Do we only see Jesus as man?

Beloved of God,

I hope you are managing the whiplash of jumping back into the rhythms of work and service in this early part of the year. I hope you’ll pray about how you might be called to learn, grow, serve and fellowship in this body through the coming months. The adventure of discipleship continues, and there will be plenty of chances this year to dive in.
Please plan on being punctual this Sunday as we will begin the service with a Baptism. We will take to the waters at 9:00 am and continue worship in the great room immediately after. If you find yourself struggling to be punctual, it will do just fine to be discreet instead. 

Our Scripture reading for this week is from Isaiah 42:1-9, hot on the heels of God’s message of comfort to Israel in Isaiah 40. We hear the word of the Lord about His servant, a figure that has usually represented Israel as they struggle along after God. But suddenly here, the image is different. The servant of the Lord seems whole and powerful in a way that is surprising. This is one of those passages where Christians can’t help but notice the presence of Jesus. 
There are so many images of power and even judgment in Isaiah, that it is startling to me to find a word full of so much gentle confidence. In fact, justice rises out of this very same gentleness and faithfulness. 
Isaiah 42:2    He will not shout or cry out,
        or raise his voice in the streets.
3     A bruised reed he will not break,
        and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
    In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4         he will not falter or be discouraged 
    till he establishes justice on earth.

It has always been tempting to look at Jesus and see only a man. We can experience his gentleness and his mercy and forget that such kindness isn’t separate from his power, justice, and divinity. Or we can do something even stranger, we can convince ourselves that God is only present in power, judgment, and punishment. But I love that this passage asks us to see Jesus as both fully man and fully God; to see his gentleness and his justice side by side. 
    We talked on Sunday about the mystery of the incarnation, and this Sunday we’ll spend time confronting that mystery from the other side. When we look at Jesus, we see God. We know that’s true. But in passages like this one we have to consider whether God is who we thought Him to be, or if there is even more to know. To walk with God is to spend a lifetime shaping our hearts and desires around one so unlike us that He can be perfectly just and perfectly gentle at the same time. 

Please join me this week in praying for:

• Those among us who are sick, or recovering from sickness.
  
• Those among us who are traveling.
• Students and teachers as they return back to class this week. 
• Those who are facing danger from the colder weather, and have nowhere to go for help.
• Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local levels especially those assuming those duties for the first time.
• Those who respond to emergencies on our roadways, in our wildlands, in our communities, and even in our homes. 
• One another (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list).

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall