[RCL] Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40 Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 The part of Isaiah that this reading comes from was written before the Babylonian Exile and is part of a series of oracles against Judah and Jerusalem. Judah was the southern part of what was once the united kingdom of…

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 There are promise and mercy, faithfulness (or lack thereof) and fulfillment threaded throughout each of the lectionary readings for this proper. Even in the harsh reproach of the Lord to Judah and Jerusalem in this passage from Isaiah, there is, ultimately, a promise of mercy—scarlet sins turned white as snow, as wool—even…

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, we are inherently a people of sin. Sinful in what we do and sinful in how we worship no matter how hard we try. We can ask ourselves, “Is our worship acceptable to God?” When we experience God’s grace we can’t continue to mistreat each…

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 In this, the beginning of the book of the prophet Isaiah, we read of the many things that people have been offering to God, such as burnt offerings and animal sacrifices, but we read that this not what God actually desires. Instead, some of the clearest direction that we get in the…