are the lowliest of society, the Lord’s spirit will pour out upon you.

The meaning of the poetry is so important for Joel that he expresses his personal, heartfelt joy in poetry, even its closing that makes it so sure we understand from where comes his joy.

èThis is my (Henry’s) dream: Keep on dreaming.

Part 2: Simeon’s song

Now we turn to our New Testament reading Luke 2: 22–40.  The first and last part of this reading, if you're looking in the Pew Bible, is prose. The block of of opening prose describes the fulfillment of the promise that Isaiah has just talked about and has Joel just talked about and the setting of the song.  The block of prose tells us exactly where we are, it tells us exactly who is present, and it gives us a concrete setting in the middle of it we find these lines of poetry written.

The closing block of prose describes in detail the ominous consequences of this event that is praised in joyful song, and ends with prose by Anna, another prophet, that announced everything is in motion towards this fulfillment.

Read the passage.  The opening prose leaves no dobt, we have mother Mary and Joseph with the 7-day old infant Jesus in the Temple for consecration and dedication, and the presence of Simeon and a clear explanation of who (and why) he is here. A perfect example of good prose.  Then Simeon breaks out in song and we clearly feel and understand Simeon’s joy and fulfillment that he has for this child he holds in his arms.

 After Simeon’s song, he speaks in prose about how the mother is amazed.  Then, Simeon adds in prose the ominous warnings describing the consequence of the coming of this child Jesus. He will be destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel and a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed. Even mother Mary will find a sword will pierce her own soul - speaking of the death of Jesus. And then a block of prose from the prophet Anna concludes the passage that I will read in a moment.

Simeon’s song describes the joy of the prose describing his whole life's hopes, aspirations, and how his life shall end.  His song celebrates that our future has been sealed in salvation by this child Jesus. We may face hardships. We may not be blessed as Simeon to see the completion of the kingdom of heaven before we ourselves are called home, but our calling as Christians lies in the poetry of Isaiah and Luke, and especially the concluding prose verses 39 and 40 of the passage in Luke that I now read:

“When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord they left for Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.”

This prose speaks to us as a command, “That may your work grow with this congregation within this city and this denomination and country to show that the favor of God is upon you that you are the crown of beauty and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Through Jesus Christ we are empowered to walk in the world is Christ representatives until he comes again.”

If we can keep these ideas in our mind and the fact that everything depends on faith, love, and hope and that we treat each other, and pour out on each other our faith love and hope no matter who they are, as we do the same to those we choose to lead us as an elder or pastor or welcome as member, we will achieve the calling that God wills for us. We shall be called home. Amen.