July 2, 2023 - Isaiah 50-54

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,

who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,

who publishes salvation,

who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’

The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;

together they sing for joy;

for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.

Break forth together in singing, you waste places of Jerusalem,

for the Lord has comforted his people;

he has redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God” (52:7-10).

Beautiful feet! Good news! Peace, happiness, salvation! Because our God reigns, his people sing for joy, rejoice in his presence, are comforted, and are redeemed and saved! What else needs to be said?

Sing praise to God who reigns above,

the God of all creation,

the God of power, the God of love,

the God of our salvation.

With healing balm my soul is filled

and every faithless murmur stilled:

To God all praise and glory. --Johann Jakob Schütz (1675)