Isaiah's Vineyard Song

the other day

I was out for dinner at the Mandarin and received this fortune in my fortune cookie.

I did not try the numbers on the lotto tempted though. I was your practical and down-to-earth I have been accused of many things in my life is not a regular one.

But as people of Faith, how how do we know that? We are being down to Earth being grounded being rooted in? And being God's people.

I don't know if part of what Jeff read was familiar to you, but it should be because we use it somewhat regularly. But here it is. Remind me at 11 to the spirit of the Lord shall rest on him.

The spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. It's a text that we actually used in baptism. One of the prayers that I say each time. We have a baptism and it's a prayer but gets adapted each time. We affirm our baptism either through confirmation or or as a car gation This is one of them actually says in our worship book close with Christ in baptism. The newly baptized may receive a baptismal garment. We don't do that, but it would be closed in fight. the presiding Minister continues Let's pray we give you thanks. Oh God that through water in the holy spirit's you give your daughters and sons New Birth cleanse them from sin and raise them to eternal life. Then laying both hands on the head of each of the newly baptized the minister prays for each sustain Jeff. with the gift of the Holy Spirit the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge in the fear of the Lord. Spirit of joy in your presence both now and forever almond Then the presiding Minister Mark the sign of the cross on the forehead of each of the baptized oil prepared for this purpose may be used as the sign of the cross has made the minister says Jeff child of God. You've been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the Cross of Christ forever.

Why why you know all of the biblical text? What this from? From Isaiah be something that would come into our baptismal text. There must have been some better ones, you know, maybe Jesus being baptized in the Jordan. Maybe we should read that one regularly at a baptism. Why would we take this one? And put it into a prayer. into the right that we use to mark somebody's adoption into God's family.

Well for that we'd have to backup of hers. I shoot so come out. from the stump of Jesse

Samuel at one point ask Jesse whether or not he has any more sudden you remember this bit of the story. right

Jessie has gone to Samuel and said I need to anoint somebody is the new king of Israel. And Jesse takes his sons and praise them all in front of Samuel. Samuel says, yeah, no. None of them. Sorry. You got to have another one somewhere. right Samuel well Jesse says, well, yeah. Yeah, I do but he's on the field like he's he's the shepherd. He's tending the flock the youngest. Really not all that great, but you know if you say you need them. I'll call him in.

Jesse says that his youngest son David Wright is out tending the Sheep. God then indicates to Samuel that David is soles replacement and He commands Samuel to rinds and anoint mm.

Part of why this story is important in our understanding of who we are is God's people is Jesse is not a prominent member of Israel. There's nothing about Jesse story up to this point that makes him worthy of being the one who is the father of the Future King. It's not like the whole succession thing that people are trying to figure out with whatever happens after Elizabeth dies, you know, will it go to Charles Willie abdicate? Will it just go to William, you know, who knows?

Jesse's just some guy.

Just some ordinary person.

innocence Jesse possesses no status that would Merit. such an honor

Maybe there's something maybe there's something that we're supposed to remember in the midst of our baptism about that.

Maybe maybe God works through ordinary people like you and me. Maybe that's why it's important for us to remember this.

What about here at Holy Cross? How do we be? Remembering that we are rooted as God's people.

Did another part? Of today's reading that Jeff Redd.

Bring up any memories for you. Because I did for me as soon as I read it. I doubt it will for you because we're supposed to win the old lectionary that we used. We were to read it twice in three years, and it was an optional reading. So out of 156 times that we could have read it we might have read it twice. Over a. Of three years and because it was optional we probably never did read it. I remember vividly that story being read or told here.

I remember sitting in that chair. And I remember. vividly Brenda Byers here Telling that story. The reason that I remember it so vividly. Is because after Brenda was done and worship was over. I was accosted in the narthex by an individual.

Couture strip off me How could I let somebody get up and just tell a story as a sermon?

Unfortunately, I don't think the person made the connection. between the story that Brenda told And this one?

It was talking to me. But somebody thought that that was just a story that Brenda made up. We know Brenda skill and storytelling. Brenda doesn't just make them up on the Fly. And I was dumbfounded.

But that person didn't know the story.

That's why I remember it so vividly. I honestly think if that hadn't of happened I wouldn't have remembered that because how long ago was that?

11 years 12 years something like that.

the problem being we never told that story.

We never read that story is God's people. It's not really the fault of the individual to have not known. How many of us have read the Bible from cover to cover and remember every single word in it?

right It's not the fault of the person that they didn't know.

Our fault as God's people collected together and we didn't tell that story.

The Vamps story wasn't part of part of our Collective and Sakura gation

because all of that story comes down to comes down to God's willingness to work with us over and over again

how has individuals? as ourselves

do we remain grounded?

well My life for granted grafted into the life of Jesus and baptism is not Grand enough to Warrant being written down and being published as an appendix to the Bible.

But there are stories in my life of how God has touched me how God has blessed me. But need to be shared.

If we don't tell those stories to each other as God's people here and outside of here. If we don't share those stories with each other. We're at a loss and so is the rest of the world. It is crucial for us. to tell the stories I've gone to love in the world. It's crucial for us to tell the stories of God's love within us.

because without those stories What happened with Samuel and Jesse and David? Without those stories what happened at the moment of our baptism? What happened at the moment that we affirm our baptism? means very little

May we always tell the stories. Always tell how God has blessed us how God is active in our life and active in the lives of others that we see.

Let's not have anybody not know the story. I've gone active in the world. almond