Isaiah
55:1-5 – In the Old Testament reading
for this coming Sunday the Lord Himself offers food for our souls. He calls the
hungry and thirsty to come to Him for spiritual food and drink.
A literal translation of verse 1 may be rendered, “Hey, you! Come buy and eat! No money necessary!"
Can we buy without money or credit cards? There are some things that cannot be bought at any price. Can we buy love, friendship, happiness, or peace? Can we buy friendship with God? The best things in life are not for sale. They come as gifts from God.
God’s ultimate of gift to the world comes in the birth
of His Son, Jesus our Savior. He entered time and space to be our redeemer,
rescuer and friend. He’s no knight in shinning armor; rather he came as a
suffering servant. Says Isaiah later on in His prophecy, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we
esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet
we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for
our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5
We gather to hear God’s Word and to partake of the
Lord’s Supper for a foretaste of the new creation. Such is God’s feast of
outrageous abundance that exposes our feeble attempts to hoard God’s love, and
rather says, “The Body of Christ given
for you.” Likewise, from the Gospel according to Isaiah: “Listen carefully to me, and eat what is
good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my
steadfast, sure love for David.” (Isaiah 55:2b-3)[2]
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take what-e’er thy Father’s pleasure
And His discerning love hath sent,
Nor doubt nor inmost wants are known
To Him who chose us for His own[3]
[1] The Lord's Supper image copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[2] https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2107
[3] If
Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee stanza 3, Lutheran Service Book © 2006
Concordia Publishing House, St., Louis
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