Isaiah 43:1-13 I-Me-Mine First sermon of the New Year, and I couldn t find anything better to preach about than me. What, are you surprised? With this sermon title you surely didn t expect me to talk about you! Actually, this title comes from the very last song the Beatles recorded together, written by George Harrison. All through the day, I-me-mine; all through the night, I-me-mine. It s about ego. George said later that at a certain point in his life and his career, he became aware of the ever-present ugliness of ego- not just of others, but his own, as well. And I think the real epiphany for him was realizing the appetite of it- even for nice people, the desire for recognition. George was always the most introspective one of the Fab Four. My little joke, preaching about myself, will always be partially true, try as I will to base and establish my sermons upon scripture, and individual sermons upon specific biblical texts, because it is always a battle with ego. Most of the time I believe my interpretation of scripture is correct, and that confidence in my understanding may let me give myself permission to justify opinions on other topics as well, and even ideas about other people. It s not the best way to think, but I m not alone- it s something we all do- we give ourselves permission to think all sorts of things to buildup our self-image, by fudging the truth a bit or
denigrating other persons and groups, so we can feel better about ourselves; it s how we get by. The worst people- including ministers- are those who do it for profit: their lives, day and night, are always I-me-mine, and for all their ego and pride they gain influence and money. The best people, the few we can call genuine or saints, are those who take people one at a time, take them as they come, without judgment; these same good people are also content with the truth about themselves. They don t try to make themselves into something they are not, and that seems to me the heart of humility, just the opposite of self-centered and needy. But what do we do when the one with the ego problem is God? (Maybe you didn t expect that question in the sermon today.) Count the number of times in our passage God says, I did this and I did that. I-Me-Mine, I am, I will, I make. Does God have an over-stimulated ego; is God a little insecure? If we respond to that question with a definitive NO! how do we support that answer? It does seem unthinkable, but what in this passage shows us the God we confess to be the God of love and humility? I m not trying to cause trouble or cause anyone to doubt. But we ve all heard weak and unverifiable affirmations about God. I would think all we really
want is the truth about God and about our life, and it doesn t help to believe only what others, or we ourselves, have invented about God. So, what does scripture say, and what do we do with God s words here, You are mine, and every one of you I created for my glory? Honestly, what do those kinds of pronouncements do for us? The prophet has God calling out to a nation of people whose favorite views about God had taken a beating; all their best affirmations had been disproven, God is on our side, there is not way we can lose ; we ll be fine, just trust in God. But despite saying all the right religious and patriotic slogans, their nation had been defeated, and they had been exiled to a foreign land and just now were being given the chance to come home. And these words of our text are reminders to them that God is still present: that Yahweh is not the God of Israel defeated by the greater gods of Babylon; that Yahweh is not the God of an arrogant religious exclusivity; rather, Yahweh is God of the world, God of all the people of the world, who calls then to return to him from out of the north and out of the east and the south and the west. According to Isaiah, God had always been in charge of world affairs- and not defeated- and even now was still in control, creating this new thing, making the new nation, for this purpose: so that all people could see
and know the truth about God, even those who previously had been blind or deaf, or who before had believed the lies. Verses 8, 9, and 10 show us a God not in this for himself, but calling out for the sake of those who might hear these things and realize the truth of them, for all those who might understand that this one mighty God has called them and chosen to love them. So here are these phrases of God the prophet repeats for us, these assurances God wants us to believe, I have redeemed you ; You are precious to me, and I love you ; I am the Lord, I have spoken and saved ; I am God and no one can take you from my hand. Are these trustworthy statements, or is God just bragging? Why should we believe these words? Here is why I think we can and should believe. Because of a couple of other less bold statements, simple and encouraging words in our passage; no bragging about how great God is, just a reminder and a promise, When you pass through the waters and walk through the fire, I will be with you. And hadn t they suffered calamities and disasters the past decades as Jerusalem fell and their doubts and hurts increased, as they were forced to live in a strange land without hope? And yet, the Lord had been with them. And again, Fear not, I am with you, says the Lord, who calls his children from the ends of the earth- from the east and the west
and the north and the south- and creates a family. Here is the God who wants us to know he is still with us; that s what this scripture is telling us, reminding us of the God who is always present- as protector, as creator of new things, who never leaves us to destruction, but even in our troubles and suffering is there with us; making something new and good for us, and for those nearby and far away who see it happening in our lives. And nothing can stop him. Nothing can keep this God away from us, who wants to ease our suffering. I just turned the page on a brand new 2013 day-by-day desktop calendar. A collection from the comic pages of the newspaper; it is the insightful, and often hilarious, commentary on modern life, called Non Sequitur. This particular strip has a caption reading, The invention of religion, with a guy who has made a statue of himself as an idol, and saying to everybody around, Here s how it works first, you never question anything I tell you. Well, there are religious leaders and messiahs out there saying that same thing- takes a lot of ego, I think. But that doesn t work for us, does it? We need more than that. Perhaps here, in our scripture, is one proof for our questions, and for the questions of others who might wonder, as well: God s sure and constant presence with us and care for us
can be known- and shown- by what our life is like. How we act should be proof that God is with us. Are we willing to put aside our selfish striving to satisfy personal pride and vanity, and be content to live as humble servants and witnesses of God? This is the call to discipleship, when the Lord says to us, You are my witnesses, as Isaiah has God saying to the people of New Israel. What we areour witness- is the answer to our questions and doubts about God; and our lives can be the answer to those who otherwise would never see or hear or believe God, but who witness the compassionate and humble and selfless way we choose to live. You know, like the kind of life Jesus lived.