Becoming God’s Servant People

Isaiah 42: 1-9
Roger C. Lynn
October 25, 2015
(there is no audio for this sermon)

Very early in the history of the movement which would eventually become Christianity, people saw in the writings of the prophet Isaiah a description of Jesus. Reading Matthew’s Gospel, for example, you can almost imagine the author sitting at his writing table with pen and parchment in front of him and a copy of Isaiah open beside him. And it is easy to see why this would have happened. There are so many powerful passages in Isaiah which seem to describe the essence of what people experienced in Jesus. Why wouldn’t you use such words? I know that in my own preaching down through the years, if I find a piece of writing that says what I am trying to say, and says it more eloquently than I could manage on my own, I do not hesitate to make use of those words (giving credit where credit is due, of course).

The problem comes, however, when we begin to understand passages such as those found in Isaiah exclusively in terms of descriptions of Jesus. When we see them only as a description of someone else, then we have allowed much of their power to be drained away. The Gospels make it clear that Jesus never wanted the attention to remain focused on himself. He consistently pointed beyond himself to God, and to the relationship with God to which all of us are called. To “follow” Jesus means to walk the path which Jesus walked – to live into the faith which Jesus sought to live. It is no accident that from the earliest days one of the primary ways in which the Church is described is “The Body of Christ.” This is precisely what Isaiah had in mind. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1) In spite of the singular language of the passage, the servant envisioned in Isaiah is not a single individual – it is every individual. It is the people of God. It is all of us.

At the time when Isaiah 42 was being written the people of Israel had been beat up, put down, torn apart, cast aside. They had been walked on and walked over countless times by countless foreign powers. They were living in exile, subject to the rule of another nation. Isaiah was envisioning the time when they would be returning home, and he was preparing them for that eventuality by challenging them to think beyond “business as usual.” Theologian Walter Wink has written about the two options which our culture usually presents – we can be a doormat for others to walk on, or we can be the ones who do the walking. Wink suggests that the challenge for people of faith has always been to find “the third way.” That is the challenge which Isaiah offers to the people of Israel (and through them to us). Listen to some of the phrases he uses to describe this “servant of God.” They will “bring forth justice to the nations” (please note that this is distributive justice - making sure that everyone’s needs are met - rather than retributive justice - making sure that someone gets punished.) Such distributive justice would, by definition, include even those who had been oppressing them. “He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.” The footnote in my Bible says of this passage, “Israel is equipped for and given the task assigned to the ideal king. However, unlike that ideal king, the servant neither strikes the earth nor kills the wicked with his royal command; his voice is not even heard. He brings forth justice in a different way.” Later in the passage, Isaiah speaks on behalf of God when he writes, “I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations...”

Yes, Isaiah is saying, you will be going home. Your suffering will not last forever. Life will get better. There is a future for you. And in order for that future to be rich and full and vibrant it must be something other than simply “same song - next verse.” God is calling you to a new reality, a new kind of future altogether. God is calling you to be servants who seek to heal the world.

Of course the Church saw such writing as a description of Jesus. That is exactly what Jesus’ life was about. And like Isaiah, Jesus sought to fulfill that vision by enlisting all of us into the challenge of bringing this new reality into being with our living. That is what it means to be a follower of Jesus. That is what it means to be a person of faith. Each of us – all of us – are called to bring forth justice in the world. Not through force. Not through violence. Not through “more of the same.” But through service – by putting our lives on the line in big and small ways, with the confidence that God is with us and God will use us to make a difference in the world.

I am continually inspired by those who offer the courageous example of their living as they seek to embody a “third way.” Several years ago I heard an interview on NPR with Daoud Sultanzoy. Mr. Sultanzoy was a member of the Afghan Parliament. He was also a pilot, employed by an airline company in the United States, spending part of his time here and part of his time in Afghanistan. He had the resources and the opportunity to stay out of harms way. And yet, he chose to return to Afghanistan and run for office after discovering that one of the men who commandeered one of the planes on September 11th had been his student. He realized that he could serve as a bridge between the two world – that he could do something to make a difference. Two months prior to the NPR interview a delegation which he had been scheduled to be a part of was attacked and killed. He only survived because an illness had kept him at home. And still, even after that, he continued to go back. He continued to stand in the brink. When asked why he does this, in the face of what appears to be a deteriorating situation, he responded by saying, “Democracy is a journey. People have to be courageous enough to take part. Fear cannot be an option.” I submit to you that the same can be said of faith.

So, what does this look like – this business of faithfully and courageously living a life of service? I don’t really know for sure. Or maybe I do know, but am afraid to admit it. I believe that this kind of radical overhaul of the way the world works will not, cannot, be comfortable. Most of us who live in this country, in this community, with our cars and our cellphones and our health care, cannot even begin to imagine how difficult life is for vast numbers of people around the world. Anything even close to true “justice” will not be possible without a serious shakeup of pretty much everything associated with the current order of things. It doesn’t mean we have to become martyrs, but “business as usual” will not get the job done. And, quite frankly, that scares me. On the one hand I absolutely believe that God is with us, and faith will see us through. And on the other hand I am unnerved just by thinking about where it might take us if we started to let the vision of Isaiah 42 even partially guide our living. Isaiah knew that this vision would not be easy to realize. Indeed, it was nothing short of outlandish. Jesus knew that the life he sought to live, the life he called us to live, was not easy. Indeed, it eventually got him killed. Those of us who seek to be people of faith, who seek to follow where God would lead us, know that it will not be easy. And when we let ourselves even contemplate taking that seriously it can be truly frightening. The only reason we keep coming back to it, striving to find the courage to take even the next small step on the journey, is because somewhere in the depth of our souls we know that it is the life to which God is calling us. And the good news is that God does not call us to such a life by ourselves and on our own. We are called to this life as a community of faith, with God at the center. And where God calls us we will also discover God’s gifts of guidance and courage and strength and support. There will even be surprises and gifts we cannot yet imagine. I know that this congregation already has a tradition of living like this. It is part of why I am so excited to be with you. In the coming days, weeks, months, and years ahead I invite you to join me in daring to imagine how we might become ever more fully God’s servant people. May we continue to be faithful in our response to God’s call.