I wish all of you a happy first day of spring. We have survived another winter which is no small feat in Minnesota. Back in the first week of February when it seemed that winter would never end, I saw a sign at a local Dairy Queen that said “Open for the Season March 1.” I kept thinking about that sign through the whole month of February and it gave me hope. In my mind things would be better once we made it to March 1. On March 1 I did not stop by the local Dairy Queen but if I had it would have been a delightful experience. The mercury reached forty-two that day which was ten degrees above the daily average. On that day I am sure that many people ended a long winter with either a Blizzard, a cone, or a sundae. Another thing that gave me hope during the long winter was riding my bike to church again for our Sunday service. Last Sunday March 13 I was able to do that for the first time in 2022. It was cold and dark on the way here but the ride home was in glorious sunshine and relative warmth. During the long cold months of January and February I had forgotten how much I enjoy being able to ride my bike. It only took one ride for me to reconnect with bicycling. I simultaneously experienced the benefits of physical exercise, helping the planet by avoiding fossil fuel use, and also reaping the mental health benefits of an activity that improves my state of mind. For me that first Sunday bike ride was a moment where the gloom of winter ended. While I was on the ride home, I noticed a man showing a child how to swing a baseball bat and then giving the kid the bat for him to take his own practice swing. Of course, this being Minnesota there was still some snow on the ground so they were working on their swings in a parking lot rather than at the baseball field but nevertheless they were also experiencing the hope of better days ahead and a long winter coming to a conclusion. Ice cream, bicycling, and baseball are just a few of many different things that we will enjoy this spring in Minnesota, but the choice of activity is not important. We each have different preferences but we all have a vision of a favorite spring activity that gives us hope and sustains us through the dark days of a long winter.
In today’s lesson from Isaiah, we see that God also includes us in a vision of abundant life that is meant to sustain us through difficult times. Chapters 40 through 55 of Isaiah are generally referred to by biblical scholars as Second Isaiah. These chapters are addressed to an Israelite audience living in Babylon toward the end of the Babylonian exile. The prophet announces to the people that the end of their exile is imminent. Much like Minnesotans coming out of a long winter the people of Israel were also struggling through a very tough time. God’s vision as spoken through the prophet is meant to inspire the people and to provide them with hope that better days are coming soon. The message is one of deliverance rather than judgment. The prophecy of Second Isaiah reassures the exiles that the Lord will soon display great power by bringing the people of Israel back to their own country in an exodus that will be even more glorious than the exodus out of Egypt.
The prophet offers an invitation to a grand banquet. This is not just hot dogs and potato salad in the backyard. This is the equivalent of Andrew Zimmern calling you on the phone and saying “I hear that you are having the kids over to the house for a barbecue on Sunday afternoon and I want to prepare a feast for you and I am not going to charge you a dime for any of it.” It sounds way too good to be true but that is the reality of the meal that God has prepared for us. God provides for us abundantly and generously. The image of a banquet is a very powerful depiction. We don’t eat alone at a banquet but rather everyone shares a great meal. There is no doubt that our best times are often spent eating good food with good people. This idea of a lavish meal extends beyond food and to the very heart of God. The significance of the image presented in this text is not what is served at this great meal even though the items described here which include wine, milk, bread, and rich food are all things that many of us thoroughly enjoy. The real significance is that God provides for people who hunger and thirst. A good question to ask here is whether this text refers to material provision or spiritual provision. The answer here is an unqualified “Yes” on both accounts. We are satisfied spiritually as we metaphorically eat and drink in the presence of the Lord, but we are also satisfied materially as God has created a world that is so rich and plentiful in resources that each and every one of us can live an abundant life in which our material needs are met.
I have no doubt in my mind that this promised banquet is available to everyone because that is the way that God works. God welcomes everyone to God’s table. When I was employed at US Bank, we worked with some excellent attorneys who were based in New York City. We would meet with them periodically and the highlight of the meetings would always be dinner at one of the best restaurants in town whether that was New York, Minneapolis, or Pierre, South Dakota. These attorneys were experts in the field of state taxation but after the work day was done, they were the most gracious hosts. They had a knack for including everyone in the dinner conversation. I was the new guy and the person on the team with the least important position. I was mainly there to gain experience and to take notes but these big-shot attorneys treated me with respect just as if I were a senior vice president. I would always come away from those evenings so impressed with the hospitality of our lawyers and how they made everyone in our party feel comfortable because in business I had plenty of other awkward dinners where I did not feel welcome or comfortable. At God’s Table everyone is welcome and there are not any outcasts as God makes an everlasting covenant with us. At this time the exiles were likely questioning God’s plans for them. God had made a covenant with David but the end of the rule of the Davidic kings and the time in exile ushered in a new reality. However, it is God who brings salvation to the people as God now expands the covenant with David into a covenant with the entire nation of Israel. The blessings of God are not just bestowed on kings and rulers but an abundant life is God’s promise for all of us. No matter our station in life we are all worthy of God’s blessings.
Anyone who follows the news may be skeptical about this optimistic vision of God providing a blessed meal for all of humanity to enjoy. We see in the news each day so many horrible things that are happening. The news of the war in Ukraine is an unpleasant reminder of humanity’s capacity for violence as this unnecessary belligerence is destroying innocent lives in Ukraine and is making people all over the world feel much less secure as the conflict threatens to grow. Our nation may not be directly involved in the war but we deal with gun violence in our own community that is needlessly taking lives and terrorizing people each and every day. Many of us are struggling to make ends meet as we are experiencing the worst inflation in forty years as the wages of the average worker are not increasing nearly as fast as the prices of fuel, groceries, and housing. The Minneapolis teachers’ strike is another reminder that our schools and social programs are underfunded while the wealth of oligarchs like Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg continues to increase each day. The good news in these difficult times is that God surprises us in ways that are often beyond our comprehension. God’s ways are not our ways and God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. The people of Israel in exile were in a state of despair but God released them from captivity for a return home even though I am sure that many of them had given up hope of ever returning to Israel. God acts when we least expect it even in the turbulent times of March 2022. One of the bright spots of this terrible war was shared widely on social media. A Russian soldier surrendered to the Ukrainians. The Russian soldier was crying and he was approached by a group of Ukrainians who gave him a pastry and tea and called his mother so that he could talk to her. This is a small example but it is just another case of God working at an unexpected time and in an unexpected way.
During this season of Lent, we are called to repent and return to the Lord. We do not often ask the question why we may want to repent. As we consider the invitation to repent God also offers us this vision of the abundant life that we can live with God. Just as the exiles returned to their country and just as Minnesota annually emerges from the depths of winter, we are confident in the knowledge that God provides a banquet for us. This feast is so lavish that it is beyond our wildest dreams. We are secure in the knowledge that all of us are worthy of God’s abundance. We know that God will act on our behalf when we least expect it. When you experience the inevitable difficulties of life God invites you to embrace optimism and share God’s vision of abundant life for everyone.
-Vicar Kyle Anderson