Open-ended,
Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of Heb.Bible
Eucharistic Readings from the Australian Prayer Book.
ISAIAH 55:1- 9... 3rd S. in Lent...Year C...
(For LK 13: 31-35, scroll on site)
NOTES: 1]Read
the Hebrew Bible in the light
of our understanding of God in the Person of Jesus.2] Not the original IS, but
another great Prophet [Eugene Peterson calls him, 'Isaiah of
the Exile'] wrote Ch.40-55 to encourage the Hebrew deportees in the mid
500's BC. 3] We're dealing
with poetry here. 4] vv.6-9
are right up there with the greatest-ever understandings of God &
us! WARMING UP: What kinds of
things make up the bulk of our shopping lists?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
1-3 What do we really thirst for? How big
is our 'thirst' list, & what's on top of it? Is that realistic? In
whose eyes?
Given many of the deportees were 'doing it tough'
does what IS says here relate simply to physical thirst, or to some
deeper thirst? What might that have been? Is there a reason
why IS might begin with 'thirst' things, & move to 'hunger' things
next? What on earth could / can anyone buy 'without
money..without price'? What is
IS trying to tell us?
What are we spending our
money on that's not 'bread', & working for that 'doesn't satisfy'?
How do we really 'incline our ear', i.e. tune in to, a Prophet? If, as
IS says, we need to do that to live, should we be inclining our ear to
Jesus now, & giving the Prophets a miss? Or do they still have an
important role to play in our spiritual growth? Are we even educated
enough about them for them to be able to do that for us? Are we
conscious of being a covenant people? Does the covenant God makes with
David flow on to us, or is that really only for Jewish people? Is it
our experience that God's love is 'steadfast & sure'?
4-5 Does
David's responsibility for 'witness, leadership, commanding,
calling the nations', flow on to us in any sense? What about through
our commitment to Jesus who is 'of David's line'? If it does still
apply, might this mean our
Christian responsibility can be traced back further than we thought?
Does the 'glory' flow on too?
6-9 Is
it part of our spirituality (our approach to God) to assume God can
always be found, is always
near, compared with what God says through IS here? Does Jesus' teaching
about this supercede IS's insight of so long ago? Is it important to us
that 'the wicked (incl. us?) forsake their way', `the unrighteous
(incl. us?) their thoughts', & that we have 'returned to the Lord'? If
it is important, what are we doing about it? Are mercy & pardon
only for those who have forsaken & returned (as above), does
experiencing them lead us to turn, or doesn't that kind of thing matter
since Jesus?
In today's ego-driven world,
what difference could it make if we all 'got it sorted' once
& for all that we're not God or gods, & that our thoughts &
ways are lower than God's? Does Jesus set us any kind of example
in this regard?
