Behold My Servant

In one paragraph

This was the first Sunday of Advent, and Pastor Mark opened four weeks of Advent preaching by walking through the first of Isaiah's servant passages, Isaiah 42:1-9. He set the passage in its historical and emotional context, then worked through it verse by verse to show how it points to Jesus as the chosen servant of God. Pastor Mark explained that the book of Isaiah breaks into distinct sections:...

Read together

1. Isaiah 42:1-9 the primary text of the sermon, read in full and expounded verse by verse as the first servant passage
2. Romans 15:13 read aloud at the lighting of the Advent candle of hope
3. Psalm 137:1 quoted to illustrate Israel's grief in Babylonian captivity, by the rivers of Babylon
4. Psalm 19 referenced to show that creation pours forth knowledge of God in every language
5. Isaiah 40 referenced for the comfort passage beginning with mount up with wings like eagles and comfort oh comfort my people
6. Matthew cited as quoting Isaiah 42:1-4 about Jesus quietly bringing in God's kingdom without crying out or raising his voice
7. Isaiah 53 mentioned as the final servant passage to be studied before Christmas, where the servant is definitely suffering
8. Jeremiah referenced as also forecasting a new covenant to come
9. Joel referenced alongside Jeremiah and Isaiah as forecasting the new covenant
10. Isaiah 42:10 read as a closing benediction, sing to the Lord a new song from the ends of the earth

Talk about it

1. The pastor described Israel's situation during the Babylonian captivity as being beaten on their own soil, exiled, and wondering where God was. Can you think of a time when your circumstances made you feel like God had withdrawn, and what did that do to your faith?
2. The pastor pointed out that Isaiah describes the Messiah as one who will not cry out or raise his voice in the street, and that Jesus repeatedly told people he healed to keep quiet about it. What does that kind of quiet, non-grandstanding approach to doing God's work look like for us today?
3. The sermon used the images of a bruised reed and a dimly burning wick to describe people who are struggling and worn down. Have you ever felt like one of those, and what does it mean to you personally that Jesus will not break or extinguish you?
4. The pastor said we live in the land between Christ's first coming and his second, where justice has not yet been fully established among the nations, but can begin in our hearts as we submit to him. What does submitting your will to his actually look like in practice, day to day?
5. The sermon closed with the call from Isaiah 42 to sing a new song to the Lord from the ends of the earth, and tied that to our role as the body of Christ continuing his servant work. What is one concrete way your group or your own life could reflect the light of God to someone outside the church this Advent season?