A Progressive Christian reflection

English: A scroll of the Book of Isaiah (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,    and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. Isaiah 35:4-7

This is another excerpt that I had trouble deciding whether it should be a Snippet or a full article. As John notes in his lectionary analysis, “If it any verse is to be made the text for a sermon (e.g. vs. 4), it would be appropriate to read the whole poem rather than this brief excerpt.”

When this was written, humanity still thought of its “gods” as little more than human beings writ large. They expected God to intervene directly in the world in the same way that any human king would dictate the conduct of his subjects.

Now that we understand “God” – Theos – as being immanent and transcendent, how do we interpret this poem so that it has meaning for us today?

If we are the hands of God in Creation, isn’t it up to us to be the ones who bring about the transformation the author of Isaiah is talking about?