Readings for today: Isaiah 55-57, Psalms 119:129-152
When I was in seminary, I had the privilege of getting to know Tom Gillespie. Tom had been the President of Princeton Theological Seminary for almost twenty years when I first met him. As you might imagine, he carried a lot of responsibilities and found himself pulled in many different directions as he navigated fundraising, administrative and academic leadership, and stewarding the influence and reputation of one of the top theological institutions in the world. One of the things I appreciated most about Tom is he always made time to teach as well as preach and lead worship in chapel. I took several classes from him and got to know him pretty well. He became a mentor and friend. Most of all, I loved how he led our weekly communion service on campus.
Tom always used the words of Isaiah 55 to invite us to the Lord’s Table. “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost! Why do you spend silver on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods. Pay attention and come to me; listen, so that you will live.” (Isaiah 55:1-3a CSB) It was a beautiful invocation that called all kinds of images to mind. He reminded me of my thirst for living water. He reminded me of the blessed state of my spiritual poverty. He reminded me of my hunger for righteousness. Not only did he remind me of my needy condition but he pointed me to the only place where I could be filled…the Table of the Lord. There God presents us with the choicest of foods…the body and blood of His only Son. There Christ is spiritually present to us in the bread and the wine. There all are welcome to find new life in Him.
One of the things I found most compelling about Tom was his deep trust in the faithfulness of God. Despite all the challenges he faced and the anxieties he had to manage and the conflict both inside and outside the seminary over the future of the church and seminary education, Tom never wavered. I asked him one time why he could maintain such a sense of calm in the midst of so much uncertainty. He smiled, looked at me, and said, “Doug, God has preserved His church for 2000 years. Do you honestly think He’s at all challenged by what’s happening here at Princeton?” We both shared a chuckle at the truth of his wise words. Tom encouraged me to read the rest of Isaiah 55 and lay hold of the promises of God. “I will make a permanent covenant with you on the basis of the faithful kindnesses of David. Since I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples, so you will summon a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel, has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near. Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely forgive. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do. You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided; the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up, and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up; this will stand as a monument for the Lord, an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.” (Isaiah 55:13b-13 CSB) God has a plan for this world. God has a plan for His people. God has a plan for His church. God has a plan for my life. I simply need to humbly walk with open hands before Him.
Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 58-60, Psalms 119:153-176