Loving God, you continue to expect the fruits of justice and righteousness among your people, produced by the power of your Spirit.  Renew us this day in the Spirit of Jesus, that we might continue to bear good fruit, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

            Imagine planting squash and getting hot chili peppers, or planting corn and getting withered tomatoes.  According to the laws of nature, this is highly unlikely – in fact, even more unlikely than what seems to have happened in Isaiah’s vineyard song.  High quality grape vines have been planted on fertile ground and have been lovingly cultivated and cared for. Yet, somehow they have yielded wild grapes – small and sour and absolutely unexpected.

         Of course, this love song is also a parable, and God is the one who has planted the people of Judah in the land of Israel.  God expected the people to produce the fruits of justice and righteousness.  Instead, God sees only bloodshed and hears cries of distress.  Thus, the land will become a desolate waste, full of thorns and briers.  The walls will be broken down, the people will be removed, and drought will dry out the land.

         So, what was going on, we might ask, that prompted this coming destruction of the land?  A number of things are mentioned in the verses that follow:  Single families were living in huge houses on acres and acres of land so that there was no room for anybody else.  People were feasting and getting drunk rather than caring for the poor.  People were spreading lies and were wise in their own eyes.  And those who were guilty of offences were acquitted in return for a bribe, while those who were innocent were tossed into jail.  Does any of this sound familiar?...

         Sadly enough, there is no shortage of similar behaviour today.  Bribes, corruption, lies, greed, over-indulgence, murder – we do not need to look very far to come up with numerous examples of injustice and unrighteousness.  And, in reflecting on the destruction of the land in Isaiah, some parallels begin to emerge in the destruction of the earth due to climate change.

         I’m not sure how many of you have heard the term “climate justice,” but there is definitely a connection between climate change and injustice.  After all, how many conversations have you heard where cutting emissions or stopping the pollution comes down to money?  Everybody wants what is cheapest, which tends to be the same things that are contributing to climate change.  There is a resistance to changing current practices because it might cost more.  Meanwhile, it is the poorest people around the world who will suffer the most as sea levels rise and storms become more frequent and more destructive.

         While the destruction of the land in Isaiah is understood as God’s action and God’s punishment, God is not the one doing it today.  Rather, there seems to be a direct connection between injustice and unrighteousness, and the destruction of lands and peoples.  Still, this is only the first half of our reading for today.

         While the portion that we heard from Isaiah 5 ends with coming destruction and desolation, Isaiah 11 begins with signs of new life.  The stump of Jesse, which represents all that is left of the family of King David, will still give birth to new life.  The new growth comes out of the roots of the stump and also out of the stump itself.  It is an image that suggests one who existed long before Jesse or David, and one who comes after David as his descendant.  Thus, Christians have long understood these verses to be pointing to Jesus – the pre-existent Son of God who is also a descendant of David.

         He is the one who has the Spirit of the Lord upon him and who practices justice and righteousness.  He is the one who knows what is in people’s hearts and who gives justice to the poor and the meek.  He is the one who has “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord”, the spirit of joy in God’s presence (Isa. 11:2-3a).

         And so, into the midst of injustice, unrighteousness, and the destruction of the land and people comes one who will show people what God is like and will bring new life out of death.  And while wickedness and injustice did not end with the coming of Jesus, he shows us what justice and righteousness look like and gives us the same Spirit that rested on him.

         It is easy for us these days to get discouraged and to conclude that there is so much injustice in the world that it’s hard for us to make any difference at all.  However, God has plenty of practice bringing new life out of death and giving hope to the hopeless.  And so, we do what we can – both as individuals and as the body of Christ – for God continues to empower us by the Holy Spirit.

         We might not be able to provide homes for everybody who is homeless, but we can provide rubber boots so they can go get food when it is wet out.  We might not be able to feed every person who is hungry, but we can feed at least some people.  We might not be able to control what big corporations do, but we can advocate for change where needed and do what we can to care for the earth.  We might not be able to share God’s love with every person in Winnipeg, but we can share it with the people we encounter from day to day.

         Ultimately, “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Ps. 24:1).  We are merely stewards of a planet and its resources that do not belong to us.  And we, too, belong to God.  As Paul writes, “you are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).  We belong to God through Jesus Christ, who gave his life for ours in order that we might have new life.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 23 (NL 2)                        Isaiah 5:1-7; 11:1-5

November 17, 2019

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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