A Word From the Pastor, November 2009

Dear Friends in Christ,

"They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

This word of the Lord came to the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah. It is a word of comfort, a word of assurance. You see, for the people of Israel things had gotten pretty bad. Their nation had been defeated. Their enemies appeared victorious. The temple, the holy house of God, lay in ruins. The leaders of the people had been carried into exile to live as servants in a foreign land. It seemed that all their hopes and dreams were crushed. The people of Israel were depressed about the present and without hope as they faced the future. In the midst of trials and tribulations, the people of Israel lost confidence in their God. God, however, did not leave his people in despair. God sent them a word of hope, a promise of help.

The world today is full of people who need a word of hope and a promise of help. Those who live in poverty need to hear that help is on the way. Those who live with illness - cancer, AIDS, heart disease, depression - need to know that God cares and God gives strength and new life. Those who live with uncertainty in these difficult economic times need to know that God is in control. Those whose lives have been devastated by earthquake or hurricane, tsunami or typhoon, flood or wildfire, need to know that our God is the God of new beginnings. Those who feel alone and abandoned need to know that someone stands beside them. Those who feel victimized by powers beyond their control need to hear that God is above every power on earth.

The people of Israel were in despair. They needed a word of hope just as many of us need a word of hope today. So what is the good news that Isaiah brings. First, Isaiah proclaims that "The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 40:28). If we need to be assured of God's wondrous, creative power we need look no further than the world around us. God, who in the beginning made all things and declared them good, is still at work to shape and recreate and renew the face of the earth. As we see the signs of fall harvest, as we witness the rainbow of colors in the trees and mountains that surround us, as we marvel at the crisp cold air and the occasional day of unexpected summerlike warmth, as we plod through dark, rich earth after a night of drenching rain, as we ponder the beauty of the Hudson River, the earth proclaims for us again and again, "The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth". The trees, the stars, the sun, the moon, the sky above, the clouds that bless the earth with rain and snow, all these are signs of hope, symbols of God's goodness and power, a source of comfort that's close at hand. We can be people of hope because God the creator is still at work in brilliant ways.

We can also have hope because God is the ruler of all. Isaiah reminds the people of Israel that it is God who "brings princes to naught and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing." (Isaiah 40:23) In the political climate of our own day, we know all too well the temporal nature of human authority. Elections in countries like Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan lead to questionable results. Poll numbers for politicians at home rise and fall with the newest headlines. Those who once ruled nations fade into obscurity and waves of change come from unexpected places. "Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, the tempest carries them off like stubble." (Isaiah 40:24) The one thing that matters, the one thing that lasts, the one thing that can be counted on is God's providence and God's ultimate sovereignty. When kingdoms totter, when leaders fall, when dreams collapse, God remains and God's will will be done.

It's easy in this life to lose sight of the big picture. The car breaks down. Bills pile up. A family member becomes ill. The job market dries up. The mortgage payment is due and money is short. The flu scare looms. It's easy to let the problems and challenges we face build into a mountain of fear and misery. Isaiah, however, challenges us to look at the big picture, to put our current troubles within an eternal perspective. Isaiah declares that God is still in charge and our present struggles are only fleeting. God's will for the world, for creation, for our lives, can be trusted.

Isaiah urges the Israelites and urges us in our times of trial, to wait upon the Lord. Isaiah assures us that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. This is the crux of the good news. Our God is with us in good times and bad, in seasons of plenty and seasons of want, in our joys and in our sorrows. God is with us at all times and in all circumstances. If we look to him, if we wait for him, he will act for our good, giving us strength, raising us up, sustaining us on life's journey. "They that wait for the Lord will renew their strength." What good news that God meets us in our weakness, comes to us in our struggles, embraces us when we are weary and at the point of exhaustion, reaches out to us to give hope and help in time of trouble. We need not depend on our own wisdom or strength for God is with us. God strengthens, sustains, uplifts and empowers by his holy power for his holy purposes.

The people of Israel in ancient times needed a word of hope, a promise of help. We, too, could use a hopeful word, a helping hand. Thanks be to God that the creator and ruler of all gives strength to the weak and sustains the weary! God is with us and will renew us if we simply look to him. God bless you with new hope.

Yours in Christ's Service,

Rev. Peggy Ann Sauerhoff