Community Church Sermons
November 18, 2007
Pentecost 25
Dr.
R. Tim Meadows
Isaiah
65:17-25
Listen to this Sermon!
Have you ever lived in anticipation of a big day
in your life? I know I have! I remember the graduations; high school, college,
masters, and finally the Ph.D. I
remember the day of my wedding, the first day of my first adult, post college
job, my first visit to Tellico Village. Life is filled with all kinds of days
that we anticipate.
That place of anticipation is where we find the
prophet Isaiah in our biblical readings today. He is anticipating a time when
the people of God will no longer live in exile. He is anticipating a time when
the people of God will no longer live in alienation from God and from each
other. He is anticipating a day of triumph when the people of God will once
again embrace life as a gift worth living to the fullest extent.
Among those listening to the prophet there are
no doubt those whose response to Isaiah was Yeah! Right! That Will Be The Day!
Critics who despite their past with God, and the promises of God, view with
disdain any belief that life will ever be any different than the difficult days
they have known.
I can just imagine the prophet standing in the
midst of these nay - sayers and proclaiming “You know what? You are right. That
will be the day, and the coming of that day depends on you!”
That day will come when your incessant talk of
the “good ole days” vanishes. Since your journey out of Egypt, you have
remembered fondly a past that never was and never will be. The day you let go
of the past and reach out to God’s promised future - - - - That Will Be The
Day!
When you recognize that the hope of God trumps
the hopelessness of your present circumstances, and you seek to live in the
reality of that hope - - - - That Will Be The Day!
When you seek the joy and happiness that comes
from loving God and loving others, and you put aside distrust, jealousy, envy,
and unnecessary competition - - - - That Will Be The Day!
When you understand that life is worth living
and you seek to fill as many years as you can with meaning and purpose - - - -
That Will Be The Day!
When you understand that conflict is never a
permanent solution, but inevitably leads to further conflict, and you find a
way to peace - - - - That Will Be The Day!
When I think about those days of anticipation
that I mentioned earlier, I realize that I am not much different than the
prophet’s critics. As I approached each one of those days and others like them,
I was often filled with fear and anxiety. I was often tempted to cling to the
“good ole days” that I knew rather than face the future. I was often paralyzed
by hopelessness, distrust, jealousy, envy, and unnecessary completion. I almost
missed every one of the great days of my life, because of me.
This is the message of the prophet Isaiah to the
Hebrew people and to us. The Lord has prepared to give us all that is good from
the fullness of God’s creation, but we may miss it because of us. We may miss
God’s goodness because within us there is that critic’s voice that says: “Yeah!
Right! That Will Be The Day!”
May God grant us the strength to let go of our
past for God’s future! May God grant us the hope we need to overcome our
hopelessness! May God grant us healing
for the things that divide us and bring conflict! May God grant us courage for
the living of our days! May God help us to sing with the Psalmist “This is the
day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!” May that day
come sooner rather than later! AMEN!