The Marks of Community - Isaiah 11: 1-10

Community. It’s the buzzword that businesses seem to be capitalizing on these days. In a nation where we are so disconnect from one another and in a period of time when meaningful human contact can be limited, companies are actually marketing the notion of coming together. But like all good buzzwords, community seems to be this nebulous area, not quite definable, or at least not in an all-encompassing way. I attended a college that asked the tour guides to focus on our community, but when potential students asked about what that meant, the answers were inconsistent at best. Untruths at worst.

The church also strives to define itself as a place of community. However, unlike corporations, coming together is built into our history. Maybe even our DNA. We gather together each week to worship. We come together and confess this radical notion that Jesus, the risen Lord, ties us together in a way that defines who we are.

But community is more than just gathering. It is gathering with a vision, with a purpose. Today’s scripture passage is a story of re-defining, re-forming community. We have spoken over the course of the last two weeks about the exiles in Babylon. Let us continue the telling of their story this morning.

Isaiah is a book written over several decades and probably is a combination of at least three different prophets. The past two weeks we have been discussing second Isaiah, a portion of the prophesy that speaks of God planning on doing a new thing, re-creating the people of Israel by leading them back on an unbelievable journey to restore the place where the holy temple resides. Today we are looking at first Isaiah. The theology is a bit different in this part of the book. Unlike the last few weeks, where God is doing away with retributive punishment, first Isaiah still firmly believes that God is punishing the people because they have sinned. And instead of speaking about going back and rebuilding Jerusalem, this portion focuses on the idea that all the Israelites are evil, and thus God is going to destroy them. God is not going to separate the good from the bad, but instead just wipe out the majority indiscriminately and only preserve a remnant. And out of that remnant God is going to try this whole concept of the chosen people over again.

In that context we find today’s scripture passage. God is speaking of the stump of Jesse as what is left of Israel. All twelve tribes of Israel identified themselves as being of Jesse, even if their exact linage did not trace back to him, because of David. King David. The last Israelite king. Because of this affiliation of heart with David, the stump of Jesse would be those who are not killed by God’s smite. Out of those who that remain, those who start again, God will cause a new people, a new community to grow. That group will be truly God’s and be marked by Divine qualities. They will be blessed with a spirit of wisdom and insight, counsel and valor, and they will be true to God. In starting over again, they will be defined by those areas where Israel had failed in the past. While people once sought to protect only their own, this community would bring justice and equity for the marginalized. They will not skew their justice to accommodate the rich, but be just for those who are in need of justice the most, the poor. Those of the land who do not have a voice that is respected and heard. They will not act off of their human perceptions and senses, but instead seek God’s ideals – those that are beyond what the eye can see and the ear can hear. They will speak truth that cuts the heart of the wicked. And in this new community, relationships will be redefined. Those once thought to be enemies will come together in peace, eat with each other, protect each other. This is the new standard of community. God’s community.

What a vision of community. What a task the people of Israel were charged with. While they may never have achieved such peace or justice, they were charged with God with something to work towards. Which leads me to ask, what is the task of our community today? What defines those who gather together and call themselves the church?

Well we hope to be marked by wisdom and insight, counsel and valor, and as one’s who are true to God. As United Methodists we believe that we strive towards this is four ways. First we look towards the scriptures. We believe them to be a living word that can meet us where we are. But scriptures cannot be interpreted alone. They are looked at against the backdrop of tradition, of our collective history. Not just the history of the UMC, but of this particular UMC. Not just the history of the church as a whole, but the history of our experience with each of the churches we attended before. When we bring our traditions together, we have a richer understanding of who we are. We also believe that everyone’s experiences matters. We each have personal stories to tell, and we gather together to share those. God did not create human beings to be in a vacuum. No, we need to honor our past as we look towards our future. And out of our experiences, we derive wisdom. And reason. We are intelligent beings and church is not a place to throw that out the window. We gather together to help each other grow in reason and discernment.

Next, the church is about the marginalized first and foremost. This is not charity. This does not mean giving people handouts. It means sitting with people who have suffered various forms of oppression and creating a space where their story can be heard. It is asking them how they want to change what has been done to them, either personally or systemically, and seeing how we can match our gifts with theirs to make that happen. In a world that seems to have justice only for those who can afford it, this may be a charge that makes the church unpopular in the eyes of those who don’t understand this mission, but that does not excuse us from the charge.

And lastly, we are about redefining relationships. Instead of asking what can the church do for me, we gather together to ask how we can serve each other and those we come into contact with each day. We say that each and every one of our relationships – no matter their level of depth – is important. And we exhibit this principle every week when we gather. Those around us in worship matter. The very presence of another human being affects our physiological responses. We need each other to be present around us in this space, because we are incomplete without each and every person. We are the body of Christ – with each of the members being vital. When we are not present, we cause the body to be less than what it could be.

These are huge visions for our community, for the church. But God does not give us tasks that are impossible. No, God gives us Divine sized visions that help us grow in holiness. May it be so, here at Albright- Bethune.