Tag Archives: Suffering Servant

Epiphany

January 13, 2020

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

Listen to me, O coastlands,
   pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
   while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
   in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
   in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
   Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
But I said, ‘I have labored in vain,
   I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
   and my reward with my God.’ –Isaiah 49:1-4

As a cradle Christian, that is one whose mother shared her faith from the child’s beginning, I can identify with this poem. As a want-to-be justice advocate I know exactly what this suffering servant is professing. Taking one step forward and two steps back to eventually make the slightest of progress can be washed away in one hurricane or earthquake or change in leadership. And we start over again.

I know what it is like when it seems we have labored in vain. I have been working on health care reform since Joseph Califano was Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the Carter Administration. Almost 50 years later we in the USA are still struggling to provide even basic health care to too many of our citizens.

We are called to do justice whenever righteousness is not in play and surely our cause is with the Lord, and our reward with our God.

Prayer: Lord, we do get weary, abide with us and sharpen our justice swords so we can continue to strive toward your justice. 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.

Servanthood

Living in the Spirit
June 30, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Genesis 24 

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all kinds of choice gifts from his master; and he set out and went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor. 11He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water; it was towards evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12And he said, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13I am standing here by the spring of water, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14Let the girl to whom I shall say, “Please offer your jar that I may drink”, and who shall say, “Drink, and I will water your camels”—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.’—Genesis 24:10-14

 Abraham had sent his servant to procure for Isaac a wife. We do not have a lot of arranged marriages in the world today, very few in the USA. Most of us do not have servants and if we do we probably do not call them servants and they are paid for the services they render. So our story today is set in a different culture at a different point in history. Yet we rely on this language to describe our relationship to God, and Jesus has been identified with the Suffering Servant in Isaiah. What can we glean from this story about a servant who is not even worthy to be called by his name?

The servant understands that his wellbeing is intrinsically intertwined with the wellbeing of his master. Thus, he works hard to please the master, which entails knowing the master well—well enough to know what kind of wife he would want for his son. He also knows his master well enough to know his master’s God. His prayer is not for his own gain; it is for God to show his master God’s steadfast love. The servant is aware that he is a part of something larger and greater than himself but doing his part somehow is an important cog that helps to make the whole thing work. Isn’t that true of all of God’s children?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove, weave among us inspiring each of us to do your will for the sake of all creation. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.