Sermon - Isaiah 56:1-8 House of Prayer for All Nations

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches

Sermon - Isaiah 56:1-8 House of Prayer for All Nations

August 17, 2014

One of our favorite activities is to set boundaries. We like to know who is in and who is out. We like bright lines that separate us from them. We want clear distinctions between right and wrong and good and evil. We have always wanted to draw a line in the sand. Today we will talk about the lines that separate us, but first let's pray.

Gracious Lord, bless me and make your face clear to me that I may see your will for my life and know the power of your salvation. Amen.¹

One of the brightest lines dividing good from evil can be found in the first chapter of the Book of Romans were Paul says this:

Romans 1:20-32 ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. ²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-- who is forever praised. Amen. ²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. ²⁸ Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

I think we can all agree the Paul has made a list of people on the other side of line from us. They are evil. We are good, so long as we remain on this side of the line. Right? Well, let's hear Paul's conclusion to all this.

Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

According to Paul the greatest of all sins is being judgmental. Whenever we a draw a line in the sand and say that we are in and others are out we are committing a sin and liable to God wrath. Judging others is itself a sin because judgment is reserved for God alone.

This is a problem facing the American church today. We have spent a generation drawing lines in the sand and saying who is in and who is out. We cannot presume to know who God considers in and who God considers out. But the American Church constantly divides into smaller and smaller units by making the lines we draw more and more restrictive. We are divided by lines of doctrine, of race, of age, of economic level, and of sexual orientation. We say, “I am in and you are out.” But God says no more lines. Let's hear from the Book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 56:1-8 ^NIV Isaiah 56:1 This is what the LORD says: "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. ² Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." ³ Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people." And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree." ⁴ For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-- ⁵ to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. ⁶ And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-- ⁷ these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." ⁸ The Sovereign LORD declares-- he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered."

In the 6^th century before Christ the people of God returned from exile in Babylon and rebuilt their temple. They then had a decision to make. Who could enter the temple? Who could worship there? And, who must be kept out? During the years of exile many foreigners had relocated to Jerusalem and the surrounding area. They joined a remnant of people who had stayed behind. Many of the foreigners converted and worshiped the LORD, God of Israel. Should these people be allowed in the temple? The returning exiles decided that only the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob should be permitted to worship. A line was drawn in the sand that separated people along ethnic lines. Foreigners were judged unworthy to enter the temple and were excluded.

But God spoke through a prophet. This prophet was devoted to the writings of the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years earlier. We don't know his name, but his work, from the time of the restoration of the temple is included in the last eleven chapters of the Book of Isaiah. This prophet told the people not to draw lines. The temple was to be house of prayer for all people. The people of God were not to choose who goes in and who stays out. The only person capable of making a judgment like this was God. So too today. God does not want us to draw lines excluding people from church. He wants the church to be inclusive and welcome everyone into it's doors.

But we fail to obey this command of God. We are judgmental, drawing lines and choosing for ourselves who is in and who is out. In other words we eat from the tree of the knowledge of good of evil. We want to be the judge of who is evil and who is good. This is sin. We are not to judge. Is there is evil in the world? Yes! Will it judged? Yes! Who is the judge? Certainly not us. God alone is the judge.

So, is there any hope to the church in America? I think so. Young people today are leaving the church saying that we are too judgmental. I think they are right. And one day God will gather them back into church which hopefully will be less judgmental and where there are no lines of separation only gracious acceptance.

I hope that all of us will graciously accept into fellowship all who desire to worship God. I pray that we will be accepting and inclusive. I pray that people of all ages, economic levels, races and sexual orientations will be welcome here at Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam churches. I know that one day God will judge evil. But I also know that we are not to judge others. Let us be a house of prayer for everyone.

As I thought about this scripture from Isaiah this week I began to think of what Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam might look like if the line that divides people was erased. Last weekend I was at Walmart waiting for Grace to finish her shopping. I noticed that most of the people going in and coming out were young Latino families. Also this week I was at McDonald's. A middle age couple was sitting at the next table. When they stood up I realized that they were speaking Spanish. And did you know that the pizza shop next to Pitts Creek church plays Spanish language television most of the time. Regardless of your political views on immigration the reality is that Pocomoke is becoming increasingly Hispanic. Already Glad Tidings and Holy Name of Jesus churches here in Pocomoke have Spanish speaking congregations which have revitalized their programs for children and youth. What should be our response be to our changing community? Let's pray.

Lord God of heaven, listen our prayers. We ask that you form us into a gracious church where all people feel welcome. Help us to not draw lines which exclude people from our fellowship. Help us to not be judgmental because you alone judge. Let us be a house of prayer for all people. This we pray in your son's name who told us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Amen.

1Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2 © 2014 Westminster John Knox Press p127.