Date:
January 17, 2010, Second Sunday after Epiphany
Author: The Rev. Dr. James D. Kegel
GLORY TO THE FATHER AND TO THE SON AND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING, IS NOW AND WILL BE FOREVER, AMEN.
“As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I light upon a certain place, where was a Den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep: And as I slept, I dreamed a Dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a Man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place … a Book in his hand, and a great Burden upon his back. I looked and saw him open the Book and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, what shall I do?”
With these words, John Bunyan opened his allegory about salvation, The Pilgrim’s Progress. Bunyan had grown up near Bedford, England, during the period of the Reformation. He was a tinker by trade and fought with the Parliamentarians in the Civil War, but he remembered that he had lived a dissolute life. In his autobiography Grace Abounds, he recalls profanity, dancing and bell-ringing. His language caused even the most proficient blasphemers to say of Bunyan that he was “the ungodliest fellow for swearing that they had ever heard.” His growing awareness of his unspiritual life caused him to wonder about the unpardonable sin and whether he had already committed it. Then while he was playing a game of Tip-cat in the village square, he heard God’s voice saying to him, “Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven or have thy sins and go to hell?” Bunyan became a lay preacher, (either as a Baptist or Congregationalist, there is no clear evidence), and was imprisoned for not conforming to the royal edict which confined preaching to the ordained. It was while he was serving time in Bedford gaol that he wrote this work which at one time was second only to the Bible in Christian literature.
It was at the end of the book, after Pilgrim had laid his heavy burden at the foot of the cross and encountered many dangers on his journey that he nears the Celestial City of God: “After this, I beheld, they were come unto the land of Beulah, where the Sun shineth night and day. Here, because they were weary, they betook themselves a while to rest. A little while soon refreshed them here for the bells did so ring and the trumpets continually sound so melodiously that they could not sleep, and yet they received as much refreshing…and so many, went over the Water, and were let into the Golden Gates. Their ears were filled with heavenly noises and their eyes delighted with Celestial Visions.” And as Pilgrim was himself to go over the water, he writes, “I see myself now at the end of my Journey: my toilsome days are ended. I am going now to see that Head that was crowned with thorns, and that Face that was spit upon for me. I have formerly lived by hear-say and Faith; but now I shall go where I shall live by Sight, and shall be with him in whose company I delight myself. I have loved to hear my Lord spoken of. And wherever I have seen the print of his shoe in the earth, there I have coveted to set my foot too…His voice to me has been most sweet; and his Countenance I have more desired than they that have desired the light of the Sun…”
Beulah land—an image for hope in despair, joy in sorrow, a vision of God’s glory. It is a term which comes from the Hebrew, from our Old Testament text this morning. I would ask you to look up Isaiah 62 in your pew Bibles and look at the footnotes. Words that we have capitalized in our English translation are given in the original Hebrew. In the King James Version of the Bible they were not translated but transliterated. The prophet is proclaiming to Israel that in the midst of their sorrow, their desolation and despair, that the God of Israel would do a great new thing and give them a new name. No longer would they be named AZUBAH—Forsaken or their land, SHEMAMAH—Desolate; Instead they would be called HEPHZIBAH—My Delight is in her and the land called BEULAH—Espoused, Married. God would make good on the promise to bring exiles out of Babylon back to Zion—or if this portion of Isaiah was written after the return to a land still desolate and depopulated—to rebuild and restore the fortunes of Zion so that it could be a light to the nations. God’s salvation will be so wonderful that all the nations of the world will see the glory of God. All will see the vindication of Israel; righteousness will shine like a lamp and salvation like a burning torch. Israel will become a crown of beauty in the hand of God, a diadem in God’s palm. Israel will be the bride of God and God, the bridegroom, will rejoice over people, God’s bride. God will rejoice over us.
Many have noted that the message of Isaiah chapters 52 to 66 is pure Gospel. There is no note of judgment but only the glad tidings of salvation. It is not that Isaiah is without words of judgment upon sin and a call to repentance by sinners. The first thirty-nine chapters are a clear call to repent and return to God. Lutherans would say it is Law—God’s judgment upon unrepentant sinners. But to those who have been punished and are sorry for their sins, comes God’s word of forgiveness and restoration. This is grace, Gospel, Good News. And in this text we have no more beautiful image of promise than God the bridegroom and human beings decked in jewels to become God’s bride. We will be called Hephzibah, “My delight” and our land, Beulah, “married.”
We have a wedding coming up this summer—our daughter Anne is to be married to Ben Dey over Labor Day weekend. As I’ve mentioned before, there is a wedding industry which I had not been aware of—yes, I’ve officiated at hundreds of weddings, but only now do I understand the necessity of white chair covers, and flower centerpieces, little gifts for the attendees. I never knew the word fondant before all this or ever watched cake shows on TV. There is nothing wrong with wedding feasts. Our Gospel today is the story of the wedding at Cana where Jesus turned the water into fine wine—oh, last summer when our tour group went to Cana, I bought a couple of bottles of Cana wine that we will use for a toast this summer at Anne’s wedding. That is cool isn’t it! Jesus attended wedding banquets and used the image in parables. The Old Testament records wedding customs such as veiling the bride so completely that Jacob was fooled his wedding night that it was not Rachel he had married but Leah. He had to work seven more years to get the one he wanted. But while the celebrating and ceremony are wonderful, what is important is the marriage. In the beginning, God made male and female and said for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall be one flesh. Jesus reiterated these words. God had given Adam animals as helpers but none quite fit; Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh and they fit together. She was the fit helpmate and it been ever thus. To be married is not to be alone but to share one’s joys and sorrows with a mate. We look forward to the wedding feast of the bridegroom—when we will be joined to God in the New Jerusalem come out of heaven. God will be with us wiping away every tear from our eyes. Sorrow or pain or death will be no more. Those are former things which have passed away. We will not be alone but with God forever.
There is an old Gospel hymn written by Edgar Stites called sweet Beulah Land. He wrote it for the Methodist Camp meeting at Ocean Springs Maryland in 1876. He remembers that when he wrote “Beulah Land” he could only write two verses and the chorus and then was overcome and fell on his face. It was Sunday. The following Sunday he wrote the third and forth verses and was so overcome by emotions that he could only pray and weep. The theme comes from Pilgrim’s Progress and talks of the vision of heaven that can come to us even here, when we are confronted with life’s troubles, with loss of job or spouse or health. When deserted by family or friends, when we have been let-down by false expectations, we can glimpse a bit of heaven, we can have a forestate of a heavenly feast; we can look forward to life with our Savior. These are Stites’ words: I’ve reached the land of corn and wine, And all its riches, freely mine; Here shines undimmed one blissful day, For all my night has passed away. O Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land, As on thy highest mount I stand, I look away across the sea, Where mansions are prepared for me. And view the shining glory shore, My Heaven, my home forever more! My Savior comes and walks with me, And sweet communion here have we; He gently leads me by His hand, For this is heaven’s border land. A sweet perfume upon the breeze Is borne from ever vernal trees, And flowers that never fading grow Where streams of life forever flow. The zephyrs seem to float to me, Sweet sounds to Heaven’s melody As angels with white robed throng Join in the sweet redemption song. O Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land, As on thy highest mount I stand, I look away across the sea, Where mansions are prepared for me, And view the shining glory shore. My Heaven, my home forever more!
Pilgrim friends, look forward not back. The best is yet to come. We have hope in trouble, joy in sorrow, a vision of glory. We will be called Hephzibah and our land Beulah, God’s delight and joined with God forever. Amen
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