I will indeed repay into their laps their iniquities and their ancestors' iniquities together, says the Lord; because they offered incense on the mountains and reviled me on the hills, I will measure into their laps full payment for their actions. Thus says the Lord: As the wine is found in the cluster, and they say, "Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it," so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all. Isaiah 65: 7-8

The summer months contain some of the most beautiful readings of the Bible that we hear all year. This summer, many of our gospel readings are taken from Luke. Reading these stories, week by week, we are given the most detailed perspective about the world in which Jesus lived.

Author John Claypool asserts that Jesus was "given the task of reconciling the world back to a true understanding of the divine nature." He argues that ever since the story of Adam & Eve and the Serpent, our spiritual ancestors somehow believed some portion of the Serpent's "spin," that our Creator was not fully good, but rather one to exploit.*

Jesus' ministry enters a world that is fraught with challenges. Human beings have been operating on a rather distorted view of God, one that paints God as vengeful and full of wrath. This perception of God was totally false, and humans genuinely feared God in a way that they believed that God would destroy them for their slightest infraction of God's Law.

It is true that life in the early 1st century was fragile. Rates of infant mortality were huge. Most people were on the brink of disaster or starvation or economic ruin. Life was not pretty. Through it all, Jesus emerges on to the scene proclaiming a God of love -- a God that heals, a God that brings all things into their greatest sense of being.

Isaiah's dream, as indicated in the select words of Chapter 65 shows us a glimpse of the conventional wisdom of the 7th century BCE. The writer believes that God will force the people of God to account for their sins, their disrespect, and for their blasphemy. The writer asserts God will do this with force, with anger, and with the threat of annihilation. God speaks through Isaiah and offers forgiveness instead, proclaiming that instead of punishment, there will be a blessing.

God's dream is to redeem us! Not just a certain group, but God wants to redeem everyone who has ever lived. So many times people continue to see God as an angry old White guy up in the clouds, but Jesus came into the world to dispel this myth. God is with us as our most solid companion along life's journey. The presence of Christ follows alongside our footsteps wherever we go in life. The breath of the Holy Spirit reinforces our hearts to seek love and not violence. In these ways and in so many more, God seeks to redeem us.

As you engage with Trinity Cathedral this summer, I invite you to think about the ways in which God calls you to see the love in your community. How are you drawn to see the people who are hurting most, and how does your heart commit do something to end the suffering of others? What might following Jesus' way of love do for your life? Will your image of God change?

This Summer, I invite you to open your hearts and your minds -- those places deep down in your core -- so that God's light, "the Light that enlightens every human being," can shine upon you as well.*

Don't miss out! The beauty of God seeks you out to redeem you, to restore you, and to love you.

In Christ's peace and love,