[Pastor’s Note: This sermon is based on the four scripture readings. One may read all four during the service which is often my practice, or one may use just portions of the scriptures added into the appropriate paragraphs or one may simply omit one or more of the paragraphs as each of the first four paragraphs are linked to the readings in the order above.]

The words of the prophet Isaiah sound so lofty and serene: “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles.” Yet we know that Isaiah spoke those words from God to a nation that had been defeated and was now in exile; separated from everything they knew and loved. Many of them must have thought that things would never get better. They probably felt like giving up. And yet even in these…