"Jesus Speaks Our Language"
Isaiah 55:1-13 March 7, 2010
On Tuesday night, after a whirlwind day of travel that saw us up at 3:30 a.m., the Mission team
was walking through a lower middle class neighborhood in Mexicali Mexico. It was dark as we
wandered the streets. About every fifth house was vacant, either burned out or simply abandoned.
Locked gates were prevalent. I’m not quite sure what the people were afraid of. It didn’t matter to
us. We went door to door passing out fliers. Every parent, every child, every person willing to
receive the invitation was asked to join us for Vacation Bible School at the church.
An image flashed in my mind of that parable Jesus told of the king sending out invitations to the
great banquet. He invited everyone to come and dine with him.
In Mexico, and in many parts of the world, the invitation has gone out to any who will hear.
Come and taste what God has prepared for you. No pre-conditions. No get your life in order first.
The invitation is - to come and experience a love like you’ve never known before.
I love Tony Campolo. He’s a retired professor at Eastern Baptist University in Philadelphia. He’s a
writer and speaker who has traveled around the world. One of my favorite stories is the one he tells
of a trip to Honolulu in the mid 80’s. Having crossed far too many time zones from Philadelphia to
Hawaii, he found himself awake and needing breakfast at 3:30am local time. He ended up in a
greasy, spoon diner where he ordered a donut and a coffee. He’s sitting here when a group of 8 or
9 prostitutes walks in. How did he know. You can tell. The place is small, Campolo is surrounded,
and like most of us decides the best thing to do is to get out of there. Then he overhears one of
them say, “Tomorrow is my birthday; I’ll be 39.” Somebody else tears into her. “So?? Whadya
want me to do about it?? Want me to throw you a party, bake you a cake, sing “happy birthday???”
The first shot back, “Come on! Why do you have to be so mean? I’m just telling you, you don’t
have to put me down. I don’t want anything. I’ve never had a birthday party my whole life. I’m
just saying it would be nice if somebody cared.”
If you know Tony Campolo, you probably have an idea what happens next. He hangs around till
they leave, then asks the guy who runs the place if those people come in every night. They do. So
Campolo asks if he could throw that woman a big birthday party that next night. They get excited
about the idea, make all the arrangements – Campolo decorates the diner, the chef bakes a cake,
somebody gets the word out on the street. This is how Campolo describes the scene:
“By 3:15 every prostitute in Honolulu was in the place. It was wall-to-wall prostitutes… and me!
At 3:30 on the dot, the door of the diner swung open and in came Agnes and her friend. I have
everybody ready and when they came in we all screamed, “Happy birthday!”
Never have I seen a person so flabbergasted … so stunned … so shaken. Her mouth fell open.
Her legs seemed to buckle a bit. Her friend grabbed her arm to steady her. As she was led to one of
the stools along the counter we all sang “Happy Birthday” to her. As we came to the end of our
singing with “happy birthday dear Agnes, happy birthday to you,” her eyes moistened. Then, when
the cake was carried out with all the candles on it, she lost it and just openly cried.”
She couldn’t blow out the candles. She couldn’t cut the cake. In fact, she was so overwhelmed
that she asked if she could just keep the cake for a little while. And so Agnes picked the cake up
and carried it home as if it were the most precious thing imaginable.
The crowd was stunned into silence. Not knowing what else to do, Campolo said; “what do you
say we pray?” And he did. He prayed for Agnes, for her salvation, for God to turn her life around.
At the end, the chef turned to him with a trace of hostility in his voice and said, “You never told me
you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?” Campolo replied, “I belong to a
church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning.”
Our text today speaks to this matter. Isaiah speaks to a people who are lost and feel abandoned.
They are a people who feel that God has left them. They had been carried away to Babylon. They
felt dirty and without hope. And Isaiah stands tall and invites them to come to the Lord. That’s the
call of the church today. “Come.”
I think too often though, we get caught up in something else. We play the blame game. We look
at the world and point fingers. We like to stand in judgment. We set up a gate and become the
gatekeeper as if it were our job to decide who is in and who is out. I don’t know if I could have
done what Tony Campolo did. But in his actions to reach out to a lost soul, he was certainly more
Christ-like, than anyone I know. For you see that is what Jesus did time after time. As a matter of
fact, that is what got him in trouble with the religious authorities. He was always hanging out with
known sinners. He was always at the table, talking to and dining with folks whose lives were a
mess.
He invited them to the table where they could meet God, and learn from him. That was Isaiah’s
invitation. There was going to be a new covenant. Hope and joy were to be a part of it. Grace and
salvation were a part of it too.
Read Isaiah 61:1-2, and Luke 4:18-19 and you see Isaiah foretelling it, and Jesus claiming that the
spirit of the Lord was upon him to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the broken hearted, to
proclaim freedom to the captive, release for the prisoners.
Jesus says he has something for everyone to chew on: the thirsty, hungry, hurting, grieving,
imprisoned, captive, slaves and free alike. It is not limited to certain people, but is open to all who
will come. Everything is ready. All you have to do is show up at this important occasion.
I have to tell you that for me, the most intimidating part of our trips to Mexico has been the
Vacation Bible School. I’m not sure why. Maybe it is because we are out of our element. We don’t
speak Spanish and it feels like there is a lot of pressure on us. Yet each year it has been the most
rewarding. As these children and their parents come, joy fills the air. You can sense the presence of
the Holy Spirit. There are smiles and the sound of laughter. That’s because God speaks their
language. He speaks our language too.
I think everyone who returns gets a sense of this. We talk about the poverty and how our hearts
ache for the people. Then in the next breath we talk about the joy that seems to fill their souls. It’s
what Isaiah was talking about in our passage. Too many of us try to buy our happiness or fill our
lives with things that do not satisfy. True happiness can only be found in a deep abiding relationship
with God.
That’s what Ramon and Alma preach in Mexicali. They invite people to the Lord’s table and
introduce them to God. That’s what we are called to do as well.
Isaiah says, seek the Lord, he can be found here. He wants to meet you. You see Jesus
understands us. He speaks our language. We don’t need an interpreter.
An amazing thing happens when we cozy up to Jesus. Our lives begin to change. He speaks to
our hearts and we begin to yearn for him.
Not too many years ago newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who came to
faith in Jesus Christ. What made his story remarkable was not his conversion, but the fact that as a
result of his newfound faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had participated in when
he was nineteen years old.
Because the statute of limitations on the case had run out, Johnson could not be prosecuted for
the offense. Still, he believed his relationship with Christ demanded a confession. And he even
voluntarily repaid his share of the stolen money!
That is the ministry that Christ has given us. We are to invite people to the table so that God can
work in their hearts. The Apostle Paul calls it the ministry of reconciliation. Our job is to get God
and his children together. It doesn’t matter if you are in Norwich or Mexicali, our job is to set the
table so Jesus can work his miracles. All we need to do is trust him and believe.
Years ago, a woman named Lucy Schoepfer was a stalwart in our weekly Bible studies. She was
the wife of former pastor Walter Schoepfer. She had a saying “Gods ways are not our ways.” It
came from our text here. She always said it as a reminder that God works in mysterious ways. No
matter how things look at any given moment, you can be sure he is working for our good and our
salvation.
I like the story told about Corrie Ten Boom;
She and her sister, Betsy, had just been transferred to the worst German prison camp they had
seen yet, Ravensbruck. Upon entering the barracks, they found them extremely overcrowded and
flea-infested. Their Scripture reading that morning in 1 Thessalonians had reminded them to rejoice
always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances. Betsy told Corrie to stop and thank
the Lord for every detail of their new living quarters. Corrie at first flatly refused to give thanks for
the fleas, but Betsy persisted. She finally succumbed. During the months spent at that camp, they
were surprised to find how openly they could hold Bible study and prayer meetings without guard
interference. It was several months later when they learned that the guards would not enter the
barracks because of the fleas.
There were a lot of people who were upset when Jesus invited Matthew to be one of his
disciples. Yet Matthew gave us one of the most precious gifts, his gospel. That kind of blessing
happens every day when we become an inviting people and let Jesus do what he does best.
Have you been struggling with your faith lately? Have you been feeling alienated and distant from
God. Well this invitation is for you today. Come to the table, all who hunger and thirst. Jesus is
there, ready to greet you and welcome you. He is ready to take your burdens and give you new life.
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or where YOU think you are going. Just come. Receive the
gift that satisfies and begin your daily walk with him. Come to the table and sit in the presence of
the Lord.
Amen.
Isaiah 55:1-13 March 7, 2010
On Tuesday night, after a whirlwind day of travel that saw us up at 3:30 a.m., the Mission team
was walking through a lower middle class neighborhood in Mexicali Mexico. It was dark as we
wandered the streets. About every fifth house was vacant, either burned out or simply abandoned.
Locked gates were prevalent. I’m not quite sure what the people were afraid of. It didn’t matter to
us. We went door to door passing out fliers. Every parent, every child, every person willing to
receive the invitation was asked to join us for Vacation Bible School at the church.
An image flashed in my mind of that parable Jesus told of the king sending out invitations to the
great banquet. He invited everyone to come and dine with him.
In Mexico, and in many parts of the world, the invitation has gone out to any who will hear.
Come and taste what God has prepared for you. No pre-conditions. No get your life in order first.
The invitation is - to come and experience a love like you’ve never known before.
I love Tony Campolo. He’s a retired professor at Eastern Baptist University in Philadelphia. He’s a
writer and speaker who has traveled around the world. One of my favorite stories is the one he tells
of a trip to Honolulu in the mid 80’s. Having crossed far too many time zones from Philadelphia to
Hawaii, he found himself awake and needing breakfast at 3:30am local time. He ended up in a
greasy, spoon diner where he ordered a donut and a coffee. He’s sitting here when a group of 8 or
9 prostitutes walks in. How did he know. You can tell. The place is small, Campolo is surrounded,
and like most of us decides the best thing to do is to get out of there. Then he overhears one of
them say, “Tomorrow is my birthday; I’ll be 39.” Somebody else tears into her. “So?? Whadya
want me to do about it?? Want me to throw you a party, bake you a cake, sing “happy birthday???”
The first shot back, “Come on! Why do you have to be so mean? I’m just telling you, you don’t
have to put me down. I don’t want anything. I’ve never had a birthday party my whole life. I’m
just saying it would be nice if somebody cared.”
If you know Tony Campolo, you probably have an idea what happens next. He hangs around till
they leave, then asks the guy who runs the place if those people come in every night. They do. So
Campolo asks if he could throw that woman a big birthday party that next night. They get excited
about the idea, make all the arrangements – Campolo decorates the diner, the chef bakes a cake,
somebody gets the word out on the street. This is how Campolo describes the scene:
“By 3:15 every prostitute in Honolulu was in the place. It was wall-to-wall prostitutes… and me!
At 3:30 on the dot, the door of the diner swung open and in came Agnes and her friend. I have
everybody ready and when they came in we all screamed, “Happy birthday!”
Never have I seen a person so flabbergasted … so stunned … so shaken. Her mouth fell open.
Her legs seemed to buckle a bit. Her friend grabbed her arm to steady her. As she was led to one of
the stools along the counter we all sang “Happy Birthday” to her. As we came to the end of our
singing with “happy birthday dear Agnes, happy birthday to you,” her eyes moistened. Then, when
the cake was carried out with all the candles on it, she lost it and just openly cried.”
She couldn’t blow out the candles. She couldn’t cut the cake. In fact, she was so overwhelmed
that she asked if she could just keep the cake for a little while. And so Agnes picked the cake up
and carried it home as if it were the most precious thing imaginable.
The crowd was stunned into silence. Not knowing what else to do, Campolo said; “what do you
say we pray?” And he did. He prayed for Agnes, for her salvation, for God to turn her life around.
At the end, the chef turned to him with a trace of hostility in his voice and said, “You never told me
you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?” Campolo replied, “I belong to a
church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning.”
Our text today speaks to this matter. Isaiah speaks to a people who are lost and feel abandoned.
They are a people who feel that God has left them. They had been carried away to Babylon. They
felt dirty and without hope. And Isaiah stands tall and invites them to come to the Lord. That’s the
call of the church today. “Come.”
I think too often though, we get caught up in something else. We play the blame game. We look
at the world and point fingers. We like to stand in judgment. We set up a gate and become the
gatekeeper as if it were our job to decide who is in and who is out. I don’t know if I could have
done what Tony Campolo did. But in his actions to reach out to a lost soul, he was certainly more
Christ-like, than anyone I know. For you see that is what Jesus did time after time. As a matter of
fact, that is what got him in trouble with the religious authorities. He was always hanging out with
known sinners. He was always at the table, talking to and dining with folks whose lives were a
mess.
He invited them to the table where they could meet God, and learn from him. That was Isaiah’s
invitation. There was going to be a new covenant. Hope and joy were to be a part of it. Grace and
salvation were a part of it too.
Read Isaiah 61:1-2, and Luke 4:18-19 and you see Isaiah foretelling it, and Jesus claiming that the
spirit of the Lord was upon him to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the broken hearted, to
proclaim freedom to the captive, release for the prisoners.
Jesus says he has something for everyone to chew on: the thirsty, hungry, hurting, grieving,
imprisoned, captive, slaves and free alike. It is not limited to certain people, but is open to all who
will come. Everything is ready. All you have to do is show up at this important occasion.
I have to tell you that for me, the most intimidating part of our trips to Mexico has been the
Vacation Bible School. I’m not sure why. Maybe it is because we are out of our element. We don’t
speak Spanish and it feels like there is a lot of pressure on us. Yet each year it has been the most
rewarding. As these children and their parents come, joy fills the air. You can sense the presence of
the Holy Spirit. There are smiles and the sound of laughter. That’s because God speaks their
language. He speaks our language too.
I think everyone who returns gets a sense of this. We talk about the poverty and how our hearts
ache for the people. Then in the next breath we talk about the joy that seems to fill their souls. It’s
what Isaiah was talking about in our passage. Too many of us try to buy our happiness or fill our
lives with things that do not satisfy. True happiness can only be found in a deep abiding relationship
with God.
That’s what Ramon and Alma preach in Mexicali. They invite people to the Lord’s table and
introduce them to God. That’s what we are called to do as well.
Isaiah says, seek the Lord, he can be found here. He wants to meet you. You see Jesus
understands us. He speaks our language. We don’t need an interpreter.
An amazing thing happens when we cozy up to Jesus. Our lives begin to change. He speaks to
our hearts and we begin to yearn for him.
Not too many years ago newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who came to
faith in Jesus Christ. What made his story remarkable was not his conversion, but the fact that as a
result of his newfound faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had participated in when
he was nineteen years old.
Because the statute of limitations on the case had run out, Johnson could not be prosecuted for
the offense. Still, he believed his relationship with Christ demanded a confession. And he even
voluntarily repaid his share of the stolen money!
That is the ministry that Christ has given us. We are to invite people to the table so that God can
work in their hearts. The Apostle Paul calls it the ministry of reconciliation. Our job is to get God
and his children together. It doesn’t matter if you are in Norwich or Mexicali, our job is to set the
table so Jesus can work his miracles. All we need to do is trust him and believe.
Years ago, a woman named Lucy Schoepfer was a stalwart in our weekly Bible studies. She was
the wife of former pastor Walter Schoepfer. She had a saying “Gods ways are not our ways.” It
came from our text here. She always said it as a reminder that God works in mysterious ways. No
matter how things look at any given moment, you can be sure he is working for our good and our
salvation.
I like the story told about Corrie Ten Boom;
She and her sister, Betsy, had just been transferred to the worst German prison camp they had
seen yet, Ravensbruck. Upon entering the barracks, they found them extremely overcrowded and
flea-infested. Their Scripture reading that morning in 1 Thessalonians had reminded them to rejoice
always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances. Betsy told Corrie to stop and thank
the Lord for every detail of their new living quarters. Corrie at first flatly refused to give thanks for
the fleas, but Betsy persisted. She finally succumbed. During the months spent at that camp, they
were surprised to find how openly they could hold Bible study and prayer meetings without guard
interference. It was several months later when they learned that the guards would not enter the
barracks because of the fleas.
There were a lot of people who were upset when Jesus invited Matthew to be one of his
disciples. Yet Matthew gave us one of the most precious gifts, his gospel. That kind of blessing
happens every day when we become an inviting people and let Jesus do what he does best.
Have you been struggling with your faith lately? Have you been feeling alienated and distant from
God. Well this invitation is for you today. Come to the table, all who hunger and thirst. Jesus is
there, ready to greet you and welcome you. He is ready to take your burdens and give you new life.
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or where YOU think you are going. Just come. Receive the
gift that satisfies and begin your daily walk with him. Come to the table and sit in the presence of
the Lord.
Amen.
Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
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