Open-ended,
Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of the (Supplementary) Hebrew Bible
Eucharistic Readings from the Australian Prayer Book.
ISAIAH 62: 1-5... 2nd S.after Epiphany, Year C ....For the Gospel
(JN2:1-11) scroll on site.
NOTES: 1]Always read the Hebrew Bible in the light
of our Christian understanding of God revealed in Jesus in the New
Testament.2] A reminder that the IS who wrote
Chs.1-39
was
born c.765BC & called by God to be a Prophet in 740. Another great
unnamed Prophet, often referred to as Deutero, i.e.2nd IS wrote
Ch.40-55 about 200 yrs.after. Later still, Chs. 55-66, incl.
today's passage, were written by 'Trito' (3rd) IS, who may have been a
group of 2nd IS's followers.3]
Like much prophetic
writing, what we have here is poetry, & we need to read it as
such to appreciate it. 4] The
thrust of the passage is that Jerusalem (= the Jewish people)
transformed will not only be Yahweh's capital, but also his bride, such will be the
relationhsip between Yahweh & his
people.
WARMING UP: What's our
favourite city among all those we know?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
1-2 Are there issues in our
own nation we should not be silent about, not rest about? What
kind of issues? What if they are political, or controversial in other
ways? Do we ourselves have to be transformed (like the Jewish people of
old) before our city could become God's 'capital' or God's 'bride'? Is
there one central thing we have to do before we can be transformed (=
converted, saved, turned around in God's direction, etc.) Can we really
be 'transformed' if we see treat that as purely a spiritual
issue? Is there any such thing as a purely spiritual issue? Does
Jesus teach / demonstrate anything about that?
Are
we aware of other nations looking at us in admiration, jealousy,
wistfully, scornfully, etc.? What's any of that kind of thing got to do
with God? With our relationship with God? As Christians do we need to
take any of these attitudes into account in the way we live personally
& as citizens of our country? Is the giving of a new name still a
significant issue in our society? What about the significance of any
name(s) given? Has that changed too? Whatever our name is, might God
have his own name for us?
What might
that be? Or don't we count that much?
3-5 How
does the viewing of marriage in some cultures as a kind of 'coronation'
compare with our own society's view of marriage today? Can we see any
connection between the imagery here of God being married to Israel
& Jesus appearing as a guest at a country wedding? Does what Jesus
brings about at Cana in itself make any connection we can see?
[Always look for connections, connections, connections!]
Is there reason to think in
terms of our own country as 'desolate' or 'forsaken' in the sense used
here by IS? On a more positive note, can we see it as 'my Delight',
etc.? What do we make of the change of imagery from 'bridegroom' to
(re)builder? Where might IS / God intend such a change of imagery to
lead us?
