Observation: This is one of Isaiah's famous "Servant Songs" which were very important to early Christian understanding of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. They have guided our thinking, especially in Holy Week. In this song, the anonymous "servant" despairs because he feels his work is in vain. Instead of letting the servant "off the hook," God says, "It is too light a thing" for the servant to raise up and restore the people of Israel from exile. God has bigger plans. The servant will be "a light to the nations." Wow!
Application: As I'm thinking through my long to-do list for Holy Week, I'm actually feeling okay. Dare I say, I'm even excited! This will be a really meaningful week of worship. But this servant song does hit home for me often, when things don't go as planned, and I get discouraged. What I take from this servant song is a very important but strange truth: sometimes, when you're weary, it's not because you've taken on too much. It's because you're thinking too small. Now PLEASE understand that's not to say you should have a longer to-do list; in fact it might have to be shorter. It doesn't mean you should be working more hours; in fact, it might work out to less. But just like the servant, we may be weary and exhausted from focusing on the small stuff. From the stuff that we know, deep down, doesn't matter. We might be too focused on every detail that isn't right, every little complaint we've ever heard, all the nits that need to be picked (I hope my family will forgive me if that metaphor hits too close to home!). Instead, what God may want is for us to zoom out, and see the huge story of which we are a part, and take joy that we get to play a unique, though tiny, role within it. This week, we'll hear an epic love tory between God and humankind. We'll hear about the outworking of God's plan to save, heal and reconcile all creation, on the cross. The work was done on Good Friday, but the fruits are still being born with each passing day, until the final Kingdom of God. This is HUGE! And it's already DONE! All of it! Yes, we have lots of work ahead, because we get to be part of that ministry of reconciliation, the peace-making that flows out from the crucified and risen Lord. But it's not our job to do all of it. However this week goes, it's already done, It is finished. And we will shine brighter, as a "light to the nations," if we abide in that story for a while, and let some of the details fall by the wayside.
Prayer: We adore you O Christ, and we bless you, for by your holy cross your have redeemed the world. Amen.
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