Friday 2 September

Isaiah 1:1-2:22

Isaiah is like a rollercoaster.  And its going to be a heck of a ride.  These first two chapters have already flung us higher and dipped us lower than I believed were possible.  My neck already feels jolted, my shoulders already feel bruised.  This is an expectation-blowing book.  It rips us and wrenches us further in every direction than we surely believed was possible.  This opening flurry of movement sets out some of the immense themes; the Great King of the universe sees his subjects as children and he rears them with huge care; but they we have spurned God, forsaken God, brought him meaningless offerings and turned our backs on him; the King is sick of it, but not for his own sake but for the sake of his children “why should you be beaten any more... come now let us reason together...  though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow”.  It is truly epic.  But this is only the start, there are bigger dips and higher rises to come, there are loop the loops and savage turns.  This book will change our lives.  This book will renew our minds.  We need to prepare ourselves to be awestruck.  We need to  ready ourselves for thrill.  It would be tricky to sleep our way through it but it would be possible.  And then we’d miss the ride of our lives.  Let’s be open to the power of this book, let’s be open to the power of our God.

2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2

Now he lands his punch.  Paul has been prancing and dancing, shaping and showing himself in the ring, giving his readers a fresh taste of who he is, where he’s at, what he’s like and then - bam! - in he goes for the hit.  And this is the measure of it; this resurrection hope is not just a future thing, it changes everything about what we do now.  The resurrection hope changes our whole perspective on what is helpful, what is impressive, what is beneficial and what is good.  Previously we thought what mattered was letters after names, sharp talking, human achievements, dramatic moments, personal glory.  But now we see that stuff is just a bit naff.  Something newer, something fresher, something altogether more life-enhancing has been opened up to us.  And that thing is friendship with God, intimacy with our maker, rolling around in his love like a pig in slurry.  So what is good now, what is impressive now is not our name being known but his love being know, it is not us being thanked and honoured but him being thanked and people receiving his honour, his praise, his ‘well done’.  We are driven not by us needing love, not by us needing to know that we have appeal but by his love for others and his appeal to them to come and be friends with him.  Resurrection is not only a post-death experience, it is something for now.  We have already passed from death to life.  We already are like a new creation, birthed in love, soaked in friendship, entirely wanted, declared to be good.  Why would we waste our time with the stuff that is naff? And so we live as ambassadors of God, calling other pigs to come and roll in this slurry.

Psalm 105:1-11

Glorying in his name is the path to our joy.