大象传媒

Hope in judgement

Presenter: Father Philip Sumner

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Isaiah 51:1-6

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Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places,

and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Listen to me, my people,

and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out

and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be for ever, and my deliverance will never be ended.

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鈥淗ello!... Quiet please!... May I have your attention please?!!鈥澨� Getting the focus of the exuberant two thousand-strong congregation gathered for a 大象传媒 recording took a moment or two.听 Their focus was elsewhere; on the excitement of seeing the large 大象传媒 Outside Broadcast vehicle and catching a glimpse of the programme鈥檚 presenter and celebrity soloist, of being inside this beautiful ancient cathedral, of seeing a large orchestra on stage waiting to accompany them in their Christmas songs of thankfulness and praise.听 Yet I needed to give them a safety-briefing.听 It was in their own best interests.听

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鈥淟isten to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord鈥�.听 In today鈥檚 reading, the Lord is also attempting to gain our attention in a world where superficial noise and colour can too easily mask the greyness of our lives.听 Here is God鈥檚 vision of hope through salvation, for the benefit all.听 It鈥檚 contained in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah which is at the heart of the narrative foretelling Jesus鈥� coming into the world at Christmas.听 Through it, Christians get a true sense that God鈥檚 promises of joy and gladness made with Abraham and with Israel are also for all the peoples of the world and that this promise was fulfilled in the eternal saving grace, born an innocent child in a small town called Bethlehem.