Rev. George Miller
August 2, 2026
Isaiah 10:1-19
If you are the kind of person who enjoys a
rainy morning, then Friday was for you.
The day began relaxingly overcast.
Gentle drops began to fall, their rhythm increasing as the world became
the sound of heavenly water atop the roof.
Friday’s rain felt like it was saying
“Relax. Be calm. Nestle into your nest, to find shelter, to
sleep, to rest, to know that you don’t have to do a single thing and the world
will go on.”
If you like the rain and have no place to
go, the chance to nestle to the sound of gentle thunder and restorative rain is
bliss. Sabbath. Sanctuary.
The Bible has a few places that have this
kind of nest imagery.
Psalm 91 says “You who live in the
shelter of the Most High…God will cover you with God’s pinions, and under his
wings you will find refuge; God’s faithfulness is a shield and defense.”
Deuteronomy 32 portrays God as an eagle
that stir up the nest, hovers over the young, spreads its wings and takes them
up, guiding their flight.
In Matthew 23, Jesus looks upon the city
of Jerusalem, with all its violence and unfairness, and says “How often I’ve
yearned to gather you as a Mother Hen and keep you under my wings.”
How different these nest images are from
what we just heard.
Isaiah 10:1-19 is a complex reading, with
3 separate parts. First, we hear how
disappointed God is with Isreal.
Here they are, a nation founded on the 10
Commandments, with it’s love for God and love for neighbor, and they have
descended into an unrecognizable place where they enforce unjust laws, rob the
poor of their rights, abuse widows, orphans and rule with greedy sin.
Because of this the nation has become weak
and easy to attack, which Assyria does, taking over the land and humiliating
her citizens.
The second part has God berating the
Assyrians, saying “Yes, my people were nasty and inhumane, but you didn’t have
to plunder and annihilate them the way you did.”
The third part features the foreign King
of Assyria who has zero regrets and total delight in what he has done. The enemy King says, “The people of Isreal
were like birds in a nest, so I took my hands and grabbed them, destroyed them
and made it so that not even their eggs, their babies, their nestlings could
take flight.”
Jesus talks of wanting to gather the
people like a Mother Hen. God talks of
creating safe nest where the vulnerable are protected, an eagle who lifts the fledglings
up so they can learn how to fly.
But the King of Assyria? He finds delight and purpose by reaching into
the nest with bare hands and destroying each and every bird.
If you want to know the power of calling
Jesus “King” and God “Lord” as compared to the kings and lords of the earth,
here it is.
God gives shelter and sanctuary; Jesus
gathers us and creates a community based on love.
What strikes me most about the Assyrian’s
actions is how they not just affect the immediate present, they forever alter
the future.
Those fledglings, those nestlings in the
nest weren’t just noisy hungry creatures with wide open beaks unable to fly,
they were the ones who would have developed feathers and muscles for flight,
and play their part in creation by eating insects, pollinating, and singing
their song.
Think of all the future voices the King of
Assyria forever silenced when he ravaged those nests.
Those who would never grow to become
prophets or priests, artisans and architects, traders and teachers, heads of
government and new business starters, moms and dads.
I think of Marty, OKS and our
participation. Marty one said that OKS
matters because the child who receives nutrition may grow up to be the next
Nelson Mandela.
Think of how that can apply to our Mission
guests today- Habitat For Humanity, and our hands-on relationship with them.
What a rich Mission Statement they have-
“Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people
together to build homes, community and hope.”
Sooo far away from the destruction of
Assyria and much more aligned with the ways of Heaven.
How Habitat offers affordable, safe homes,
asking their families to engage in partnership and sweat equity, so they can
build a notable, maintainable nest together.
How Habitat, the members of St. Lucas UCC,
and the community get to play a role in building those nests, putting God’s restorative
and protective love into action with each hammer, tape measure and level.
How Habitat is building a nest not only
for the “now” but for the future. When
the nestlings and fledglings of these nests can sleep knowing they are safe and
have a place to call “home”, they are free to dream, to play, to take chances,
to learn, to go out into the world with their gifts.
The King of Assyria found delight in
destroying all hope for the future, but Habitat lays the foundation for a
future of flight.
Who knows what difference we can make in
the life of a child and a youth. Who may
become the next William Danforth or Maya Angelou. Who may become the next William Eliot or
Josephine Baker. Who may start the next
foundation or hospital or center for the arts or become future Senior Pastor of
St. Lucas UCC.
While the unjust kings of the world want
to upend, take away, and make weak, we have a savior in Jesus who wants to
establish, bring together, and make strong.
While human rulers crush orphans and
widows, the God of All Creation hovers over, watching.
The nests of Jesus, the places built in
the name of Christ, are here to be a place of sanctuary, a place of calm, a
place where we can say “Lead Us On Eternal Sovereign”, lift us up, on eagle’s
wings.
Amen.
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