St. Mark’s Conference 2022 + Solemn Vespers
Text Isaiah 52:7-10
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Isaiah depicts Jerusalem as amiss, devasted, and full of waste places. The great city is war-torn and crumbling under continued enemy occupation. What hope does Israel possess as they peer out into the mountains that surround and look down upon them? They are a broken and hopeless people.
We are likewise a broken and hopeless people. We live in a world that is continually at war with itself.
If you’ve ever served in the military, you’ve walked the streets of devastation in foreign lands and places afar. You’ve seen the crumbling foundations of bombed-out infrastructure and the sad faces of defeated and oppressed people.
If you’ve lived in a major American city over the past decade (or owned a television or phone), you not only saw but still see the crumbling foundation of society due to riots, the burning of buildings, and neighbors turning against one another – often under the façade of freedom from oppression.
This life is a battleground, and it leaves all of us feeling oppressed and depressed as we too look about, wondering, is there any hope for peace and redemption?
Still, Isaiah says the watchmen stand guard over Jerusalem. What good are watchmen if the city has already been sieged? What good can they do if the very walls they are to stand upon have been knocked down?
Yet, the watchmen see their hope coming from afar, coming from the mountains - from among the rubble. They see a runner, and as He approaches, they hear his announcement of triumph. The lookouts now lift up their voices as they sing for joy - their King and champion has come, and He brings good news of peace, happiness, and salvation.
These tidings of great joy cannot be contained, but look and hear how even the ruins of Jerusalem break forth into singing, the rubble, and waste left from battle and heartache. But, these are no usual ruins. They belong to the Lord. They are His people, His creation. They are you.
You who feel oppressed by the world and rubble around you.
You who struggle to confess the sin that continually wraps you in bondage.
You who stare into the grave of death as one without hope.
But, your hope comes not from within yourself but through the mighty arm of the Lord.
Moses spoke to the people of Israel, “you shall not be afraid of [those who enslaved you], but you shall remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and the wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.” (Deuteronomy 7:19)
The Psalmist writes, “Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.” (Psalm 98:1)
And the mother of our Lord said, “He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” (Luke 1:51)
The arm of the Lord reveals His magnificent strength and power, as a gladiator shrugging off his cloak as He enters the Coliseum, readying Himself for battle. Those who wish to oppose Him should tremble with fear and anguish, with thoughts of Pharaoh and his Army being tossed into the sea forever etched within their minds.
Yet, the strength of the Lord’s holy arm is most clearly seen when it appears He is the weakest.
Isaiah writes,
“The LORD has made bare His holy arm
In the eyes of all the nations;
And all the ends of the earth shall see
The salvation of our God.” (Isaiah 52:10)
Upon the cross with arms extended, the only Son of the Father, who entered the ruins of this life through the flesh of a child, hung for the salvation of the world. Given into death for all to see and believe.
But it’s hard to believe when you find yourself in the midst of dust and ashes, the depth of sin and death, the chaos of turmoil.
The Apostle Paul wrote while highlighting our reading today from Isaiah:
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:14-15)
How beautiful are the feet of those watchmen among the waste places of Jerusalem? The preachers and pastors who "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:16)
For many of us gathered here today, this is what we are called to do as undershepherds, to be watchmen among the people of God, not only in their times of joy but especially when everything in life appears to be lost.
We are called to bring the good news of God’s peace, as Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) While you are not guaranteed or promised a life free from hostility, through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, the sin that has separated you from your heavenly Father is forgiven.
And this message is the glad and good tidings of God. The devil and his tyranny no longer hold sway over you, God’s children. Evil must cede to the good and gracious will of the Father.
Because you, His child, have been delivered from sin and death. Through the salvation of God, you have been made free in Christ Jesus.
The world around you may be crumbling, society may be cracking at its foundation, but you have been given a much greater freedom and gift. You have been given a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
So, join with the watchmen as they lift up their voices. Sing with all of Jerusalem, for Christ comes to you and grants you comfort and peace in His Word. +INJ+
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Associate Pastor, Immanuel Evangelical-Lutheran Church
Alexandria, VA
