Compare these two texts from the prophet Isaiah concerning the nation of Israel and the remnant. I find them to be a direct parallel to the difference between our country and the Church.
“Ah, sinful nation,
a people laden with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
they have despised the Holy One of Israel,
they are utterly estranged.”
(Isaiah 1:4)
Forsaking the Lord is equated with despising the Holy One of Israel and leads to estrangement.
Consider the following hymn of praise:
“You will say in that day:
I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and will not be afraid,
for the Lord God is my strength and my song
and he has become my salvation.With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation;
and you will say in that day:Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.Sing songs of praise, for he has done gloriously.
Let this be known in all the earth.Shout and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
(Isaiah 12)
What is the difference between these two groups?
One is estranged from the Holy One, the other has him in their midst.
One is under judgment, one is drinking deeply from the wells of salvation.
One forsakes God, the other continually offers worship to him.
The good news is that God is in the business of moving people from the first group to the next group. Our country is not “the chosen people of God” certainly, but our country is made up of individuals. Individual sinners who have forsaken God and have his anger directed to them.
May there be many more who experience God’s anger turning away from them and feel the comforting embrace of Christ. May there be countless multitudes in the coming months who turn from their sin to worship the great God who has become their salvation.
It is for us now, the members of his Church, to continue in worship, a worship wholly reliant on him. It is for us to proclaim his glorious deeds through Christ to all peoples throughout the world that his name may be exalted. Let it never be that we are the reason his name is blasphemed.
Tessera Sola 