08-02-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 2, 2024
In the opening words of the Prophet Isaiah, we read:

Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth;
    for the Lord has spoken:
I reared children and brought them up,
    but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its owner,
    and the donkey its master’s crib;
but Israel does not know,
    my people do not understand.
Ah, sinful nation,
    people laden with iniquity,
offspring who do evil,
    children who deal corruptly,
who have forsaken the Lord,
    who have despised the Holy One of Israel,
    who are utterly estranged!

God was not pleased with the faithfulness or direction of God’s people, the Israelites. In reading those words, I couldn’t help but notice the similarity of a parent speaking to a child in a moment of frustration. Maybe the language is a bit harsh for such a comparison, but parents have been known for a bit of hyperbole or over-the-top embellishment when expressing their disappointment with a child. I know my mother said a few things that might have implied that I, now in my 50’s, should still be grounded in my room… and probably deserved to be. Years ago, I had a Rabbi suggest we should hear in these words not only God’s frustration toward humanity, but also God pointing that frustration back at self with the question, “What could I have done differently?” Now that might anthropomorphize God more than I feel comfortable with, but the story of God and Israel is a story of love in which God refuses to give up, always trying to find another way when Israel completely messes up.

Thank you, O Lord, for always having a Plan B and C and D when it comes to humanity. We try and falter and stumble and fall hard. Yet you are the One who puts us back on our feet to try again. Amen.