Isaiah 65,17-19.23-25. Eternity Sunday

 Isaiah 65,17-19.23-25          5921 

Ewigkeitssonntag 27. Trinitatis 073

Chrysogonus, Martyr 303

21. November 2021

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, make us watchful and heedful in awaiting the advent of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, so that when He stands at the door and knocks, He may find us not sleeping in carelessness and sin, but awake and rejoicing in His appearance.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich) 

2. »Yahweh says: „For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered or enter into mind.“«

3. After Adam and Eve had sinned, one part of their punishment was banishment from the paradise of Eden. The tree of life was denied to them. All of us, their descendants, live with these consequences. 

4. But Yahweh gave them a promise: there would be born from Eve a son who would reverse all the tribulations and the curses that resulted from their sin. That son was Jesus, and Luke emphasizes it by tracing Jesus’ lineage all the way back to Adam.

5. As Yahweh unfolded this Heilsgeschichte (salvation history) down through the ages, He promised Abraham that His descendants would dwell in the land of Canaan. It would be the Promised Land akin to Eden. Yahweh fulfilled His promise to Moses and Joshua. Moses told the people that Yahweh would send them a great prophet, and He did with Jesus. When Jesus asked the apostles who people thought He was, the unanimous answer was: they think You are like one of the prophets from of old. In this the people were correct, but it was not the complete answer. The apostles provided the complete answer: Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16,13-16). 

6. When Jesus began His public ministry, He quoted Prophet Isaiah: »The Spirit of Yahweh God is upon Me, because Yahweh has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; so that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that He may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh; my soul shall exult 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 like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so Yahweh God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations« (Isaiah 61,1-4.10-11). Yahweh spoke many things to Isaiah, including: »For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of Yahweh will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of Yahweh, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God« (Isaiah 62,1-3). »Yahweh says: „For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered or enter into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; no more will be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. They will not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they will be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will graze together; the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain.“« (Isaiah 65,17-19.23-25). 

7. The Last Sunday in the Church Year is called Eternity Sunday, and Yahweh is  speaking about Eternity in Isaiah 65. Jesus fulfilled this promise of eternity by His crucifixion and resurrection, and on the last day He will return to bring eternity to its completion. On this day humanity enters into a new era, an era Yahweh had planned to occur all those millennia ago in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Yahweh is patient and will bring about the new heavens and the new earth in the fulness of time. He will remove His curse upon the earth. He will resurrect our bodies. Sin will be gone. Illness will not exist. Pandemics will never occur again. No one will die. We will dwell with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for eternity. Angels and archangels will be there too. All the company of heaven will be there. All believers since the days of Adam and Eve will be there. And the celebration will begin with a marvelous feast. The holiday is Thanksgiving foreshadows some of the joy and greatness that Isaiah tells us about in his 65. Chapter.  

8. But before the last day there is the exhortation from the parable of the virgins: Watch! We do not know when Eternity will happen. Be vigilant and faithful. Trust in Christ and rely upon Him for comfort, forgiveness and salvation. He is returning. His advent is on the horizon. Be ready and watch!  

9. For when Christ returns we shall rise from our gloom. Jesus shall approach in full Divine glory. His grace and mercy will be on full display as His Light shines upon our face (LSB 516,2). Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22,20).  This is most certainly true. 

10. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippines 4,7).  Amen. 

11. Let us pray. O Lord, the path of life leads to You; shine upon us the Light of Your Truth, so that we see the joy of Your mercy and salvation that is approaching.  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 © 2019 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2020 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands.