Mar 29, 2013    Good feiday    Isaiah 62:4

Sermon series by Dr. Reed Lessing

"A New Name"

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The text for today’s meditation is Isaiah 62:4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. Confusion over my last name has created some awkward moments. Last May as I was preparing for my ordination I asked our ad rep at The Daily Sentinel if my ordination would be something the paper would be interested in writing about. I explained how important it was and that most churches go their entire existence without celebrating an ordination. She checked into it and put me in contact with a reporter who sent me some questions to answer. I answered them in his word document and emailed it back to him along with my bio. Our ad rep calls me several days later to tell me it was in tomorrow’s paper. The next day I excitedly flip through the paper and there I see a big picture of all the pastors and me at my ordination. I read the caption of the picture and my name is spelled Hinke instead of Ninke. I think to myself, "that’s interesting" maybe he just got it wrong for the picture. I read the article and almost every other time he refers to me it is Hinke. I keep reading and there are more Hinkes. I didn’t understand, most of what he wrote he cut and pasted from what I sent him. How could he get it wrong. I realized I couldn’t do a thing. I reached the point of no return. So had Zion. In the Old Testament she has lofty names like "the city of David," "Yahweh’s virgin daughter," "the City of the Great King," "the perfection of beauty," and "Yahweh’s dwelling place." But Isaiah reminds us in our text that Zion has another name, "the Abandoned One." In staccato-like manner we hear "Abandoned One" throughout his book. Isaiah 6:12 is a good example, "There will be many abandoned places in the midst of the land." By the time we get to 49:14 Zion finally faces the facts, "Yahweh abandoned me." What brought on this sad state of affairs? Zion rebelled, abandoned Yahweh, despised the Holy One of Israel, faked her way through worship, denied justice for the widow and orphan, played the prostitute, murdered, sinned, and worshiped other gods. And this is just from Isaiah 1. Time doesn’t allow us to consider the next sixty-five chapters in the book! Zion’s marriage to Yahweh had been rocky, at best. So he finally slams the door and leaves. "Good riddance, dear," Yahweh said. "I need some time to collect my thoughts." We call this the Babylonian exile of 587 BC. And so Zion sits in the darkness, all alone; feeling like her name will forever be "the Abandoned One." Zion had reached the point of no return. You know the feeling. So do I. "My God, my God, why have you abandonded me?" This is the cry of Jesus from the cross and this is our cry as well. It happens most often when we lose love; the breakup and the brokenness are more than we can take. Some are abandoned by alcoholic parents, others by abusive friends, and still others by emotionally distant spouses. There’s a wife left by her husband of thirty years for another woman, half his age. There’s a seminarian left by his fiancé for another guy who is going to be "way more successful." There are parents whose children have left home and "empty nest" means a gaping hole in their hearts. And there’s a child stricken with cystic fibrosis left alone, confined to her bed for days without number. Abandonment is all of this and so much more. Listen. Can you hear the desperate cadence? "Abandoned One," "Abandoned One," "Abandoned One." So many have reached the point of no return. And if abandonment remains unresolved it becomes an insidious virus that destroys our body, mind and soul. Trying to self-medicate with food, alcohol, shopping, studies, work or internet only gets us further trapped in patterns of self-sabotage. That’s why Isaiah takes us into his salvation trilogy of chapters 60-62. They explode with light, abundance, silver, gold, gardens, brilliant jewels, and costly garments. But what is most striking are all the new names which announce a new identity for the people of God. God’s good and perfect gift for you is a new name! Isaiah 60:14, "They shall call you Yahweh’s City, Zion of the Holy One of Israel." 61:3, "They will be called oaks of righteousness, Yahweh’s planting." 61:6, "You shall be called Yahweh’s priests." 62:12, "They shall be called The Holy People, Yahweh’s Redeemed and the Sought Out One." And our text Isaiah 62:4, "You shall never again be called "Abandoned One" … but you will be called ‘My Delight is in Her.’" The Hebrew language in "... but you will be called" conveys a passive idea which means Yahweh initiates the identity change. We can’t do it ourselves. In fact the attitude, "come let us make a name for ourselves" in Gen 11:4 ends in the tower’s destruction, along with chaos and confusion. Contrast this with Gen 12:2 where Yahweh promises, "I will make your name great." And great it is! Zion will be called, "My Delight is in her." Isaiah expands on this in the next verse. "As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you." Several years ago Lauren’s sound dock for her iPod started giving her problems. I called the company to see about getting it fixed. I knew it was a long shot because it was long out of warranty. To my surprise they offered me an upgraded version for half the cost of a new one. It was less than the repair as well. What a deal, an upgrade at half the cost! Why settle for the two-bit name "Abandoned One" when God has upgraded us to "My Delight is in Her"? What an awesome name! What a good and perfect gift! An upgrade in name in the Bible always brings with it a marvelous new destiny. Abram means "exalted father," but in Genesis 17 Yahweh calls him Abraham, and he becomes "the father of many nations." Simon Bar Jonah is a fisherman, but in Matthew 16 Jesus calls him Peter, petros, the rock! And this rock goes on to preach and live most courageously for our Savior. Just so, our new name, "My Delight is in Her," brings with it a glorious new destiny. The Bridegroom is coming for his bride. And when that happens, this entire second-class world will be upgraded to a New Heaven and New Earth! Yet haven’t we rebelled, abandoned Yahweh, despised the Holy One of Israel, faked our way through worship, denied justice for the widow and orphan, played the prostitute, murdered, sinned, and worshiped other gods? Indeed. It is dark, very dark on this Good Friday. But "My Delight is in Her" is our identity forever because another one was called "Abandoned One." This is finally what Good Friday is all about. Talk about being downgraded! Mocked by the crowds, betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, forsaken by the ten, unjustly accused in a kangaroo court, sentenced to death by a weak-willed Roman governor, crowned with thorns, and scourged by muscle-men just short of death. There against the dark sky is our Jesus; condemned, crucified and all alone. He cries out, "My God, my God. Why have you abandoned me?" Jesus had reached the point of no return. Or had he? Were these his last words? Was this the end of the story? How could it be? "Abandoned" is never Yahweh’s last word! Three days later, Jesus has a new name. Rev 1:17, "I am the Living One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore." And this upgrade is forever! Now, you might wonder what its worth to be called John Ninke instead of John Hinke. Well, it’s worth something. But what its worth to have the name "My Delight is in Her" and never, never, never again, "Abandoned One"? Well, that’s worth …. EVERYTHING! Amen.