Pastor Gerald Meyer

Epiphany Lutheran Church

12/02/07

Isaiah 2:1-5

Dear Friends in Christ;

When Isaiah had this vision of the Advent of Jesus, he saw a church unified in worship and committed to peace and serving the Lord.  When you and I contemplate the Advent of our Lord, what do we see?  What images come to mind when you think of Christmas?

Some of us visualize that painting of the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.  I suppose some think of the national Christmas tree on the White House lawn.

The way we celebrate Christmas is driven by the way in which we see Christmas.  If we see Christmas only as a holiday during which we can celebrate and have to good time, then we will look at Advent as the season when we string lights, hang banners, and decorate trees.

If we see Christmas as a gift from God, a gift of God’s grace, then it will come no matter whether we are ready for it or not.  Christmas is when Jesus came to establish His Church.  We will then prepare to let God come into our hearts and lives.  Our joy over being part of the church, will show itself by the stringing of lights, the hanging of banners and the decorating of trees.  Today as we look at this text, we want to:

CATCH GOD’S VISION FOR THE CHURCH

I.  See The Word Go Out!

Let’s look at the first words of our text.  It says “This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.”  Judah and Jerusalem refer to God’s people.  They are the believers who make up the Church.  God gives Isaiah a vision of what the church will look like in the last days. 

Our text goes on to say:  “In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills,”  The last days is the New Testament age that began when Jesus first came to earth in Bethlehem.  It ends when Jesus comes to earth the second time.  This is Judgment Day when He will gather up all the believers and take them to heaven with HIM.

At that time “the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains.”  This mountain of the Lord’s temple was the most important sight in all of Israel.  The beautiful temple which was built by Solomon stood on the top of that mountain for 400 years.  This was the center of the spiritual life of Israel.  People would travel for hundreds of miles to attend the annual festivals there.

Jesus told the woman at the well (Jn 4:21,23) “A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.... a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.”  Wherever the truth of the Gospel is told, there is the mountain of the Lord.

Then our text says,  “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”  The church is in a unique position.  The truth of salvation comes only through the church.  The news of God’s Son coming to take the payment of all men’s sins is the message of the church.  This truth will go out into the many nations to bring salvation to all people.  Think of the many nations to which just our Synod alone is bringing the Gospel.  See how the Word has gone out already.  We are part of Isaiah’s vision.  This Advent let us remember the business of the church is to send the Word out into the world.

II.  See The Word Come In!

Again our text reminds us:  “In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills...”  Think of the other mountains:  the philosophies, ways of life and religions like the Jewish religion, the Mormons, the Buddhists and many more.  They are not high enough.  Christ’s Church is the only one that brings Salvation, Forgiveness and Eternal Life.  Now you and I are not Jews.  Our families come from Germany, Russia, Norway, Sweden and all the countries of the world.  We are the nations to which our text says the Word of God will go.

“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.”  As People come to know the Gospel, those people have their disputes settled by the Word of God.  They are the nations who have come to Christ who “will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”  God’s Word has become the standard by which they live.  When they do wrong they confess their wrongs and receive forgiveness.  This passage is often misused to refer to nations out there in the world.  Instead, these are the nations who have come to the Mountain of the Lord, the Church of Christ.

Just think, Jesus started all this with Christmas.  That’s when He came.  So let us prepare to celebrate Christmas as a gift from God.

AMEN