Isaiah 2,1-5. 8. Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Isaiah 2,1-5        4319

8. Sn. n. Trinitatis 053 

Tiburtius, Martyr at Rome 286 

11. August 2019 

1. O Christ Jesus, our Good Shepherd; send forth Your holy angels to watch over us, so that we are spared and protected from the ravenous wolves of the wicked world and the devils, thus remaining safe and secure under Your Divine Providence.  Amen. (Matthew 7,15) 

2. »The Word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall go, and say: „Yea, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, so that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.“ For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for all peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, draw near, let us walk in the light of the Lord.«

3. As events last weekend reminded us, sometimes disputes and violence are tragically decided with weapons of warfare, be they swords or guns; neither the heartland of America in Dayton nor the independent Texans in El Paso can escape the hatred that sin often unleashes against our fellow man or woman. Mankind is sinful and our sinfulness at times is unleashed as violence, harm or the murder of other people. It is no surprise, then, that the sin recorded in Genesis that follows Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit is Cain murdering his brother Abel. King Solomon laments: »It is the same for everyone, for death takes the righteous and the wicked, the good and the evil-doer, the one who is religious and the one who neglects God« (Ecclesiastes 9,2). Solomon concludes that our life is a life of vanity (Ecclesiastes 1,2).

4. Mankind’s violence against his or her neighbor is often a complex puzzle that results in the wicked actions against them because they look different, speak differently or are from another country or culture. Divisive language, hateful speech, political rhetoric, prejudice, bigotry and hatred engulf our lives upon this Earth. Some walk too far in the darkness of sin and engage in violence against others; some walk even further to the very center of sinful darkness and take the life of others. The Apostle Paul tells us that: »Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places« (Ephesians 6,12). Paul reminds us that the real enemy is the Devil and his army of fallen angels. Jesus says: »The Devil was a murderer from the beginning and did not remain standing in the truth« (John 8,44). We can condemn hate speech, pass more restrictive laws and try to find the red flags in a troubled soul before they snap, but these things will only be partially effective, and they will never deliver what they promise: an end to senseless violence against people. This is not to the shift the blame, but to say that blame is never the solution (Cwirla 5. August 2019). We contend with sin, with darkness and powerful devilish foes; human laws are ineffective against such enemies, and at best can imperfectly curb violence but they can never end the violence. 

5. The Prophet Isaiah tells us there is a Beacon of Light on a mountain that shines forth in the darkness of sin and the Devil. Isaiah encourages us to climb this mountain, where God is, and walk in His path. Isaiah promises us that the Word of the Lord shall judge between the nations and shall decide disputes for all people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation. And I will add: people will not hurt or kill people anymore. 

6. Isaiah’s Beacon that he saw is the Messiah, whom we call Jesus Christ. Jesus leads mankind out of the darkness and into the light. In doing so, He suffered the worst violence man can show it to another man: He was rejected, beaten and crucified to death. Jesus took upon Himself the worst hatred a man can show, and in taking it upon Himself He conquers it. He bore our sin and forgave it. He felt our hatred and responded with love. He died and rose to life again in victory. 

7. Jesus doesn’t shield everyone from bullets; He doesn’t stop every murderous gunman. In His wisdom, He allows some to live but others to die. And this is why He forbade us the knowledge of evil, because we cannot comprehend why God would not physically protect everyone when they face peril and danger. Such wisdom He reserves for Himself and is not obligated to explain His actions to us who struggle with the unanswerable and painful question: why? 

8. Jesus does promise us that He is always with us and will never forsake us. He tells us this again and again and the pages of Holy Scripture. He sends His angels to minister to those who have suffered a grievous loss in El Paso, Dayton and anywhere else where  senseless violence impacts men and women. He promises that separation and death do not have the final word, for His word is final and His word is one that reunites those we have lost and resurrects those who have died. 

9. Until Christ returns to raise the dead, politicians, lawmakers and judges have their role in trying to curb violence and death. We also have a roll, and it is an important one: we pray. There will be those who scoff (AOC, Booker, Omar, Tlaib, etc.) at this and argue that praying doesn’t do anything. They are wrong. James the brother of our Lord exhorts us: »Is anyone among you suffering? Then pray, for the prayer of a righteous person is able to do much because it is effective« (James 5,13.16). We are righteous on account of Christ, and thus our prayers are effective for Christ hears us and answers us. We pray without ceasing (1. Thessalonians 5,17). It is our duty as Christians to pray and help our neighbor who suffers as we are able. 

10. Our Lord will return, and He will purge this world and us of sin and sin’s consequences. We shall dwell in His presence with all believers who have gone before us. »The people who walk in darkness have seen a Great Light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has the Light shone« (Isaiah 9,2). This Light is Jesus, and He will restore us to life and prosperity.  Amen. 

11. Let us pray. O Lord, who is kind and faithful; shine Your light upon us, so that we see the great work that Jesus does for us who often live in the shadow of darkness.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Giertz, Bo. Preaching from the Whole Bible. Copyright © 1967 Lutheran Legacy Publishing. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand.