![A40742D0-D0A8-445E-A07B-D4D5B302707F[1].png](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5661ba24e4b054281a2bfd6f/1563994400962-D3O98SM98IWYVZPXBHPF/A40742D0-D0A8-445E-A07B-D4D5B302707F%5B1%5D.png)
“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
My Two Cents….
I’ve said it before, but this is one of my favorite passages in all of scripture. Isaiah seems beyond the divisions and brokeness of a world that is hell-bent on fighting, winning, and claiming territory.
His understanding of God is bigger than those who want to put God in the boxes of their nation, their culture, and their religion. All these boxes are of human origin and making. They have contributed to the sorrow and saddness of the world whenever we demand that we have the answers and that our way is the only way.
Jesus, whose ministry was inspired by Isaiah, never got trapped in a box. It was the Pharisees, not Jesus, who demanded that others follow their strict understanding of God. Their legalistic mandates judged Jesus’s practice of eating with tax collectors and sinners to be out of line. They viewed Jesus’s inclusive welcome as unholy. Pharisees demanded that folks stay in the box of holiness and color in the lines.
Isaiah imagines a time of feasting beyond all boxes. It is God’s dream to have all people together and at peace.
How might we walk in this direction this week? As we prepare to celebrate a day of national thanksgiving later this week, how might we embrace Jesus and Isaiah’s vision? Can we break down the boxes that keep us confined? How might we reach out to others with a love that doesn’t have a bunch of conditions, regulations, or baggage attached?
Can we be thankful for the wonderful diversity that surrounds us? How might we grow as God’s people through engagement with differences?
In Christ’s Light,
Walt
Permission granted to share today's content with family and friends. Copyrighted 2019. Walt Lichtenberger
Do you like reading Scripture to Start Your Week? Would you like to read more of Walt’s writing?
Why not try out the latest LIGHT FROM THIS HILL five-minute devotional - WELCOME; sharing in the greeting of God. It is 28 days of stories, reflections, Bible-based teaching, poems, and Inspirational Images. This devotional will both comfort and challenge - allowing your faith to grow. If you are not satisfied, Light From This Hill will refund your money so there is no risk.