On this third Sunday in Lent, all three of our lessons have to do with repentance, but we will look at that specifically in our Isaiah text.

Verses 8 and 9 of our Old Testament lesson tell us about the absolute otherness of God. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, says the Lord." That is a revelation that we need to remember whenever we try to identify the Lord with theological theories from our own imagination, or whenever we try to say that one of our social programs is identical with the will of God. All of our theologies and philosophies, all of our programs and projects, both in and outside of the church, are tainted by our sinfulness. There is no thought or action of ours for which we can claim absolute truth and authority. Those lie in God alone, whos…