1
00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,400
A reading from the prophet 
Isaiah. 

2
00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:08,560
Arise, shine, for your light has
come, and the glory of the Lord 

3
00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:13,000
has risen upon you. 
For behold, darkness shall cover

4
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,880
the earth, and thick darkness 
the peoples. 

5
00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:20,320
But the Lord will arise upon 
you, and His glory will be seen 

6
00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:25,120
upon you, and nations shall come
to your light, and kings to the 

7
00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,440
brightness of your rising. 
Lift up your eyes all around and

8
00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:31,920
see. 
They all gather together. 

9
00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:35,920
They come to you. 
Your sons shall come from afar, 

10
00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,440
and your daughters shall be 
carried on the hip. 

11
00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,160
Then you shall see and be 
radiant. 

12
00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:45,720
Your heart shall thrill and 
exalt, because the abundance of 

13
00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:49,280
the sea shall be turned to you. 
The wealth of the nation shall 

14
00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,720
come to you. 
A multitude of camels shall 

15
00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,480
cover you. 
The young camels of Midian and 

16
00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:58,520
IFA, all those from Sheba, shall
come. 

17
00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,160
They shall bring gold and 
frankincense and shall bring 

18
00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,560
good news, the praises of the 
Lord. 

19
00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,000
All the flocks of Kedar shall be
gathered to you. 

20
00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,920
The Rams of Nebayoth shall 
minister to you. 

21
00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,800
They shall come up with 
acceptance on my altar, and I 

22
00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:17,920
will beautify my beautiful 
house. 

23
00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:23,000
Violence shall no more be heard 
in your land, devastation or 

24
00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,680
destruction within your borders.
You shall call your walls 

25
00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,400
salvation, and your gates 
praise. 

26
00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:35,000
The sun shall be no more your 
light by day, nor for brightness

27
00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,760
shall the moon give you light, 
but the Lord will be your 

28
00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,080
everlasting light, and your God 
will be your glory. 

29
00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:47,120
Your sun shall no more go down, 
nor your moon withdraw itself, 

30
00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,480
for the Lord will be your 
everlasting light, and your days

31
00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,120
of mourning shall be ended. 
Your people shall all be 

32
00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,600
righteous. 
They shall possess the land 

33
00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:02,080
forever, The branch of my 
planting, the work of my hands, 

34
00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,040
that I might be glorified. 
The word of the Lord. 

35
00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:11,880
Good morning and happy 5th 
Sunday of Lent. 

36
00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:18,040
We're almost through and I will 
invite you to turn to Isaiah 60,

37
00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:23,480
Isaiah 60 as we come toward the 
end to the end of our series 

38
00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,800
called Shine, our Spiritual 
Beacon call. 

39
00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:31,080
This is bringing us to our 
midpoint, our commitment Sunday 

40
00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,720
in our two year initiative to 
prepare for our spiritual beacon

41
00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,160
calling. 
And we'll have a moment in a few

42
00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:41,440
moments to renew a commitment or
make a new commitment to the 

43
00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,800
Lord and to just the vision that
he's given to us as a church. 

44
00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,720
So Isaiah 60 bulletins or 
Bibles, would you pray with me? 

45
00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,800
Lord, we're so thankful that you
are truly Emmanuel, God with us.

46
00:02:55,840 --> 00:03:00,880
And we thank you that Isaiah saw
that this was true of you and 

47
00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,760
that he turned the diamond ever 
so slightly to see all of the 

48
00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,800
beautiful ways that Emmanuel 
desired to shine the glory of 

49
00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,040
God on the people of God. 
And so we pray that even this 

50
00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,600
morning in 2026, you would shine
your Emmanuel light on us. 

51
00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,680
In the name of Jesus we pray. 
Amen. 

52
00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:25,600
Well, in his book Every Valley 
historian, Charles King tells 

53
00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,280
the story of a once powerful man
named Charles Jennings. 

54
00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:34,840
Despite his wealth, Charles 
Jennings was depressed, anxious 

55
00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,440
and very lonely. 
He took a political stance in 

56
00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,040
his day. 
This is the 1700s in England 

57
00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,200
that had cost him his position 
in society. 

58
00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,120
And so he was kind of exiled. 
He had lost many of his friends.

59
00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,680
There was a just a higher 
mortality rate in that day. 

60
00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,240
And so he didn't have a lot of 
community to speak of. 

61
00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,040
What's worse, the news of the 
day was really gloomy. 

62
00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,400
There was a lot that he saw 
around him and that he read 

63
00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,400
about in the newspapers that 
just increased his sense of 

64
00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:07,040
doom. 
And many times, you know, 

65
00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:13,040
Jennings was so depressed and so
lifeless that it was hard for 

66
00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:17,399
him to even, like, take a step, 
take a walk around his empty 

67
00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,399
house. 
But at one point, a Jennings was

68
00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:26,640
inspired to pull down off of his
shelf the book of Isaiah, 

69
00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,480
including Isaiah 60. 
And he pulled off his shelf 

70
00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,320
other prophets from Israel and 
the gospel writers and the 

71
00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,800
epistles of the New Testament. 
He pulled off the Anglican Book 

72
00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:41,040
of Common Prayer. 
And he just began to pour over 

73
00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,840
the pages and just sort of 
noting all of the notes of 

74
00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:48,560
surprising hope, all of the 
things that he didn't 

75
00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:52,960
necessarily feel were true, but 
he saw that with a glimmer of 

76
00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,040
light, the saddest stories of 
his life. 

77
00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,400
We're not going to end in 
sadness, but we're going to end 

78
00:04:58,400 --> 00:04:59,920
it. 
Something that he could couldn't

79
00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:04,520
even imagine. 
And as he began to take notes, 

80
00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:07,600
he actually began to piece 
together all of the different, 

81
00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,240
the best lines. 
And he began to imagine what 

82
00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,840
would it be like if a choir were
to sing these words? 

83
00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,400
What would it be like if a 
soloist were to sing these 

84
00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,840
words? 
What it would be like to set all

85
00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:20,920
of these words of beauty to 
something beautiful in form. 

86
00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:28,480
And he wrote that down. 
And then at the top of all of 

87
00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,880
these notes, he he wrote this 
line, Let us sing of greater 

88
00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:38,360
things. 
And then he took this what he 

89
00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:41,560
called a word book and he handed
it off to his friends, to his 

90
00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,720
friend George. 
George was an artist past his 

91
00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,360
prime. 
George was not in a good place 

92
00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:49,480
in his life either. 
He was deeply in debt. 

93
00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:52,680
He was recovering from what may 
have been a stroke. 

94
00:05:53,880 --> 00:06:01,640
And and yet he spent 24 straight
days giving his best laborers to

95
00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:06,360
taking his friend Charles's 
word, Book of Hope and Beauty, 

96
00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:11,120
and setting it to music. 
He poured everything he had into

97
00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:17,120
this artistic endeavor into a 
work that would lift up the 

98
00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,680
hearts of anyone who was close 
to despair. 

99
00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,800
And as he neared completion of 
this work, George Frederick 

100
00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,880
Handel began to weep. 
And as his servants asked him 

101
00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,400
what was happening, he said, I 
did think that I see all of 

102
00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,640
heaven before me, and the great 
God himself seated on his throne

103
00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:40,120
with his company of angels. 
And thus these two friends, 

104
00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:44,440
rather than sinking into 
despair, gave the world handles 

105
00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:48,920
Messiah. 
It's a work of beauty that has 

106
00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,560
thrilled hearts, awakened hope 
and sustained the soul for 

107
00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:57,400
almost 300 years and counting. 
There's something about beauty 

108
00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,200
that can summon us out of the 
gloom of despair, isn't it? 

109
00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:06,560
The prophet Isaiah shows us that
the source of all beauty is God 

110
00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,400
Himself, and not only that, that
He is ready to generously pour 

111
00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:14,360
out His beauty upon us, to bathe
us in His beauty. 

112
00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:19,920
We actually in, in our day have 
the privilege and call to 

113
00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:23,560
reflect God's beauty to the city
that we love. 

114
00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:26,720
We're going to explore what that
could look like. 

115
00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,480
And it begins at the beginning 
of Isaiah 60. 

116
00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:34,280
And that is this, that God's 
beauty summons us. 

117
00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,880
God's beauty summons us out of 
gloom. 

118
00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:42,880
Look with me at verses one and 
two and hear these words ring 

119
00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:49,040
for us today. 
Arise shine, for your light has 

120
00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:52,640
come, and the glory of the Lord 
shines over you. 

121
00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,360
For look, darkness will cover 
the earth, and total darkness. 

122
00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:02,280
You could translate this as 
thick fog, the peoples, but the 

123
00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,960
Lord will shine over you, and 
his glory will appear over you. 

124
00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:11,760
Now the summons to arise are 
spoken to a people who are lying

125
00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,680
flat on their backs. 
They've been flattened by life. 

126
00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:16,920
They're in despair, they're in 
darkness. 

127
00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,560
They're not exactly resting, but
they're not able to rise either.

128
00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,520
It's like the anxious fog of a 
sleepless night. 

129
00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:24,760
Have you ever had a sleepless 
night? 

130
00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,200
You wanted to rest, but you 
couldn't, but you just were 

131
00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:31,240
lying there, immobilized. 
And then something happens. 

132
00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:37,240
The Lord shines over people who 
are lying prostate, prostate 

133
00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:40,520
like a dawning sun. 
Think of the most beautiful 

134
00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:46,440
sunrise you could ever imagine. 
And it gets them up and they 

135
00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:50,920
have this call to go up and to 
go out, to arise, and then to 

136
00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:55,200
shine, to reflect the power and 
the glory and the beauty which 

137
00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,600
has filled your life and filled 
your vision. 

138
00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,560
And to say to anyone who will 
listen, come and see. 

139
00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:03,120
Come and see this beautiful 
light which shined on me in my 

140
00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:07,800
darkest moment. 
Now I think the genius and the 

141
00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:12,360
inspiration of Isaiah's prophecy
is how timeless this imagery is.

142
00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:17,640
When he says, look, you know, 
darkness will cover the earth 

143
00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:22,400
and and thick darkness. 
The peoples, every generation 

144
00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:24,640
can relate with those 
statements. 

145
00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:30,000
The darkness of our world can 
sort of take on a life of its 

146
00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,600
own. 
You might be familiar with like 

147
00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:37,680
a black hole, a black hole, this
phenomenon in space that 

148
00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:40,080
swallows up anything that comes 
near to it. 

149
00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:42,920
Just if matter gets near to the 
black hole, it just sucks the 

150
00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:47,920
matter in and doesn't give 
anything out and and the 

151
00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,640
darkness of human misery can can
do the same thing. 

152
00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:56,120
Conflict between people has a 
way of like acting like a black 

153
00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:58,720
hole, just like drawing in more 
and more people. 

154
00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,360
War has a way of doing that, 
drawing in more and more 

155
00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:03,640
nations. 
Hatred has a way of doing this, 

156
00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,680
just drawing in more and more 
hatred. 

157
00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:08,760
Evil has a way of doing this, 
just perpetuating itself like a 

158
00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:12,160
black hole. 
We get anxious and then we get 

159
00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,920
anxious about maybe we will feel
more anxious. 

160
00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:19,080
We feel ashamed, but then we 
feel shame because of the fact 

161
00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:24,720
that we feel shame at all. 
Recently, someone shared with me

162
00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:28,320
about a very dark moment in his 
life. 

163
00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:31,800
He was under incredible 
pressure. 

164
00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:35,560
He was missing his family. 
He did not feel a sense of 

165
00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:39,840
purpose in his life. 
And so in this place of sadness 

166
00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:43,840
and despair, he began to to 
drink with the friends that he 

167
00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,120
did have. 
He would drink three times a 

168
00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,560
day. 
He would work as well, getting 

169
00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:55,120
up really early, early. 
So he was exhausted is abusing 

170
00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:56,600
alcohol. 
He was in despair. 

171
00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:01,280
He, his heart was broken and 
this lasted for for months. 

172
00:11:01,560 --> 00:11:06,320
And he got to the point where he
couldn't sleep at all at night. 

173
00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:11,760
And he was literally just lying 
on the floor of the bathroom 

174
00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:17,600
after a day of drinking, after a
night of drinking, completely in

175
00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:19,560
despair. 
And then he said, and then I 

176
00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:26,040
felt what I knew to be the 
presence of holiness in that 

177
00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:32,600
room. 
And I looked up and I saw that 

178
00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:37,120
shining out of, I kid you not, 
the shower drain was light and I

179
00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:39,000
had no idea where it was coming 
from. 

180
00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:46,440
And I got up, I arose and I 
looked at the light and I 

181
00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,440
couldn't believe my eyes. 
So I went outside and I looked. 

182
00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:50,800
This is in the middle of the 
night. 

183
00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,200
Is there any light source coming
from outside the house inside 

184
00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:56,160
this bathroom? 
I couldn't find one. 

185
00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:58,280
Goes into every room inside the 
house. 

186
00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,360
Is there light somehow coming? 
Where's this light coming from? 

187
00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:06,200
He couldn't find the source and 
it left him so just, you know, 

188
00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:10,480
in shock, but he, he knew that 
God was reaching out to him. 

189
00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,520
Now, eventually one of his 
friends who happened to be 

190
00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,880
staying at that same house found
him, said what's happening? 

191
00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:20,600
He told her about the light. 
She went in. 

192
00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,080
She saw the same thing. 
She comes back to him and she's 

193
00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:27,800
like, this is the Lord and he's 
reaching out to you. 

194
00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,680
And she prayed with him, and she
prayed for him, and this man 

195
00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:37,280
turned his life to the Jesus 
Christ, was soon thereafter 

196
00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:43,680
baptized, and to this day is 
shining with the light of Jesus 

197
00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:48,160
Christ. 
He arose physically and 

198
00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,720
spiritually and continues to 
shine. 

199
00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:57,080
This is what the beauty of the 
Lord does for every generation. 

200
00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:02,400
It summons us out of thick 
darkness, which always wants to 

201
00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:05,200
envelope us. 
Now listen. 

202
00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,160
Once we're on our feet and we're
walking in the light of God's 

203
00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:12,360
beauty, reflecting it, you know,
humbly to the world, that's when

204
00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:16,360
things get interesting. 
Beauty summons us, and then 

205
00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:20,280
beauty surprises us. 
You ever been surprised by 

206
00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:22,080
beauty? 
Just a moment catches you off 

207
00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:27,600
guard, takes your breath away. 
Beauty has a way of surprising 

208
00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:31,080
us. 
And in Isaiah, the beauty takes 

209
00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:36,080
the form of an unlikely reunion.
People we'd never expect to see,

210
00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:41,400
never expect to love, never 
expect to come under one roof 

211
00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:45,040
together will gather around us. 
Why? 

212
00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:49,560
Because beauty has this 
attractive magnet like quality 

213
00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:54,240
which draws people, draws people
you would never expect. 

214
00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:59,400
And thus, verse three, nations 
will come to your light, and 

215
00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:02,280
kings to your shining 
brightness. 

216
00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:10,080
Now listen for Israel. 
Kings and nations did not 

217
00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:15,840
represent peace. 
These were former enemies and 

218
00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,280
former oppressors and former 
rivals. 

219
00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,480
And it turns out they're 
gathering to the light which is 

220
00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:26,200
shining on Israel, not with 
armies and not with Spears, but 

221
00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:31,200
they come in verse 6 with camels
and gold and frankincense and 

222
00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:36,080
praises to the Lord. 
Now just imagine all of your 

223
00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:40,360
frenemies and all of your old 
bosses and all of your strict 

224
00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:44,600
teachers and everyone from your 
past gathering around and 

225
00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:49,840
saying, we saw you shining with 
God's light and we saw his 

226
00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,640
beauty, and we've come to share 
in it with you. 

227
00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:59,160
Would you let us surprise? 
Beauty surprises us. 

228
00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:04,520
Notice also not only unfamiliar 
people, but also familiar 

229
00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:06,080
people. 
Come verse 4. 

230
00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,840
Raise your eyes and look around.
They all gather and come to you.

231
00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,160
Your sons will come from far 
away and your daughters on the 

232
00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:18,120
hips of nursing mothers. 
Now listen, this isn't a day 

233
00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:23,640
before FaceTime and inexpensive 
flights and cars and and 

234
00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,760
transportation being easy and 
cheap. 

235
00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:31,680
No parent wants to have their 
their children, whether small or

236
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:35,080
grown, exiled some faraway place
where they never get to see them

237
00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,160
again. 
But this was Israel's reality. 

238
00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,200
They were separated from sons 
and daughters and people that 

239
00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:43,640
meant as much to them as sons 
and daughters. 

240
00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,160
Familial connections, beloved 
connections. 

241
00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,520
And they're separated. 
And they thought that separation

242
00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:52,880
was forever. 
They thought I'd never see them 

243
00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:54,920
again. 
But Isaiah says no. 

244
00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,920
Lift up your eyes. 
There's this reunion coming 

245
00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:03,120
that's so good to be true you 
can scarcely believe it that the

246
00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:08,480
story you thought was over is 
actually coming to a a, a soul 

247
00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:13,880
thrilling conclusion of healing.
And for all the pain of 

248
00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:18,280
separation, it's going to melt 
into an embrace and into a meal.

249
00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,400
And maybe Isaiah is giving us 
this vision for all those people

250
00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,920
who are meant to be with us, but
they aren't for some reason. 

251
00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,320
But now beauty surprises us by 
drawing them back. 

252
00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:36,720
Like the beauty of the Lord. 
It's so powerful. 

253
00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:39,560
It's powerful because it can do 
things that our words can't do, 

254
00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:43,360
that our actions can't do, that 
human beings cannot muster on 

255
00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:45,880
their own. 
And all those sad fragments of 

256
00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,400
love and connection are get 
woven back together. 

257
00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:51,440
And verse 5, then you will see 
and be radiant, and your heart 

258
00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:56,680
will tremble and rejoice. 
Then everything sad is coming 

259
00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:59,240
untrue. 
And that is the gospel writer 

260
00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,480
Luke said that our like will 
disbelieve for joy. 

261
00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:07,040
It's too good to be true. 
This surprising gathering, 

262
00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:10,880
friends, is nothing less than 
the community of Jesus. 

263
00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:16,400
And, and we see that whenever 
Jesus arrives in this world as 

264
00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:20,680
Emmanuel, God with us, the 
unlikeliest of people are drawn 

265
00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:25,079
like a magnet to him. 
The first time he arrived, you 

266
00:17:25,079 --> 00:17:27,880
know, the wise men came with 
their gold and frankincense and 

267
00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:29,800
myrrh and, and they worship 
Jesus. 

268
00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,640
And it was totally unlikely. 
And the second time Jesus will 

269
00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,720
arrive, people from every tribe,
tongue, people and nation will 

270
00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:40,480
bring the wealth of the world 
and the praises of their hearts 

271
00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:44,320
to worship the King of Kings. 
And in between those two 

272
00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:48,680
arrivals, he's here with us now.
He's Emmanuel and he's 

273
00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,280
beautiful. 
And we will be surprised to see 

274
00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:56,240
whom he draws. 
Now, some of my friends, you 

275
00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:59,960
know, they realize this. 
They decided to, to, to shine 

276
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,440
the beauty of God's light. 
They lived in Lakeview at the 

277
00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,040
time, about a mile from here, 
and they invited one of their 

278
00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:09,800
children's teachers to their 
apartment for dinner. 

279
00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:14,280
And they just spent an evening 
of conversation, just great 

280
00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:19,720
conversation, the chaos of the 
kids and, and the, and toward 

281
00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:24,040
the end of the meal, the teacher
said to them, something to this 

282
00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,000
effect. 
She's like, you have something 

283
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,840
very special here that I don't 
have. 

284
00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:33,200
And I can see it. 
I can't quite put my finger on 

285
00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:36,800
it, but there's a reality here. 
There's a beauty here that I 

286
00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:42,640
cannot deny and see The thing is
that this is the this is the 

287
00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,480
beauty of Jesus Christ shining 
through us in ways we don't even

288
00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,680
know. 
One prayer that we can put in 

289
00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:53,080
our pocket this week is this 
Lord, let your beauty shine 

290
00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:58,560
through me and through a manual 
and then surprise me with an 

291
00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:03,000
opportunity to share the hope 
that I have with someone. 

292
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:07,040
Or how about this prayer? 
Lord, let me open my table or my

293
00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:10,800
schedule to your surprising 
guests. 

294
00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,560
Beauty will surprise us. 
Beauty will surprise us. 

295
00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:17,360
That's God's beauty. 
And the more we share with that,

296
00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:22,000
share it with others, actually, 
the more it surprises them too. 

297
00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:27,520
Not with bad news that shocks, 
but as we'll all see in the next

298
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:33,040
verses, with good news that 
secures God's beauty, not only 

299
00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:36,400
surprises us, it becomes our 
sanctuary. 

300
00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:40,160
It becomes our sanctuary. 
Isaiah pictures the day when 

301
00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:43,320
God's beauty surrounds us 
protectively, that we kind of 

302
00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,760
live inside of it like like 
architecturally. 

303
00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:52,440
Verse 18 says this of Isaiah 60,
verse 18, violence will never 

304
00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:56,080
again be heard of in your land. 
Devastation and destruction will

305
00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:58,960
be gone from your borders. 
You will call your walls 

306
00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,360
salvation and your city gates 
praise. 

307
00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:10,400
Is our world like this? 
We hear about violence and 

308
00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:17,480
devastation all the time, and so
we rightly have locks on our 

309
00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:22,560
doors and security systems and 
bulletproof glass and bodyguards

310
00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,960
and borders and walls and they 
surround us. 

311
00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,240
And this is just sort of the 
living reality of human 

312
00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:31,560
existence in the air that we're 
in. 

313
00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:35,440
But listen to the promise. 
The promise of the Lord is that 

314
00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:40,720
one day his beauty will be our 
sanctuary. 

315
00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:45,320
Instead, we'll have different 
names for our security systems. 

316
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,320
We'll literally name them after 
what God has done for us. 

317
00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:53,000
We will name them salvation. 
Salvation is when God sweeps 

318
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,360
away all that violence and 
threat from our world. 

319
00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,280
And do you know that this work 
begins now? 

320
00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:04,200
This work, this security work, 
this sanctuary work begins now. 

321
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,480
It begins when the beauty of the
Holy Spirit of God fills our 

322
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:14,920
hearts and addresses areas where
we are given to violence, all 

323
00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,640
those areas in the 10 
commandments that we named and 

324
00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:20,000
beyond. 
The Holy Spirit fills our heart,

325
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:23,680
fills our life and begins to 
say, no, let me clean that out 

326
00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:26,880
because I'm going to make You 
Beautiful. 

327
00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,280
And then Christ, as we give 
ourselves to the Lord, Christ 

328
00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:35,320
himself becomes our shield. 
He, he protects us above us, 

329
00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:39,680
behind us, before us, all around
us, beneath us even. 

330
00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:46,600
And He guards us until we are 
secure in His forever city, 

331
00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:50,200
where there are no need for 
walls and gates and security 

332
00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:52,440
systems. 
This work of salvation and 

333
00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,440
sanctuary begins now. 
His beauty is within us and 

334
00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:57,360
around us. 
And as we come together, we 

335
00:21:57,360 --> 00:22:01,240
reflect the beauty of His glory 
together in our habits, in our 

336
00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:05,200
interactions, in our praises. 
And there's a sanctuary and 

337
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,280
there's a safety, and there's a 
surrounding here of the beauty 

338
00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:12,320
of the Lord. 
As we come together, the very 

339
00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:16,200
atmosphere we breathe as the 
people of God is suffused with 

340
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,360
God's beauty. 
Verse 19, The sun will no longer

341
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:22,200
be your light by day, and the 
brightness of the moon will not 

342
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:23,760
shine on you. 
The Lord will be your 

343
00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:28,600
everlasting light, and your God 
will be your splendor, your 

344
00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:32,240
splendor. 
You know, look at the sanctuary.

345
00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:38,120
As beautiful as this sanctuary 
is, this is not our splendor. 

346
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:46,080
As beautiful as Anglican liturgy
is, that's not our splendor 

347
00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:48,720
either. 
And as beautiful as the city of 

348
00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:53,240
Chicago is, the city of Chicago 
is not our splendor that we wear

349
00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,800
as a garment. 
The most beautiful gift we share

350
00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:00,400
is the presence of the living 
God. 

351
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:05,280
God will be our splendor. 
You know, I think for all the 

352
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,360
soaring language of Isaiah, 
there's something really 

353
00:23:08,360 --> 00:23:13,440
humbling about this. 
This is good medicine for people

354
00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:17,800
with good taste. 
Because we're not the source of 

355
00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,960
our own beauty. 
We're not the selectors even of 

356
00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:23,560
our own beauty. 
It's a gift. 

357
00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,280
It's a gift. 
Just like these stained glass 

358
00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:27,920
windows are a gift. 
We didn't build them. 

359
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:29,880
We didn't create them. 
We just received them. 

360
00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,720
The sunlight behind the stained 
glass shining in, that's also a 

361
00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:37,520
gift. 
We're just receiving it gladly. 

362
00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:40,760
And the source of all of this 
beauty? 

363
00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,120
Emmanuel got himself. 
He is a gift. 

364
00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:47,120
He's a gift of grace. 
He's our splendor and he's our 

365
00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:49,960
radiance. 
And we're basking in a beauty 

366
00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:56,480
that is not our own. 
Thus thus, we must not think of 

367
00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,760
ourselves as special and 
deserving of it. 

368
00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,360
We must not keep it to 
ourselves. 

369
00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:05,840
Otherwise, we'll start putting 
up borders and walls. 

370
00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:09,360
We'll stop praising and start 
protecting. 

371
00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:17,680
Because when God's beauty is our
sanctuary, there's always to be 

372
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:21,480
a way for others to take shelter
with us in the same splendor. 

373
00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:25,560
Now, once we make our home 
inside that sanctuary, here's 

374
00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:28,280
what we find. 
And that is that God's beauty 

375
00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:30,800
sustains us. 
God's beauty sustains us. 

376
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:34,560
And this is so important because
the city has a way of chewing 

377
00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:40,600
people up and spitting them out.
You may read, as I do every few 

378
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:43,160
weeks. 
It's like Peeps, people moving 

379
00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:46,360
away, restaurants closing, 
school shuttering, churches 

380
00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:49,000
folding. 
The city can be a tough place, 

381
00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:51,600
and it takes a lot of resilience
to thrive here, doesn't it? 

382
00:24:53,120 --> 00:24:56,920
The these final verses offer an 
encouragement to those who love 

383
00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:01,520
Chicago, who want to thrive in 
Chicago, who want the people of 

384
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:05,720
God to flourish. 
Isaiah speaks about a permanent 

385
00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:10,880
beauty for people who have known
only of temporary homes and 

386
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:15,560
instabilities, as the first 
audience only knew instability. 

387
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,200
Here's a permanent homes being 
spoken of verse 20. 

388
00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:23,760
Your sun will no longer set and 
your moon will not fade, for the

389
00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:27,120
Lord will be your everlasting 
light, and the days of your 

390
00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:31,800
sorrow will be over. 
The Lord offers a permanent, 

391
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,600
never ending light which shines 
upon a branch of His own, 

392
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:38,800
planting His people. 
As verse 21 says, All your 

393
00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:42,600
people will be righteous. 
They will possess the land 

394
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:46,560
forever. 
They are the branch I planted 

395
00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:51,040
the work of my hands so that I 
may be glorified. 

396
00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:58,800
Where has God planted us? 
Where has He asked us to 

397
00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,520
flourish? 
If God has planted us in 

398
00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:05,840
Chicago, His beauty will sustain
us. 

399
00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,280
Our roots will deepen right 
here. 

400
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,800
If He's called us elsewhere, His
beauty will sustain us there. 

401
00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:19,080
All of us are called to be 
planted ultimately upon this 

402
00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:22,480
earth. 
It is here that the Scriptures 

403
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,920
speak of that the Sun of 
Righteousness will shine with 

404
00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,200
healing in His wings. 
It is here where we as His 

405
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,640
people will flourish in His 
light and give Him glory and 

406
00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:37,440
honor forever. 
In the meantime, it's a 

407
00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:41,560
struggle, isn't it, to flourish 
here in this earth. 

408
00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:46,760
I think one of the reasons that 
our city wears people out is the

409
00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:49,800
scarcity mindset. 
Are you familiar with the 

410
00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,760
scarcity mindset? 
The scarcity mindset says 

411
00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:57,720
there's not enough to survive 
and thus we need to protect what

412
00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:01,000
we have so that our Kingdom can 
come and so that we can be 

413
00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,840
glorified. 
We feel the scarcity mindset 

414
00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:08,760
when we're new to the city and 
can't keep seem to catch a 

415
00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,520
break. 
Rents keep rising, jobs are 

416
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:14,440
scarce, friend groups are really
hard to break into. 

417
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,640
Jobs go to people with an in and
we are on the outside. 

418
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,360
We feel it. 
We feel it once we have just the

419
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:25,720
smallest of toe holds in the 
city. 

420
00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:30,240
But the cost keep rising and the
Co workers are ruthless and the 

421
00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,320
schools are competitive and our 
car gets towed because we didn't

422
00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:36,920
see that sign over there. 
Scarcity mindset. 

423
00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:38,680
Someone steals a package off our
porch. 

424
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:40,920
Like everyone here is just out 
for themselves. 

425
00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:44,360
We're like, well, maybe that 
message starts to seep in and we

426
00:27:44,360 --> 00:27:47,400
go, well, maybe I need to. 
Maybe if I'm going to survive, 

427
00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:53,000
I've got to operate the same way
because I can't afford to 

428
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,400
overflow. 
Now being a spiritual beacon 

429
00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:01,680
church really takes Isaiah 60's 
promises to heart. 

430
00:28:04,120 --> 00:28:08,080
And that means that we we 
operate in the abundance mindset

431
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,320
that he talks about throughout 
his book. 

432
00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:13,880
And there's a confidence that 
comes from this abundance 

433
00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,280
mindset, which is that the Lord 
has us here. 

434
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:17,880
We're the branch that he 
planted. 

435
00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,760
And he's going to provide all 
that we need so that we can give

436
00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:24,000
generously. 
We can open up our homes. 

437
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,680
We can invest our time in the 
next generation. 

438
00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:30,080
We can put others 1st. 
And we'll be like that well 

439
00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:34,840
watered garden that Isaiah talks
about in chapter 58, flourishing

440
00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:39,440
even as we seek the flourishing 
of the city that doesn't seek 

441
00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:45,520
our flourishing. 
Though deeply in debt when 

442
00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:50,240
composing the Messiah, George 
Handel was greatly enriched by 

443
00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:54,440
the beauty of this text. 
This text, Isaiah 60 made it 

444
00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,000
into Handel's Messiah. 
Arise, shine, for your light has

445
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:02,600
come. 
And he was greatly enriched by 

446
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:06,840
all the other texts that he 
included from the Scriptures, so

447
00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:10,640
filled with divine beauty, so 
surprised by it, so sustained by

448
00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:14,480
it, so cultivated by it, 
handled, made a radical, 

449
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:20,080
generous decision about really 
one of the finest works in the 

450
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:23,360
Western world that he created, 
that he helped create, which was

451
00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:25,880
this. 
He was going to bequeath the 

452
00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:29,360
rights to the Messiah to the 
Foundling Hospital. 

453
00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:32,640
The Foundling Hospital served 
the poorest of the poor and it 

454
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:36,640
was specifically designed to 
care for abandoned children, 

455
00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:38,600
which were everywhere in 
England. 

456
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,840
This hospital was overflowing 
with kids with no parents. 

457
00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:47,640
They had been deserted on the 
streets of of of London and 

458
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:50,920
Dublin, other places. 
And he's like the rights to the 

459
00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:54,480
Messiah go to that place. 
And in the years following his 

460
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:58,280
death, George Handel's death, 
the Messiah shook the Western 

461
00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:02,680
world with that same beautiful 
vision that had gripped him and 

462
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:04,760
gripped his friend Charles 
before him. 

463
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:11,000
One historian who attended the 
Messiah's performance about 25 

464
00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:15,160
years after Handel's death at 
the Westminster Abbey, he it was

465
00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:19,480
performed and the historian 
reported this this great work, 

466
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:23,600
the Messiah has been heard in 
all parts of the Kingdom of of 

467
00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:26,760
England, Britain, with 
increasing reverence and 

468
00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,800
delight. 
It has fed the hungry, clothed 

469
00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:33,160
the naked, foster the orphan, 
more than any single musical 

470
00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:35,160
production in this or any 
country. 

471
00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:41,360
This same beauty that shine 
through Isaiah's words is the 

472
00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:43,680
same beauty that shine through 
Handel's songs. 

473
00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:47,440
And it is the same beauty that 
shines through our lives and 

474
00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,640
through our church, my friends, 
it's the same beauty. 

475
00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:58,120
And so Emmanuel Anglican, this 
is our day to arise to shine, 

476
00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:03,080
because the glory of God has 
risen upon us right here where 

477
00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:07,240
He's planted us, right here 
where the pain is real and 

478
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:11,120
undeniable, right here where He 
has actually called us to shine 

479
00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:15,480
His truth and goodness and 
beauty until the pain becomes 

480
00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:19,800
glory and until the gloom 
becomes His grace. 

481
00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:26,160
So, friends, let us lift up our 
eyes and see all those around us

482
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:30,400
who would be drawn into this 
beauty, who would be sustained 

483
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,520
by it, who could take sanctuary 
in it. 

484
00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:36,720
And you could join us in the 
praises of the glory of the King

485
00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:41,480
of kings, who is Emmanuel, God 
with us, in the name of the 

486
00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:44,480
Father and the Son and the Holy 
Spirit, Amen. 

487
00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:48,760
Let's just take a moment to tell
the Lord where we need His 

488
00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:54,080
beauty to shine in our life, in 
our world, in our church, and 

489
00:31:54,080 --> 00:32:02,360
open up our souls to His light. 
And Lord, we do pray that you 

490
00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:05,080
would now fill us with the Holy 
Spirit. 

491
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,880
And we pray that the presence of
Emmanuel, God with us, would 

492
00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:14,200
bring us encouragement and light
and hope until we overflow for 

493
00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:17,280
the life of the world in Jesus 
name, Amen.