Today, we hear from the prophet Isaiah speaking to the people of Israel in their exile in Babylon. In today’s reading, we hear God speak to Cyrus, the king of Persia, who defeats the Babylonians and who liberates the Israelites from their exile. God uses Cyrus as an instrument to liberate his people. God tells Cyrus - “I am God - apart from me, there is no other.” Cyrus and Israel are reminded the it was not the conquering king who has the ultimate power, but rather that power rests in God. God tells them that he is the one who forms the light and the darkness. Yes, ultimately, everything comes from God. We see light as good, but what about the darkness? In the darkness, we can learn, we can mature, we spring forth to new life. I am reminded of the short poem “The Uses of Sorrow” by the American poet Mary Oliver, which states: “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” There is always a tension between darkness and light in our lives. Christ is the light that helps us grow and thrive in the midst of any darkness we have in our lives. As we look at the passage from Isaiah in its entirety today, we see how in King Cyrus of Persia the work of the God was fulfilled by a man who did not even know God in his live. Yes, Christ can work in our lives through all kinds of people. God’s grace can indeed work in the world in some very mysterious ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment