A Message from Pastor Lynnae

19The sun shall no longer be
your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
give light to you by night;
but the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
20Your sun shall no more go down,
or your moon withdraw itself;
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall be ended.  Isaiah 60:19-20

Isaiah has incredible prose of Hope. Despite the situation of the world and God’s people’s rebellion, despite the judgement of a refining fire, he offers Hope. Isaiah is written in a time of crises for the Israelite people. They have forgotten God’s ways, laws, and presence. They have chosen to make deals with the enemies of God, and they have flaunted their positions. Isaiah warns them that they will be punished but that in the end, through repentance, they will know the blessings of God. In fact, all nations will know the goodness of God. While Isaiah was writing about a very specific time in history, his message fits the overall story of salvation. Rebellion – Punishment – Repentance – Salvation and Hope. We know that Hope to be Jesus. The imagery of “light” that Isaiah uses still gives meaning today. We need light. We need Jesus. At this time of year, we read from Isaiah in worship for many weeks. We sing his words; we recognize them for their beauty and optimism. As we enter into the year of Matthews teachings, we cannot escape how much the author must have loved Isaiah as Matthew quotes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah at least 61 times.

To learn more about the Prophet Isaiah, I encourage you to watch the easy you tube primers from the Bible Project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0A6Uchb1F8 AND https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TzdEPuqgQg

Let there be light!

With Hope,
Pastor Lynnae I. Sorensen