Look to the rock

From www.flickr.com

In the reading from Isaiah for next Sunday, the prophet says, "Look to the rock from which you were hewn." Isaiah is speaking to a people in exile, who are grieving the loss of their heritage. They've been been forcibly removed to a strange land and they think they've lost everything. The promise of God that they would be a great nation now seems shattered.

But Isaiah says to them, "Look back and see the beginnings of your people. God started with just two people, Abraham and Sarah. If God could make a nation out of just two people, couldn't he now restore this people who are still many? Look to the rock (Abraham) from which you were hewn."

God has hewn us from solid rock. Our heritage is firm, and we can rest securely in that knowledge. The patriarchs of scripture; the saints of the church; our own parents, teachers, and mentors. These give us security in knowing that God has sculpted us out of solid material.

The picture above is from Canyonlands National Park in Utah, a place I've spent many days hiking. The layers of sandstone have been weathered into amazing shapes, and you can see how nature is still sculpting new forms. In the same way, God is at work in us, shaping us into new forms using the material of our past.

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