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| All creation shall see it together |
The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you.
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you.
This passage from Isaiah appears among the recommended readings for Pastoral Care of the Sick. The desert, the parched land and the steppes with their abundant flowers and joyful songs seem a long way from the hospital room but the Prophet brings vitality into that sterile setting.
Allow me to continue a meditation on Isaiah I began on Saturday:
In America today we habitually think of a divide between science and religion, a divide that corresponds to that between human and natural creation. Fundamentalists adamantly refuse to allow the possibility that we evolved from "lower" or other forms of life.
A modern Isaiah would not have that problem. He sees the human being as an integral member of all life on earth. Not only do we flourish when nature around us flourishes; we also suffer when the world suffers. We are subject to drought, floods, heat and cold. We have diseases like everything else in the world, and we are healed of our afflictions by the same grace which saturates the natural world. Nor can we ignore our participation in life around us when we see that our sin pollutes the earth. The prophets clearly understood that natural disasters are God's punishment for human sin.
When the choir of Handel's Messiah sings, "All flesh shall see it together" they echo Isaiah 40:5 (King James Version)
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
and Luke 3: 6 (King James Version)
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Saint Paul knew
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8: 19-23
Even Saint John's declaration, "The word became flesh," allows God's word to be integrated and incarnated in our world. It is not contained exclusively in the flesh of Jesus. Sacramentally it floods into your body and mine as we consume the Blessed Sacrament. The Word of God now lives and breathes among us, in our world.
That is why the medievals could imagine all creation celebrating the birth of Jesus, and why our Christmas
crèche usually has oxen, sheep and camels. They too delight in the presence of Jesus.
As the twenty-first century finally embraces our responsibility for the environment, Isaiah,Jesus and Christmas will help Christians to celebrate that duty with grateful joy.
For whatever reason, I am really connecting with the readings from Isaiah this Advent Season. Thanks for the great reflections on his writings.
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