Isaiah 55:10-13
10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Psalm 65:8-13
8 Far and wide they'll come to a stop,
they'll stare in awe, in wonder.
Dawn and dusk take turns
calling, "Come and worship."
9 Oh, visit the earth,
ask her to join the dance!
Deck her out in spring showers,
fill the God-River with living water. Paint the wheat fields golden.
Creation was made for this!
10 Drench the plowed fields,
soak the dirt clods
With rainfall as harrow and rake
bring her to blossom and fruit.
11 Snow-crown the peaks with splendor,
scatter rose petals down your paths,
12 All through the wild meadows, rose petals.
Set the hills to dancing,
13 Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,
a drape of flax across the valleys.
Let them shout, and shout, and shout!
Oh, oh, let them sing!
The Message (MSG) | © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Creation was made for this! Psalm 65:9
Introduction
For this mid-July Sunday we get some glorious creation imagery!
• Isaiah 55:10-13 with God's assurance the Word will bear fruit, achieving God's intentions. The Hebrew is dabar that denotes both speech and action—walking the talk. This scripture promises God will send us out with joy, lead us with shalom; mountains and hills will sing, trees will applaud like an excited, appreciative audience.
• Psalm 65 depicts creation rejoicing because God visits earth. Like the 66 chapter long book of Isaiah, the responsive psalm describes earthbound universal salvation that includes rivers and meadows, valleys, canyons and mountains. You can choose words that relate best to your own context because the translator always hovers somewhere between the original text and their resulting translation or paraphrase.
Responsive Psalm 65 and the reading from Isaiah 55 are similar to Psalms 96, 98 and 148 appointed for all the Christmas services. In that nativity poetry, when God comes to us in the newborn Jesus, mountains and snowy hills, fields, streams, and rivers also sing for joy and clap.
• Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, Parable of the Sower. Jesus uses agricultural terminology, but at this particular time, he's talking to people who fish for a living. Jesus would have given versions of the same talk many times on different occasions, with details customized to his particular audience. Scholars suspect the interpretations of various types of ground the seed fell upon may – or may not be – original with Jesus. In any case, they lead to interesting and helpful discussions.
Where We Live
The psalm writer, Isaiah, and Matthew's Jesus all express confidence in the effectiveness of God's word and presence. Let's consider the astonishing, redemptive beauty of God's creation.
• Do you have a favorite indoors or outdoors place where you especially feel God's presence?
• Do you have house plants or a garden?
• Do you have a favorite national park, botanical garden, beach, or greenhouse?
• Do you grow some of your own veggies or herbs?
• Do you ever buy cut flowers from the farmers' market, street vendor, or supermarket?
• Do you draw, paint, photograph scenes or vignettes of creation? I enjoy doing all of those things.
• What region or country you haven't been to would you especially love to visit because of the reputation of their nature and wildlife?
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