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Sustaining the weary with a word Isaiah 50:4-9a  I love to teach. I do not necessarily love being a teacher. Does that make sense? During the days when I was still teaching college level theatre and speech courses, I enjoyed (most of) my students, and enjoyed much of my classroom experience as well. Other facets of the teaching profession were not so desirable, however, and I followed other paths. Teaching is integral to ministry, and I identify with Isaiah when he states that The Lord has given me the tongue of a teacher,--- (50:4). We know about tongues. We know that they can be instruments of hate and torture as well as instruments of love and comfort. From time to time, we may find that our tongues are in overdrive while our brains are still in first gear. The rest of Isaiah’s sentence is as follows: that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.  That puts a different spin on the use of our (my) tongue.  There is plenty of weariness to go around, is there not? There are times when we may get so discouraged as to think that the entire world is weary, and wicked. There is plenty of pain to be shared, and most of us receive our due portion thereof. Some people ask the question: “What’s the good word?” as a form of greeting. Most have trouble responding to that question. Christians have the Good Word and lots of good words to share, and yet do so too rarely and too reluctantly. Even though he suffered many indignities for his prophecies, Isaiah was determined: I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame (50:7). Nothing deterred him from using his tongue to teach and to sustain the weary with the good word from God.  Let us stand up together, Isaiah suggests, because we have the Lord God as the one who vindicates us. It is the Lord God who helps me, you, and all who turn to him. Let us allow the Lord God to use our tongues to teach, and in so doing sustain our weary with the Good News. Not a bad time to remind ourselves of that, as we toss out palm branches on the road leading to the Passion of Jesus. Not a bad time to ask ourselves what our passion is, and how that tastes and feels on our tongues. Not a bad time. So - what’s the good news?          - Pastor Piet - April 9, 2006