Friday, February 14, 2014

Friday, February 14, 2014

Isaiah 61: 1 - 9

            The words of the Prophet Isaiah have a familiar ring to them.

As readers of Holy Scripture, I offer the gentle reminder that,

the words of Isaiah are offered, first, to a people in physical exile.

The prophetic message is one which offers comfort and hope.

            Within the context of the message there is a

discernable vision of a transitional moment

which will be experienced. God's people will be restored to the

land which God has given them and they will be able to build on

the Covenantal relationship which forms their identity.

            Their transition from exile in Babylon back to the Promised

Land is declared by Isaiah, to be a Divine promise which will be fulfilled.

It is an experience to be anticipated and it is a divine commitment

which will be met.

            The second time we hear these words is in a synagogue in Nazareth.

An individual known to the community has returned home. He has

become known and widely respected, elsewhere, by many, as a person

with a ministry of note. He is a rabbi, a teacher, worth listening to.

            Jesus reads, the prophetic message;

The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has

anointed me; he has sent me to announce good news to the poor,

to proclaim release for prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind;

to let the broken victims go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's

favour.

            After rolling up the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah, Jesus declares to

those who are listening and watching his every move, that the words they have

heard, the promise which God has made through his prophet Isaiah, has been

fulfilled.

            As we read those words, in each of those settings we are reminded of

how the promise which God makes to God's people is fulfilled through the physical

transitional experience which brings them from exile to home. We are

reminded of how the declaration which Jesus makes, that he is the personification

of God's promise being fulfilled has an impact on our own lives and renews our

souls.

            As a part of your reflection today, read through, not only the Isaiah

passage, but also examine St. Luke 4: 14 - 22. How do you hear those prophetic

words speaking to your own life experience ?

-Rev'd Canon Christopher Pratt