Claimed, gathered and sent

What are your thoughts about this passage from Isaiah? I'm curious, even though I'm not preaching this week. We have a special guest. This is being sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church.  First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10  1The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,         the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2it shall blossom abundantly,   and rejoice with joy and singing.  The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,   the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.  They shall see the glory of the LORD,   the majesty of our God.  3Strengthen the weak hands,   and make firm the feeble knees.  4Say to those who are of a fearful heart,   “Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God.   He will come with vengeance,  with terrible recompense.   He will come and save you.”  5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,   and the ears of the deaf unstopped;  6then the lame shall leap like a deer,   and the tongue of the speechless sing for j

This is the sermon I preached on 12/8/19, the second Sunday of Advent, at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The text was Isaiah 11:1-10 Who wouldn’t want to live in a paradise like the one Isaiah describes? It’s an unimaginable world! But it didn’t start out that way for the people of Israel. Judah had been devastated. In Isaiah 6, it’s likened to a tree that’s been destroyed with only the stump remaining. But God had promised that there would be new life that would usher in a new age of righteousness and justice. This would not be limited to Israel alone, but is an ideal world for all people. Isaiah preaches hope in a time of terror and justice in a time of oppression. The stump, which dominated the political situation, was the dynastic reign of King David’s family, which was believed to be the carrier of God’s goodness and faithfulness in the world. But the royal family disappointed its people and left them in despair. God’s Spirit enters into this malaise. God’s wind has come to