New Beginnings
Text: Isaiah 60:1-6
There are some wonderful coincidences in the suggested scripture readings that come around this time of year. I’ve had to get used to the website posting the readings every week automatically, that way if you really want to look ahead to see what today’s readings are, you can. The reading from Isaiah is often on the first Sunday of the New Year.
“Arise, Shine, for your light has come.”
I preached on the same text last year, as part of the message as we begin Epiphany… but there’s also something a bit funny beginning the New Year with Isaiah’s words.
So let me paint a mental picture for you: it is the day after New Year’s 2007. The festivities are now over. The champagne is still drying in the carpet. The horns that made enough noise to take the dead now rest in thankful silence. The confetti that once decorated peoples’ hair lies peacefully on the floor, waiting to be tracked about the house for the next three months. The home is as still as the seventh day of creation, and if anyone dares to make a noise… well… it wouldn’t be pretty. It is into this that we hear the first words of scripture for the New Year:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come!”
Not exactly something one wants to hear after partying too hard New Year's eve. Yet believe it or not, Isaiah’s words were addressed to people who were experience a kind of hangover.
New Year’s parties are often extravagant affairs, with lots of preparation. It grows and grows until it is topped off in a final unison countdown, followed by great celebration. This year, if you believe the hype, has been that writ large. Yet like any other year, the night drags on and the party winds down. People go home, go to sleep, and by the time the sun rises the next day, the energy and excitement that went into the preparation is spent. Much of the resolutions that were made the night before are well on their way to being forgotten. Whether we are part of these parties or not, I think all of us wake up on New Year’s Day hyper-aware of the dawning year that lies ahead. It’s especially true now that the yearly odometer has clocked over to 2007. The reality of the New Year can’t be excused as a hangover. It’s the time of year when all of us look into the face of the unknown. Now that we’re standing on the other side of it, and I imagine many of us are thinking, “great! Now what?”
“Arise, shine, for your light has come!”
Time for a bit of time travel:
For more than eighty years, the best and brightest that Israel had to offer were forced into exile. Almost six hundred years before the birth of Christ, Babylon’s armies ravaged the land, destroying Jerusalem and its Temple. It seemed as if all of God’s promises of a kingdom that would last forever had fallen apart. Many believed that God was powerless to stop the Babylonians and had abandoned them. Many abandoned God, and turned to the faith and traditions of their captors. Yet during that time there were those who spoke of restoration, encouraging the exiled Israelites to remain faithful to God. They proclaimed that their exile would end, and that some day they would be able to come home. Israel would be restored, and all would be well once again. Sure enough, the voice of the prophet was right. Cyrus the Persian defeated Babylon, and let the people of Israel return home. They had been anticipating going home for so long, the celebration must have been something to see. A new age was upon them… a new millennium if you could call it that… Almost a thousand years before, the Israelites left Egypt for the Promised Land… Now they were leaving Babylon and returning home!
Yet when they returned to Israel, they found their cities and towns in shambles. The huge expectation of coming home was spoiled by stark reality. Instead of a land of milk and honey, all they found was bitter honey and ill-tempered goats. This was a big let down. All of their parties, all of their hopes and dreams seemed to drift away when they returned to the ruins of their once-proud past. Not even the best hangover cures could cure the headache that the Israelites faced. They must have been asking, “Is God still there?” Many claimed they were better off in Babylon, and were quite prepared to return. Many preferred the parties before the return than the return itself.
Standing in the ashes, is when they heard the words of the prophet:
“Arise, Shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!”
“You have been restored!” the voice cries in answer, “God’s promises are fulfilled! You are home! So what if it is a little messy and run down! You can rebuild!”
The prophet was right, the promise was fulfilled and they were home. However, it was going to take a little more than a few parties to get thing back together. God did not give the people of Israel their nation back on a silver platter. It would take time and some hard work to rebuild their once-proud nation. God was still with them, and the promise of hope would not only be realized when Israel rebuilt their nation, but would also be fulfilled in Christ… the one who would open up to the world the revelation of God’s love.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come!”
Yet in this New Year, the party is spent, and we are standing out in the cold. Like the Israelites, we stand on the edge of a broken Promised Land, wondering what is going to happen this year and in the years to come. What joys or sorrows are in store for us? This is reality and part of being human. This is part of waking upon the first day of the New Year and staring at four new digits, wondering what significance they really hold. Parties don’t last forever, and now that the event is behind us, what do we do now? Now that we’ve crossed that psychological barrier, where do we go? But that’s the hard part, isn’t it? Even with the good news sitting in front of us, we still want to pull the covers back over our heads and go back to sleep. “Now is not a good time,” we say, “Maybe next year.”
Isaiah’s words speak volumes to us, if we only listen.
The party may be over, but that means it’s time to go to work, to build. This is good news! “Arise, shine, for your light has come!” We are called to see cities where only ruins lie; we are called to see milk and honey where goats kick and bees sting. We are called to rise up out of hopelessness and approach the future with confidence. Look at it this way, over the past two thousand years, Empires have risen and fallen, leaders and ideas have come and gone. Yet in and through all of it, God has been there. Somehow through the politics and the power plays that the church has come through, God has been there in spite of ourselves. Through reformation and revolution, in spite of crusade and inquisition, somehow, somewhere the good news of Jesus Christ is proclaimed. The good news of Jesus Christ will continue to live, grow, and thrive… perhaps in some very new ways.
This way, we can face the future with hope. Because of Emmanuel, God with us, we have a sense of optimism. No matter how cold, dark, depressed, lonely, fearful, or anxious we might be, God is present with us. This light, the light who walks beside us, the light that cries with us, the light that bears our fears and anxieties with us, is also the light that died for us. This is the light that showed us that not even death itself could restrain God’s love for us. This is the light that brings us hope, when all we can see is a barren land.
Arise, shine, for your light has come… Happy New Year!
Amen.
There are some wonderful coincidences in the suggested scripture readings that come around this time of year. I’ve had to get used to the website posting the readings every week automatically, that way if you really want to look ahead to see what today’s readings are, you can. The reading from Isaiah is often on the first Sunday of the New Year.
“Arise, Shine, for your light has come.”
I preached on the same text last year, as part of the message as we begin Epiphany… but there’s also something a bit funny beginning the New Year with Isaiah’s words.
So let me paint a mental picture for you: it is the day after New Year’s 2007. The festivities are now over. The champagne is still drying in the carpet. The horns that made enough noise to take the dead now rest in thankful silence. The confetti that once decorated peoples’ hair lies peacefully on the floor, waiting to be tracked about the house for the next three months. The home is as still as the seventh day of creation, and if anyone dares to make a noise… well… it wouldn’t be pretty. It is into this that we hear the first words of scripture for the New Year:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come!”
Not exactly something one wants to hear after partying too hard New Year's eve. Yet believe it or not, Isaiah’s words were addressed to people who were experience a kind of hangover.
New Year’s parties are often extravagant affairs, with lots of preparation. It grows and grows until it is topped off in a final unison countdown, followed by great celebration. This year, if you believe the hype, has been that writ large. Yet like any other year, the night drags on and the party winds down. People go home, go to sleep, and by the time the sun rises the next day, the energy and excitement that went into the preparation is spent. Much of the resolutions that were made the night before are well on their way to being forgotten. Whether we are part of these parties or not, I think all of us wake up on New Year’s Day hyper-aware of the dawning year that lies ahead. It’s especially true now that the yearly odometer has clocked over to 2007. The reality of the New Year can’t be excused as a hangover. It’s the time of year when all of us look into the face of the unknown. Now that we’re standing on the other side of it, and I imagine many of us are thinking, “great! Now what?”
“Arise, shine, for your light has come!”
Time for a bit of time travel:
For more than eighty years, the best and brightest that Israel had to offer were forced into exile. Almost six hundred years before the birth of Christ, Babylon’s armies ravaged the land, destroying Jerusalem and its Temple. It seemed as if all of God’s promises of a kingdom that would last forever had fallen apart. Many believed that God was powerless to stop the Babylonians and had abandoned them. Many abandoned God, and turned to the faith and traditions of their captors. Yet during that time there were those who spoke of restoration, encouraging the exiled Israelites to remain faithful to God. They proclaimed that their exile would end, and that some day they would be able to come home. Israel would be restored, and all would be well once again. Sure enough, the voice of the prophet was right. Cyrus the Persian defeated Babylon, and let the people of Israel return home. They had been anticipating going home for so long, the celebration must have been something to see. A new age was upon them… a new millennium if you could call it that… Almost a thousand years before, the Israelites left Egypt for the Promised Land… Now they were leaving Babylon and returning home!
Yet when they returned to Israel, they found their cities and towns in shambles. The huge expectation of coming home was spoiled by stark reality. Instead of a land of milk and honey, all they found was bitter honey and ill-tempered goats. This was a big let down. All of their parties, all of their hopes and dreams seemed to drift away when they returned to the ruins of their once-proud past. Not even the best hangover cures could cure the headache that the Israelites faced. They must have been asking, “Is God still there?” Many claimed they were better off in Babylon, and were quite prepared to return. Many preferred the parties before the return than the return itself.
Standing in the ashes, is when they heard the words of the prophet:
“Arise, Shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!”
“You have been restored!” the voice cries in answer, “God’s promises are fulfilled! You are home! So what if it is a little messy and run down! You can rebuild!”
The prophet was right, the promise was fulfilled and they were home. However, it was going to take a little more than a few parties to get thing back together. God did not give the people of Israel their nation back on a silver platter. It would take time and some hard work to rebuild their once-proud nation. God was still with them, and the promise of hope would not only be realized when Israel rebuilt their nation, but would also be fulfilled in Christ… the one who would open up to the world the revelation of God’s love.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come!”
Yet in this New Year, the party is spent, and we are standing out in the cold. Like the Israelites, we stand on the edge of a broken Promised Land, wondering what is going to happen this year and in the years to come. What joys or sorrows are in store for us? This is reality and part of being human. This is part of waking upon the first day of the New Year and staring at four new digits, wondering what significance they really hold. Parties don’t last forever, and now that the event is behind us, what do we do now? Now that we’ve crossed that psychological barrier, where do we go? But that’s the hard part, isn’t it? Even with the good news sitting in front of us, we still want to pull the covers back over our heads and go back to sleep. “Now is not a good time,” we say, “Maybe next year.”
Isaiah’s words speak volumes to us, if we only listen.
The party may be over, but that means it’s time to go to work, to build. This is good news! “Arise, shine, for your light has come!” We are called to see cities where only ruins lie; we are called to see milk and honey where goats kick and bees sting. We are called to rise up out of hopelessness and approach the future with confidence. Look at it this way, over the past two thousand years, Empires have risen and fallen, leaders and ideas have come and gone. Yet in and through all of it, God has been there. Somehow through the politics and the power plays that the church has come through, God has been there in spite of ourselves. Through reformation and revolution, in spite of crusade and inquisition, somehow, somewhere the good news of Jesus Christ is proclaimed. The good news of Jesus Christ will continue to live, grow, and thrive… perhaps in some very new ways.
This way, we can face the future with hope. Because of Emmanuel, God with us, we have a sense of optimism. No matter how cold, dark, depressed, lonely, fearful, or anxious we might be, God is present with us. This light, the light who walks beside us, the light that cries with us, the light that bears our fears and anxieties with us, is also the light that died for us. This is the light that showed us that not even death itself could restrain God’s love for us. This is the light that brings us hope, when all we can see is a barren land.
Arise, shine, for your light has come… Happy New Year!
Amen.
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