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A Light to the Nations
From Isaiah 42: 1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. 5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
I used to make a terrible servant. For one night I had one of the worst jobs in my life. It was in June, right after a spring semester, I returned to Houston and I needed a job. I searched the places I knew, nada. I looked in the classified and I found something at the Houston Country Club. I thought, "At least I'll get to see the inside of a country club that I'll never be invited to," and applied. I got the job right away. "Wear black pants and a white shirt. I showed up and joined other university and law school students, all needing money. Our job: serve the guests. I was handed a huge tray loaded with some sort of liquor. "Just walk around the crowd and offer them a drink," were my instructions. Off we went, servants all, joining the ranks of those for whom we should pray, "Those that nobody else wants or sees." We were all invisible. No one made eye contact with me or as far as I could tell, the other servants. I was holding a tray of stuff I'd just as soon dump out the back door among people who I thought at the time should join that back door exit. Not the right mind or heart set for this type of job and I thanked the boss for the opportunity, got my money for the night and told him you won't see me tomorrow. The next job was almost as bad. It was an early form of telemarketing for a developer outside of Houston. The instructions that I remember very clearly and that caused me to walk out said, "If they sound Black, hang up."
Thank God Isaiah was preparing us for Jesus, in Whom we find strength and love to be God's chosen servant in whose service God delights, called to serve among undeserving people to receive justice. The kind of servant that would "not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench." He will be all about justice. This servant will not tire until he has brought justice and the earth know about what he is teaching. The creator God declaring through this servant the worth and value of all people; a people called to be free, to be led out of darkness, to see all that God offers, to be set loose from prisons and dungeons; a new message of new things that are coming by the power of God.
This is our message and it is one that has to be heard. Yesterday I read in depth about a new movement started in England by two comedians who wanted something like a church with good music and a time to be together in community with poetry and reflective readings to be read, with no desire to bring God into its presence. It sounded like a comfortable prison in which to be locked. A new well-lit place of darkness. A study hall with silence as the only teacher, silent to the message of righteousness. And I thought we have a hymn that says, "We've a Story to Tell to the Nations," why aren't we living it as well as singing it?
God has a lot to say and offers a lot to us. It is poetic, but it's poetry with power. God offers a community, but one who knows freedom and responsibility, called to care and love one another. This is justice.
PRAYER: Loving God, fill my heart with song and let it be a song that tells of Your power and love, that witnesses to what You offer to all people. Let me be a servant of Yours to all, especially those that nobody else wants or sees. This I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
