On the threshold of the new year 2019, we publish today a Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Okanmi on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 to remind us that it is important for us to go into the new year with the sure and certain confidence that God is able and that if we put our confidence, trust and hope in him he will bless us in 2019 and always.
FOR indeed – “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint”. – Isaiah 40:31
Readings Isaiah 40:25-31; Psalm 103; Matthew 11:28-30
Isaiah 40:25-31
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Merely going through the first reading, it won’t be difficult to infer the circumstances that led to it. The people of Israel had suffered so much in the land of their captivity that they have started losing faith. They began to doubt the power of God, they could not reconcile the fact that God is omnipotent and omniscient and they are “Omni-suffering.”
It is either God is powerless to save them or He is unaware of their condition.
Dear friends, sometimes we feel this way, our condition tempts us to reconsider the truth of God’s existence and question His omnipotence. Sometimes we are tempted to doubt if God really sees what’s going on on earth generally and with us and our families particularly.
The message of today is for us. God directed His people to look up and see the wonders of His making. The Psalmist once looked up and exclaimed “You have set your glory above the heavens,” (Psalm 8). He reflected another time and acclaimed, “The heavens are telling the glory of God” (Psalm 19).
The powers of heaven testify to an all-powerful and exceptionally wise creator.
Let us keep in mind today that God is all-powerful, He sees all things including our plight and our hidden fears and tears, and his understanding is unsearchable. He is Aware, Available and Able (AAA). If that is the case, then how should our disposition be in trouble? The gospel tells us not to lose hope or weary ourselves with our burdens.
Jesus says “come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This is the greatest invitation, humanity ever has ever known.
What is your own burden? What load are you carrying? God is powerful to save you, he is all-seeing, he sees you, and he is all welcoming if you run to him, in Him, you can find rest in time and in eternity.
Today as we also recall the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 9, 1531, to an Indian convert- Juan Diego, let us ask our Mother Mary to intercede for us so that we may rejoice to receive the reassurance of God’s love and help in our distress.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Okanmi on Wednesday, December 12, 2018