Isaiah 49:1-7  The Servant’s Mission

49Listen to me, O coastlands,
   pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
   while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
2He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
   in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
   in his quiver he hid me away.
3And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
   Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
4But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain,
   I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
   and my reward with my God…’

I will give you as a light to the nations,
   that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’

If the first step of Holy Week is to behold the light, the next step is to listen.  The Servant’s own voice is now heard.  The call begins in the intimacy of the womb, where a name is bestowed (even now this  happens – a child is named before birth), and the gifts for prophetic leadership are honed. 

No sooner is the identity made and the mission stated, than this mission is widened to include the whole world.  “Listen to me… you peoples far away.”  This message is for everyone.  We are to be a light to the nations.  We are to live with compassion and determination, knowing that God is our strength.  Don’t be fooled, we are called to justice – social, political, personal, religious! 

How do you pay attention to what Jesus is telling you?  How does that make a difference in your living? 

To offer reflections on this day, go to www.fccorange.com/blog 
(Other texts for today: Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinth. 1:18-31; John 12:20-36)