February 15, 2023 — “Satisfaction is the Foe of Progress”

“Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near…” Isaiah 55:1-6

“A dozen imperative verbs give verses 1-7 an urgent tone—but a happy urgency. These verses invite the listener to eat and drink (vv. 1-2)—to listen and live (v. 3)—to experience an everlasting covenant and steadfast love (v. 3)—to be glorified (v. 5)—to find the Lord (v. 6)—and to receive the Lord’s mercy (v. 7). It sounds too good to be true, like the promises of a carnival barker or a Madison Avenue ad agency—but these offers come, not from someone who is trying to exploit our weaknesses, but from Yahweh, who wants to save us. These promises have the backing of the one who created the universe—who is willing and able to fulfill his promises. Moreover, he waits longingly, like a loving father waiting for an errant child to return—hoping for the opportunity to give—to satisfy—to love—to save.” (sermonwriter.com)

Can our satisfaction in Jesus make us poor Christians? If we are happy in the Lord, and content with our faith, then does satisfaction mean we have no work to do here and now? No! In fact, our satisfaction in Jesus should make us bold Christians. If we are satisfied with Jesus, then by extension, we should be dissatisfied with the state of the world – for although our faith and trust in Jesus will gain us the Kingdom of Heaven, we are nowhere near the Kingdom as it will be one day.

If you think about it, dissatisfaction is the mother of progress. If people would have been satisfied with candles lighting our homes, or gas lanterns being the norm, then we would never have sought out the need for electricity. If people were grateful for the wagon wheel, and satisfied with horsepower by real horses, then we would never have had a need for the automobile.

Dissatisfaction is the mother of progress – it has always and will always be. As such, as we grow in our faith, and begin to internalize the teachings of Jesus, then we should begin to grow dissatisfied with the direction the world is heading – in terms of care for creation, in terms of how we treat the strangers among us, in terms of how we treat the elderly and the homeless, and in terms of how and whether we offer forgiveness and offer love to all people. In other words, we have to be careful not to rest comfortably in our satisfaction of unlimited Grace that comes through Jesus Christ, while there are so many in this world who will never know such satisfaction.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, it is good to find satisfaction in you, but that should not lead us to complacency in the world. Lead me to action in my community and my world while I have my fullness in you. Amen.

Pastor Dave