GOD's Message Can Rebuild our Lives: LISTEN AND OBEY

 

Some opinions believe that the last part of the book of Isaiah was written when Israelites were picking up pieces of their lives after long years in Babylonian exile. Rebuilding lives after a disaster is not an easy task. For e.g. Hurricane Katrina is not far gone in people’s memories and the rebuilding is still happening in some places. It is believed that Isaiah’s prophecies happened 100 years after he was gone. Isaiah had told Israel’s leaders and Judah that there will be God’s judgment because of their idolatry, rebellion and corruptions and later on, there will be hope. They did not listen, so Israel was defeated and they were taken to Babylon. This goes to show that we don’t listen well. Not until we find out what is really at stake for our own well-being, then we listen well. I don’t think my own people listened well either. There were many messages in Christian circles back in my homeland that we should strongly love one another as true Christian believers, that we should be fervent in our faith. But many disregarded those warnings. Eventually there was a blood bath in 1994. A lot of people lost their lives, others were maimed or scarred for life. I was in exile for 10 years in 4 different countries, and I went back to rebuild. It was hard. I began a journey to listen to the pain of others, stories after stories, I sat and cried with people whose memories were horrendous. I realized one thing: It’s amazing how our capacity to listen improves greatly when we are in great distress. This is what Jesus is getting at in this parable of the sower. Are we really ready to listen to the message from God?

On one of those days of listening to rebuild our nation, I was invited by a friend of mine to stand in for him, as the remains of his family were unearthed so they can be buried with respect and dignity. As you can understand there was an atmosphere of tension, deep sadness and flowing tears. Why did things have to descend to such horrible tragic degree? Entire families lost, community trust broken, Why? The entire country should have listened. Jesus’ parable laments that we don’t listen because we, the hearers choose not to listen. And even if we happen to listen, we don’t respond. Hearing is an act: it is the obligation to catch and hold our attention and engage in response.

Of course, Jesus taught it in a clever way: Looking at the scenery of the fields, he saw the public footpath that was as hard as a concrete pavement which he called the wayside. On his left, there was a rocky hilly area. Some of the soil was not deep there. Jesus tells us that some of us are unteachable like the seed sown on the wayside. We can be close minded, insensitive and simply don’t listen. Others can be shallow hearers. They listen and find the message appealing but forget it as soon as they leave. That’s where many of us were back in my country. We were comfortable and we didn’t think it concerned us or our hearts. Oh boy, how wrong we were!  Jesus also tell us about pre-occupied hearers like the seed that fell into thorns. Hey, Jesus Wait! I have one phone call to make and I will be all yours! This is also a huge category. The world makes us seem busy with unimportant matters, and when it comes to important matters, like spending time with our families, we bail out.

Isaiah prophecy is spot on for us today: Look at God’s perspective not yours. For as rain and snow fall from the heavens and water the earth and allow the seed to sprout and grow and produce bread to eat, so is the word of God coming to the hearer. See the long view of God, not just the raindrop falling into the ground. Look at the entire chain of events. If one of us truly listen to the word of God and change, can you imagine the chain of reaction that God has in mind? We in Rwanda, didn’t listen. The raindrop fell, the seed was sown and the heat of the sun scorched it. The consequences were far reaching… The Good News is, some people listened, and gave their lives to Christ, they are now teaching and living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God help us all, so we can listen.

What can we learn from Israel?  From Rwanda? From a pandemic?  Do we want to just take what we want to hear?  Are we ready to listen and obey?  To see the Kingdom of God and God’s presence in our lives, our nation?  What is our response?

Let us pray:

God of Goodness and growth; Let your Love be real in us today. Soften the hardened places of our hearts; crowd out any corners of greed or anxiety. Make us fruitful in thought, word and deed. Amen