WORDS

Words are part of our everyday life; they are how we communicate with others. Our words can convey many different things. They give instruction, convey our happiness, joy, sorrow, and our hurt. Words can bring others happiness, or they can bring pain to others. Sometimes our words convey our solemn promise, and sometimes they are meaningless.

Today, we hear about God’s words through the prophet Isaiah. The reading begins, “Thus says the Lord.” Did you know when you see those four words, it is telling us that God Himself is saying those words to the prophet? It’s not the prophet or anyone else interpreting anything for God, but God Himself speaking directly. Powerful to say the least.

God’s words are powerful. They are truthful; God’s words fulfill what He promises because God does not lie. God’s words can alter reality as we know it. We know God created the earth out of a formless, empty, dark void with just His word. When Jesus was in the boat with the Apostles during the storm and they were afraid for their lives, Jesus told the sea to be still, and it was.

God tells us that His words are true and they are powerful. They do not return to Him void or empty; they fulfill what He has promised they will do. We hear from God that His words will water the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed, bread for people to eat, but we must realize that God the Father is not talking literally. It’s not about rain, fertile seeds, or physical bread to eat.

God the Father is talking about The WORD coming to earth, and that is His Son Jesus the Christ. We hear this in the Gospel of John in the prologue. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through Him. What came to be through Him was life, and this life was the light of the human race, and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."

This is the true meaning of God's words that we hear today from Isaiah. These are words that even Isaiah hadn't figured out. God is going to send His Word, His Son to the earth to water the earth, to make it fruitful and fertile, planting seeds, Jesus will do this with His Gospel. Jesus will give us Bread to eat, Bread that gives us Eternal Life. Jesus gives us His Body and Blood.

So, as we hear about God's words this Sunday let us not think in the literal sense of words because if we do that, we will end up in an empty dark void. Let us pay attention to God’s Word our Lord Jesus the Christ so we can be fertile and fruitful and have everlasting life.