Called to Serve—Lectionary Reflection for Epiphany 2A (Isaiah 49)
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| Mike Moyers, "Shine" |
Isaiah 49:1-7 New Revised Standard Version Updated
Edition
49 Listen to me, O coastlands;
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born;
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord
and my reward with my God.”5 And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6 he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”7 Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
“Kings shall see and stand up;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
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Epiphany
is a season that emphasizes the revealing of the one who brings light into the
world. The feast of Epiphany (January 6th) brings to mind the magi
who follow a star to the home of Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12). This past Sunday we
celebrated the Baptism of Jesus at the hands of John the Baptist, in the course
of his baptism the Spirit descends upon him and a voice from heaven claims him
as God’s son, the beloved, with whom God is pleased (Matt. 3:13-17). The Gospel
reading for this coming Sunday takes us to John’s Gospel. John doesn’t picture
John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. Instead, John points to Jesus, revealing to
those listening to him that Jesus is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the World” and that he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Then
the narrator tells us that Jesus called his first disciples from among John’s
followers (John 1:29-42). It is the word concerning the call of Andrew and
Simon (Peter) in this reading that links it with the reading from Isaiah 49,
which also involves a call to ministry.
Here in
Isaiah 49 the prophet most scholars call Second Isaiah reflects on his own
calling to be a servant of God that brings light to the nations. While we can
read this passage in light of Jesus’ calling, it is always important that we
hear Old Testament passages in their context.
The prophet speaks to the Coastlands and those people living far away. He tells
his audience that God had called him to this ministry before he was born, while
he was still in his mother’s womb. Jeremiah offers a similar view of his
calling, as he revealed his own commission he wrote concerning the word of God
to him, that before God formed him in the womb “I knew you, and before you were
born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations (Jer. 1:4-5).
The message we hear from both Second Isaiah and Jeremiah is that there never was
a time when they did not possess a calling to proclaim the word of God to the
people. Something similar, of course, is declared of Jesus in both the infancy
narratives of Matthew and Luke.
I’ve not heard many of my ministry colleagues suggest that their calling to ministry, their call to service, came to them before their birth. To say that would seem to suggest that they had no other option. While that may not be true, could it be that there might be a guiding hand laid upon our lives, leading us to accept such a calling? That’s a dangerous question unless we embrace a certain form of predestination (something I don’t embrace). Nevertheless, if we look back at our lives, might we see certain markers that prepared us for certain forms of ministry? Sometimes I wonder about that. Even though I didn’t envision myself being a pastor or priest (I was born Episcopalian) early on in life, certain pieces to the puzzle helped prepare me for this calling. For example, I began serving as an acolyte at the age of nine, serving at the altar, at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. Now I was one of only two children in the church of an age who could do this, but could this be a step toward my becoming what I ultimately became? Later on, I was asked to serve as a lay reader at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Fr. Green decided that since I read the liturgy with enough volume, I might as well lead it. Was this a sign of a call or just a recognition that I can talk loudly?
While I understand the prophet to be speaking of his own call here, much like
Jeremiah spoke of his own call, it’s clear that he also has in mind the people
of Israel (that is, the remnant of Israel known as the nation of Judah). The
people who heard this word lived in exile in Babylon. They were wondering about
their future. All they knew was that their nation’s capital city lay in ruins, and
the Davidic monarchy that had governed and defined their national identity was
effectively gone. Not only that, but the Temple of God that Solomon built,
where the people gathered to offer sacrifices to God, was destroyed as well.
The loss of the Temple may have had a greater impact on them than the loss of
the monarchy since the Temple had served as the center of their spiritual life.
So, who would they be if and when they returned home? What would be their
calling?
The
prophet answers the question regarding their identity as the people of Israel
living in exile. He told the people: “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will
be glorified” (Is. 49:3). When it comes to glory, we’re talking about light. A
bit later in this passage, the prophet says to a people living in exile: “It is
too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the
nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Is. 49:6). What
Isaiah tells the exiles is that it’s not enough for them to return home. God
had placed a claim on them as a people. It’s rooted in the covenant God had
made with their ancestors. No, it’s not enough for God to rescue Israel from
exile. God has a job for Israel to fulfill, and that job is to be a light to
the nations so that God’s salvation, God’s act of redemption would reach the
ends of the earth. This word was given by the Redeemer of Israel “to one deeply
despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers.” Ultimately, though
rejected by many, in the end, kings and princes will prostrate themselves
before them because the Lord (Yahweh) is faithful.
In
seeking to define Jesus’ ministry, from the New Testament onwards, Jesus has
been pictured taking on the mantle of the servant of God. More specifically,
drawing from Isaiah, Jesus has been understood to embody the image of Isaiah’s
Suffering Servant. While the prophet may have had himself and Israel in mind
when sharing this word from God, Christians have interpreted Jesus’ calling and
ministry through the lens of passages of scripture such as this. Therefore, the
crucified one is understood to be the one despised by the nations and rejected
by humans. Yes, before he was born, the call had been given. He would be the
one in whom God would ultimately be glorified. Like Israel, Jesus received his
call to bring light to the nations, a calling passed on to his followers, who
continue to take the light to the ends of the earth. As Jesus fulfilled this
calling, bringing light to the nations, he also brought salvation to the world
though it included suffering on behalf of the world. That calling is passed on
to the disciples (and all followers of Jesus) on the day of his Ascension (the
day of his departure). The word he left with his followers is that once the
Holy Spirit comes upon them, they would be his “witnesses in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:1-8).
During
the season of Epiphany (also known as Ordinary Time) we speak of ways in which
God’s light shines into the world, bringing enlightenment and revelation of
God’s purposes to the world. It is a season when we highlight the message of
salvation in Christ. The messages we hear suggest that while we may experience
exile or darkness, there is hope that something new will emerge. Light does
shine in the darkness. The light is extending to the ends of the earth. As for
us, we are called to take up this ministry that brings light to the world.
Having experienced God’s light that comes to us in and through Jesus, we can embrace
the message revealed in a children’s song many of us learned as children: “This
little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, I’m gonna let it shine, I’m gonna
let it shine.”
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