Today’s first reading is one of my favorite chapters of the Old Testament: Isaiah 55. It always reminds me of the parable of the Sower and the Seed from the gospels with the Word of God being sent into the world on good and poor soil alike. Continue reading
Today’s first reading is one of my favorite chapters of the Old Testament: Isaiah 55. Starting in Isaiah 40, the prophet begins to describe the end of the Exile period and the triumphant return of the People of God to Jerusalem. Isaiah 55 provides a fitting conclusion by affirming the effectiveness of the prophetic word. It is the crowning validation of the reliability of prophecy and the power of the God of Israel. The 13 verses of this chapter offer some of the most recognizable passages showing up in the New Testament, liturgy and prayer of the Church. Rather than provide a commentary, let me leave you with the Word of God that you might ponder a part of the verses here on this first Tuesday of the Season of Lent. Continue reading
As you probably know, this summer we have been taking a look at the people, events and issues of the Protestant Reformations of the 16th century. Among the Reformers there was a far greater emphasis placed on Scripture and preaching the Word. John Calvin’s typical Sunday homily seems to have been about 2 hours. John Knox’s homilies often had intermissions. Hard to imagine, heh? But it was a different era – not just because Sunday was dedicated to church, worship, and little else – but because for that generation of people, Scripture was coming alive for the first time. When the Zurich reformer Zwingli first began to preach he started at the beginning of the Gospel according to Matthew. Sunday after Sunday he worked his way through the whole Gospel, proclaiming, teaching, cajoling, and encouraging people to embrace and be embraced by God. The Word of God set people ablaze. Continue reading
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