Take up our cross and follow his steps
JOE MILLER JR.
Isaiah 63:7-9

Joe Miller Jr. is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Newton.

When Jesus walked the earth he spoke as a prophet and committed various prophetic acts. He did not invent prophecy; prophecy is a very ancient tradition among the Israelite people. Modern folks mistakenly think that prophets were called by God to predict the future.

The chief function of prophets is to compare God's will, word, and direction versus the reality of society's behaviors and values and issue a corrective. That corrective may include the expected effects of sinful behaviors. Prophets are experts at cause and effect. Sinful behavior brings God's justice.

If we read this particular text out of context, we might interpret that Isaiah got it all wrong. He is talking about the special treatment that Israel received from God, but we know that Israel, Judah, and even Jerusalem were destroyed more than once. Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., and Israel ceased to exist until 1948 when it was re-established after World War II.

However, if we study the entire book of Isaiah, we discover what he was doing in this particular instance. He was reminding the Israelites of God's original adoption of them and His intentions for them as His own chosen people.

Israel had a bad memory. Over the years they continually strayed from God and sinned. Isaiah recounts their sins of immorality, idol worship, failure to take care of the poor and disadvantaged, the increasing gap between the rich and the poor, governmental corruption, and the increasing faith in military might and political intrigue rather than faith in God.

He was reminding them of what it used to be like and hoping that they would repent and turn back to God. The Bible says that they did not listen, and they inherited the consequences.

So what? That was then, and this is now. That was Israel and this is the United States. However, if Isaiah were alive today he might remind us of the blessings that we have received from God. No society has ever come close to our standard of living. We might begin to think that God has shown us favor as He once showed the Israelites. Yet, have we not turned from God just as they once did? The gap between rich and poor grows wider every year; between 40 and 50 million Americans live below the poverty line; an increasing number of people (especially children) are without adequate medical care; we have more faith in military action than we do God; and concerning government corruption and ineffectiveness… remember FEMA?

It is easy to say, "But what can I do?" There is some truth in that thought because individually we can do little about the genocide in Darfur, the advancing global slave trade, (yes that is true… somewhere around 20 million people in the world live in literal slavery), global terrorism, or the subprime mortgage fiasco that will cause two million Americans to lose their homes. Many people in Isaiah's era thought the same way… and we know what happened to their country.

Remember that Jesus called the church into being and to action, and we are to collectively take up our cross and follow in his footsteps. The churches of Deep East Texas could make a great deal of difference in our corner of the world by seeking to bring people to Jesus Christ and transforming our communities. But we need to do it together and not separately. Any thoughts? Email me at www.newtonfumc@yahoo.c om.