Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Our text today is the Old Testament lesson read, especially these words, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 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 shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ. I have been here for almost exactly one year. And if there is anything I have learned about North Dakota in our time here, is that we have two seasons, Snow and Monsoon. All winter it snowed and snowed, eight months in a row. And now that it has warmed up, we have gotten rain, rain, and more rain! It has been a wet year since we have moved here, there is no doubt about it.
But we all know that there is a benefit from all the precipitation. The rain that falls helps to water the fields of corn and soy beans in our area. It helps to ensure a crop that grows and provides us with food and income and so many other things. In our own garden we have onions that are taller than I have ever seen, and Tomatoes and Zucchini have grown like crazy. The rainfall came down from heaven and watered the earth, bringing forth sprout and brought seed to the sower and bread to the eater, as our text says.
In our text, Isaiah compares this process to the word of God. Just like rain and snow, God’s Word is continuously coming down to us. And as our text says, it will accomplish the Will of God wherever it goes. Just as rain makes plants grow and live, so too will God’s word accomplish what God wishes. And what God wishes is that you know the truth. That you realize your situation, and the solution for that situation. God wants His Holy word to do its work in you.
And its work is this: First to tell you that you are a guilty sinner. To show you how you cannot on your own do what God’s word wants you to do. And God’s Word accomplishes that in each one of us. For God’s law clearly tells us where we have fallen short. You shall not murder God says. But every time that we think a bad thought about someone, we are murdering them. Every time we want to hurt some one physically or emotionally, we break God’s command. We demonstrate that we are sinners.
You shall not steal, but every time we wrong our neighbor in his possesions we are in effect stealing. Every time that we take a work break without clocking out, or every time we receive something we didn’t earn we are in essence stealing it. We are sinners. You shall not covet, but every time we look around us and see something we want and desire, we covet it in our heart.
And this leads to the most grevious sin of all. The sin against God’s first commandment: You shall have no other gods. This command is broken as we love all variety of things more than we love our God who created us and sustains us day to day. If we love our car, our home, our family and friends, our job or rest, our hobbies. Anything that we love more than God becomes and idol, and separates us from our heavenly father. It is sin within us, and God’s word comes down to show us that sin, and to show us what we can expect if left alone in our sin. For the wages of sin is death. And because God’s word clearly says we are sinner, we know that is what we should expect.
And so, as God promises in our Old Testament lesson, God’s word does the work it is sent for. In God’s word we read how we are truly guilty and in need of repentance. But God’s word does not stop there, for God’s word also speaks a word of hope in the midst of this sin. God’s word speaks of Joy and forgiveness. God’s word says “you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Friends these words are not the words of law that we have spoken of this far. These words are words of Gospel, words about Jesus. For Jesus too is God’s Word – the Word made flesh that dwelt among us. Jesus is God’s word who has come to fulfill God’s will, in just the same way.
For just as the rain comes down from heaven and waters the earth, so too does the Word of God, Jesus come down from heaven and pour out his blood upon the earth for your sin. He comes down and takes on your human flesh, so that he can live a perfect life in your place. He becomes flesh so that he can pay the price for sin, suffering on a cross, and dying and being laid in a tomb so that you might have life just as he is resurrected. The Word of God incarnate “accomplishes that which God purposes, and shall succeed in the thing for which God sent it,” to speak forgiveness, life and salvation to your ears dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Word of God accomplishes God’s will in your life too, as newly forgiven you go forth and live a Christian life, one openly acknowledging your sin, repenting of it, and receiving the countless gifts and blessings of your God in heaven. In the waters of Baptism, that word has drowned your sinful nature, and has destroyed that part of you that would ignore God’s “Thou Shalt Not’s” and instead a new person has arisen, washed in the blood of the lamb Jesus. In the Word of God, you have life and life to the full.
Dear friends, as the rain and snow continues here in North Dakota, as it is sure to, remember how it waters the land and allows it to bring forth many fruits. In the same way, as God’s word comes to you, know that it will accomplish God’s purpose in you, to show you’re your sin, to lead you to repentance, and to point you to the death and resurrection of Jesus. For then, and only then, can God’s will be accomplished in you, forgiveness, life for you and salvation. Amen.
