Welcome to All:
Zion’s Children to Be Brought Home
Isaiah 49: 8 –12
8 Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favor I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages;
9 saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;i
0 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
11 And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12 Lo, these shall come from far away,
and lo, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.
Most of us have never been incarcerated in the penal system. Yet many of us have been prisoners of one sort or another. We have been prisoners of destructive habits, of addictions, of hurtful relationships, and of situations where we felt as if circumstances were completely outside of our control.
To one in any type of prison, Isaiah’s words offer priceless pearls of hope. “Come out of your prisons, show yourselves from out of the darkness;” these are potent words of hope to people for whom hope was only a distant dream.
Not only is release promised, but a life of freedom is pledged as well. The freed captives will not hunger or thirst and they will not be struck down by scorching wind or sun. The key to this freedom is that they will be led by God; “he who has pity on them”.
Jesus described part of his role as Messiah as, “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives”. In what prison are you confined? Are you ready to hear the good news of freedom?
Let us pray: Lord you know our prisons, some are of our own making, some are imposed upon us. Free us we pray, release us from that which keeps us from being all that we can be. In the name of the One who transforms lives, Jesus the Christ, amen.
i

Welcome to our Lenten Journey

Comfort and Assurance in God’s Presence
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

Have you ever been truly thirsty? This question does not refer to a time when one might like something to drink. This question refers to a circumstance where one is desperate for water; perhaps even a life-threatening situation.
Human beings are designed, we are born with a thirst such as this; a thirst for God. “You have made us for yourselves and our hearts are restless until they find rest
in you”, wrote Saint Augustine. Our souls thirst for God.
Yet too many people try to satisfy that thirst with false gods. Some try some “new spirituality”, while many others try to fill the need with wealth or possessions. These not only fail to truly satisfy, they seldom even last. Only God is eternal. Only God can fulfill our longing for meaning, for a joyful life. Let your restless soul find rest in him.
Join me in prayer: O God, let me find the living waters your Son promised. Fulfill my longing for meaning in my life through your presence. Let me find my rest only in you. In the name of the One who transforms lives, Jesus Christ, amen.