Daily Readings - Fri Dec 13 2019
Isaiah
17Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.18O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:19Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Matthew
16But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,17And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.19The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound messages that invite us to reflect on our response to God's call and the wisdom of living according to His will. The first reading from Isaiah presents God as a Redeemer and Teacher, urging the people to heed His commandments for the sake of peace and prosperity. The prophet emphasizes that had the people listened, their peace would have flowed like a river, and their justice like the waves of the sea. This passage, likely addressed to the Israelites during or after the exile, serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness and the importance of obedience.
The Gospel from Matthew offers a complementary yet contrasting perspective. Jesus laments the current generation's inability to recognize wisdom, whether it comes in the form of John the Baptist's austerity or His own communal eating and drinking. John's ascetic lifestyle was met with accusations of demon possession, while Jesus' social engagements led to criticism of being a glutton and a friend of sinners. Jesus' point is clear: wisdom is not judged by external appearances but by the fruit it bears. This passage challenges us to look beyond superficial judgments and to discern the deeper truth of God's message.
Together, these readings remind us that following God's will requires us to move beyond the noise of criticism and societal expectations. Isaiah calls us to trust in God's teachings, while Matthew invites us to embrace the wisdom that comes from living out our faith authentically. In our daily lives, this means being open to God's guidance, even when it challenges us, and trusting that true peace and justice come from walking in His ways. Let us strive to be people of discernment, recognizing that wisdom is not in what others say about us, but in how we live out our faith with integrity and love.