Fourth Sunday in Lent: Old Testament, Isaiah 12:1-6                     

Isaiah 12:1-6

It’s a rare thing that the lectionary assigns an entire chapter of biblical text. This week is one of those rarities. The twelfth chapter of Isaiah is brief. Only six verses. But short certainly does not mean insignificant. The law and the gospel are preached in it. Great exhortations come from it and our silence should be broken again and again by what we are given there.

Rejoicing. Singing. Shouting. All from the realization that God had a rock-solid case against us while we stood in the docket of his courtroom as guilty sinners. Well, we are still sinners. But sinners redeemed, washed, sanctified and perhaps most importantly, genuinely loved. All by God. Sing, cry out, and shout, you who are clean. You who have been washed in the blood of the lamb. God is our salvation. And he dwells in our midst. How could we stay silent?