Ordinary Time

January 11, 2022

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 62:1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
   and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
   and her salvation like a burning torch.
The nations shall see your vindication,
   and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
   that the mouth of the Lord will give.
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
   and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
   and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
   and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
   and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
   so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
   so shall your God rejoice over you.

I just arrived home from attending my brother-in-law’s funeral. He and my sister had been married for 58 years. She and their children carefully crafted a service I think Bill liked. He was a storyteller, and they had compiled short stories that described who he was and who he was not in some instances. Bill was rich in helping and welcoming others but was not much into pomp and circumstances. While he worked at various jobs, he was a farmer at heart. One of his grandsons just posted about the service on social media ending his comments by saying Now he is walking with God in heaven farming and taking care of cattle.

A lot of marriages do not last two years, much less 58. So, Isaiah is talking in the scripture above about the permanence of our relationship with God using as an example the marriage relationship that when well lived, in the good times and the bad, is an eternal source of joy and love to both God and us God’s beloved.

Prayer: Lord, we asked today for special blessings for my sister and her descendants as they grieve the loss of their beloved one. Help us always be a delight to you as we seek to live your love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.