The Bigger Vision
Sermon on Sunday, January 11, 2026
Dear church,
Sometimes people have bold visions, but they are hardly noticed because nobody believes them. Let us revisit the first reading from Isaiah 42 about a servant of God who prefigures Christ in a message that promises to bring healing to the least and the last among us and justice to the nations. This reading is quite a gem, even by the standards of the Bible. In most texts, we find Israel concerned with itself and its own fate, its own problems. In many texts in the Old Testament, we might say, it’s about “Israel first.” And that is just human nature. But God has a much bigger vision for his people in this world, one that goes beyond “my” needs, “our” needs, my issues, my health, my well-being, my pain, my interests, my future... Did you hear! Isaiah speaks about a servant who will bring justice to the nations!
Keep in mind, this is not coming from a place of imperial power, which is quite common in the history of humankind. Big, powerful empires frequently feel called upon to bring justice to the nations, often conveniently combined with their own interests. The Romans ruled the world for a couple of centuries and brought their version of Pax Romana to the nations. They might have said, “We are teaching the Barbarians civilization and justice. We are building roads and a great infrastructure. Look what we have done for them!” And they would not have mentioned that they also enslaved many of those Barbarians, took their resources and stole their land, their wives and their children. It was a brutal world. There was a time when Christian empires did the exact same thing, under the banner of the cross. I feel shame about that. That was not very Christian, certainly not Christ-like!
Some of these tendencies are becoming acceptable again, even among people who should know better, namely Christians and Jews, the people of the Bible. As a country celebrating its 250th anniversary, founded on high principles, we have many reasons to look at ourselves in the mirror at this very time.
None of this imperial stuff, however, is going on in Isaiah 42. This servant of God comes from a small country, a not very powerful country, a small strip of land really. The vision of justice that is spoken here, which reverberates in the gospels of the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus, is about justice that is not contaminated by self-interest. It’s about lifting up the little people and the little nations. Did you hear the beautiful metaphors used in our first reading? Isaiah proclaims about this Messianic servant of God: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
These metaphors may not be ours, but I think we can picture a bruised reed and a smoldering wick and feel what the prophet is trying to say. This servant will not hurt those who are already hurting and may be easy prey for the bullies of the world. This servant will bring healing, hope and strength to those places, even the islands. The islands are mentioned here for two reasons: for one, they were at the periphery of people’s known world at that time; it’s as far as people could see… Which means: justice to the ends of the world, a bold vision! The islands are also not very big and not super important, which means: justice to the most remote and least important places in the world!
Today, as our world is more and more ruled by powerful nations, using their power selfishly, we must listen to this inconvenient vision that is about the divine calling of God’s people, all of God’s people, at all times. We must not be deterred by questions about practicality and realism, whether this can ever work in the so-called “real world.” We must not be political. We are people who listen to the Word of God and are committed to its vision for our world. We are not influenced by those who go for the easy, self-serving identification with power. We dream of justice for the nations and for the most vulnerable among us.
“How can that happen?” you may ask. I have to refer you to my Superior, my Boss, The Almighty. I am just a pastor, called and tasked to proclaim this message in good times and in bad times, when it’s convenient to hear and when it’s inconvenient to hear. And with some faith, I believe that this message can change hearts and souls and find cracks in the hardened walls of this world’s fortresses of power and those who rule in them. Let us pray for justice to the nations - for those low-lying islands threatened to be flooded by rising oceans, for areas of this world that have been overtaken, and for all the people caught in a fight for survival.
To all people who hear this message and really hear it, God says the words that he spoke to Jesus on the day of his Baptism, “You are my son/ my daughter, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased.
Amen.
