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Jan. 8, 2003
Oaks of Righteousness
Third Sunday of Advent
Delivered December. 15, 2002
by Pastor Werner De Jong
Text: Isaiah 61:1-4, 10-11
Main Idea: Through Christ's coming God is working to transform fragile, hurting people into strong, healthy people–oaks of righteousness–whose transformation in turn will serve to display God's glory.
Purpose: To encourage the listeners that in Jesus Christ God is at work in this world and in their lives to deliver people from situations of brokenness and despair to situations of healing and joy. To challenge the listeners that, with the help of God's Spirit, their purpose in life is to bring glory to God.
Introduction: How many of you are familiar with what is probably the most famous tree in Mennonite history? If I told you it is located in the Ukraine, would that help? Does anyone know which tree I am talking about? The Chortitza Oak has not only been famous throughout Ukraine but much of the world. It is approximately 800 years old, and was already considered a special location long before Mennonites arrived in the Ukraine, when the Cossacks ruled the area. In the 19th century the Mennonites were allocated an area for a colony, the Chortitza colony, and the tree fell within its boundaries, and it soon became important for Mennonites as well. It was a landmark for early settlers, who camped beneath its branches; and later it is said that many important agreements were worked out beneath the Chortitza Oak. There was even a photo of it in a recent issue of the Canadian Mennonite.
Unfortunately the tree has died back significantly in recent years, but there is still one branch alive. It has become a monument, a tourist site. A Ukrainian tradition is that the tree brings good fortune to marriages. Newlyweds are to walk around it three times. Even though most of its branches have been cut back, many people, Mennonites included, never want to see it cut down to the ground. They would surely agree with the following words of a poem by George Perkins Morris, entitled "Woodman, Spare that Tree:"
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Woodman, spare that tree! Touch not a single bough! In youth it sheltered me, And I'll protect it now. ‘Twas my forefather's hand That placed it near his cot; There, woodman, let it stand, Thy ax shall harm it not! That old familiar tree, Whose glory and renown Are spread o'er land and sea, And wouldst thou hew it down? Woodman, forebear thy stroke! Cut not its earth-bound ties! Oh! spare that aged oak, Now towering to the skies. When but an idle boy I sought its grateful shade; In all their gushing joy Here too my sisters played. My mother kissed me here My father pressed my hand— Forgive this foolish tear, But let that old oak stand! My heart-strings round thee cling, Close as thy bark, old friend! Here shall the wild–bird sing, And still thy branches bend. Old tree, the storm still brave! And woodman, leave the spot! While I've a hand to save, Thy ax shall harm it not. |
In the 61st chapter of Isaiah, which we read earlier, we encounter a remarkable metaphor which evokes such symbolism. Hear what the prophet has to say about God's people: "They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory." What a wonderful promise that is, especially to people who feel weak, small and insignificant. It is a promise of transformation, a promise that the children of God will be made strong and stable, robust and secure. Like the glorious oak their lives too will bring glory to their Creator.
This promise is all the more remarkable when we consider the former state of those to whom it is addressed. They are those in need of redemption: the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, and those who mourn. They are those whom others dismiss as weak and irrelevant. Listen again to the prophet: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion–to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness..." (Is. 61:1-3a).
Who precisely are these oaks? Who are the people Isaiah is talking about? Who are the oppressed and brokenhearted who will be transformed? On the one hand we may think about the returning exiles to Jerusalem, whose homecoming was a great disillusionment. They expected Israel quickly to regain her former status, and become the leader among the nations. Instead they remained a small, weak people, whose city was in terrible disrepair. Powerful nations surrounded them, and not a few enemies. All seemed bleak and hopeless. But the word of promise is that, given time, they would grow into mighty oaks. For this the people waited, and to them the prophet gave this word of hope in verse 4: "They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations."
But on the other hand, even though Israel was slowly rebuilt, can we truly say that Isaiah's glorious vision was exhausted in their humble rebuilding efforts? Or were the words of Isaiah farther reaching than that? Oak trees, as we know, grow very slowly. Could it be that the Israel we see after the exile had not yet reached full maturity? This would mean that Isaiah's words would continue to be fulfilled over the passage of time. Is there any evidence of that? The answer is a resounding yes. During Advent we remember that, from these returning exiles, a baby was eventually born, Jesus our Lord. His first words of public ministry, as recorded in the gospel of Luke, come from our very text, Isaiah 61. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me," declared Jesus, "because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." Then he said, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
A partial healing began with the exiles, but Jesus is the one who would ultimately redeem those who are in need of healing. Therefore he is the fulfilment of the one Isaiah speaks about, the Spirit filled one whose ministry would transform insignificant, tottering people, into a majestic oak forest. Who are these developing oaks? They are no one less than you and I, they are the redeemed of God, the church, they are all those poor, blind, captive and oppressed people who turn to Jesus for salvation, who embrace the good news of the kingdom of God.
Did you know that we are growing oak trees, that we are becoming strong and mighty? We may not look like it on the outside, (at least I hope not!), we may not always feel like it on the inside, but we are being transformed. The Spirit of God who is upon us is transforming us into God's holy people. For when we bring our weakness to Jesus, he converts it to strength. Our true strength is not in our physical ability, nor in our mental fortitude. Rather, the strength we have, according to Isaiah, consists of "righteousness." There is no stronger substance in the world than righteousness, for it is the stuff God is made of. We are not oaks made of wood, as beautiful as they are, but "oaks of righteousness," which are even more beautiful.
You may say, "I don't feel much like a mighty oak tree. My body is tired and wasting away, I'm going through a dry spell spiritually, I feel more feeble than strong." All this may indeed be true, but in God's eyes you have a hidden strength that the world cannot see, and that you may not even be aware of. But it is there nonetheless, for through faith in Jesus the Spirit of God is upon you and you have been made righteous.
Righteousness speaks of our right relationship with God. Ancient Israel, who repeatedly broke covenant with God, longed and waited for such righteousness, and finally it appeared through the coming of the Messiah. According to the New Testament, through our faith in Jesus Christ we are given a true relationship with God which involves the forgiveness of all sin and a new moral standing with God in union with Christ. Listen to how the apostle Paul expressed it: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21). And that is what you are, and that is what I am, all we who accept Jesus, we are the righteousness of God. In God's eyes we are clean, and pure, and holy. Like a loving parent God himself has gently washed and cleansed our wounds. Through our faith God has transformed us, and now we are in Christ. As oak trees we stand with the strength of our risen Lord, for the very fibre of which we are made is united with the fibre of our Lord. His strength is our strength, for his righteousness has become our righteousness. Once we realize who in Christ we are, our righteousness will begin to display itself in right actions. We will grow into mature trees. More and more we will want to love God and others as Jesus asks us to do.
All of this is reason to celebrate, as Isaiah points out in our morning text: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness" (v.10a). With arms outstretched God has tenderly dressed us with love, and mercy, and compassion. We have been given a fresh, clean set of clothes that should be the envy of every tailor, for they will never wear out, and they will always identify us as beloved children of the heavenly father. We must never forget that this is who we are. Our most basic identity in this world is as children of God. We may not always feel like it, we may be all too familiar with our own daily struggles, and wonder if we could ever be deserving of God's love. The good news is we don't have to deserve God's love, for it is a gift, the gift of new clothes at Christmas. In the birth of Christ God has taken the initiative and he has stooped down to us, in order to cover our nakedness and shame with the garments of salvation and the robes of righteousness. That is why our Lord came, to transform fragile, hurting people into strong, healthy people–oaks of righteousness. That is a promise from God to all of his people, and to all in our world who will receive Jesus.
Planted by God: In fact, we can be sure that by the grace of God we will grow into fully mature trees, for as Isaiah points out, God is the one who planted the trees in the first place: "They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord." At this time of year some of us go to Christmas tree lots and cut down our own trees. These trees have been carefully shaped by those who planted and tended them over the years. Because they have an investment in the trees, they do all they can to make them beautiful.
God is like those Christmas tree growers, only he is growing the perfect living Christmas trees. He has invested everything he has in us, for he paid for us with the life of his son. He has planted us in the soil of time, and we can be sure that any tree which our perfect Creator plants and cares for will one day achieve a state of perfection. Not just the individual tree, but the entire forest, which represents the church. We continue to wait for the ultimate fulfilment of that promise, with longing expectation. Listen to Paul's words from today's lectionary reading from 1 Thessalonians, they speak of the same hope: "May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you if faithful, and he will do this" (vv. 23-24).
To Display his Glory: What a wonderful promise that is, how reassuring to those who feel weak, small and insignificant. It is a promise of transformation, a promise, as stated earlier, that the children of God will be made strong and stable, robust and secure. Like the glorious oak our lives too will bring glory to the Creator. That is the ultimate purpose of our existence, to make known to others the grace and majesty of God. Listen again to Isaiah's words: "They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory."
Throughout time kings and queens have created beautiful gardens for various reasons, but one reason surely has been to impress others with the splendour of their kingdom. From ancient times we may think of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the ancient world, which attested to the glory of that empire. Today the most famous botanical garden is probably the Royal Kew Gardens in England, begun hundreds of years ago by the British royal family. For those who enjoy natural beauty, I understand you can spend days at the Kew Gardens, just soaking in the wonderful arrangements of flowers and shrubs and trees. Isaiah's language conjures up this kind of imagery, but with God, the Creator of all, as the gardener. And we are the plants! What a joy to recognize our role in God's design. God has chosen us to display his glory before the world.
We may not think that we are worthy to be put on display. We recognize our frailty and our weaknesses. But do you know what? It is these very imperfections which help us to glorify God, for then people will recognize that the strength and stability which are growing in us are not of our own making. As the apostle Paul wrote, "We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us" (2 Cor. 4:7). Therefore let us not despair of our weaknesses, for they provide God an opportunity to shine through us to the world. After all, clay jars with cracks in them are much better at emitting light than jars which on the outside appear perfect! Through frail people like you and I, people who by the grace of God are growing together into a mighty oak forest, God will be glorified. And God will use us to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind.
Conclusion: In conclusion, let us rejoice in the grace of God that has been at work in our lives, and will continue to be so, until we attain the status of the full measure of Christ. Even though we are weak, God is making us strong; even though we are sinners, God has clothed us with the garments of salvation. Therefore, like the old oak at Chortitza, God has made us, the church, a landmark to the world, one which is able to gladden the hearts of all pilgrims who are looking for their true home. As we remain rooted in Christ the shade of our branches will provide rest and comfort to all who pass our way.
Hear one more time the promise God made through Isaiah to broken people like you and I: "They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory." I close with the words of Paul: "I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. For this day we continue to wait longingly and with outstretched arms" (Phil. 1:6).