Isaiah 43: 1-7
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
January 13, 2019
Baptism of the Lord Sunday
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my sight,
and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’ - Isaiah 43: 1-7
The top two teams were named for the 2018 College Football Playoff for the National Championship: Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers.
There was a lot of expectation and anticipation for the Monday night lights last week at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. For years Alabama has remained the chosen pick to win the Natty.
In a fall interview on ESPN, Clemson’s Head Football Coach, Dabo Swinney said this about being in the mix for the Championship Playoffs, “The reality of it is, back when I was a player [for Alabama], we kind of had the big-time bus and then the R.O.Y. bus – the Rest of Ya’ll – it is kind of Alabama and the rest of ya’ll. We are just kind of glad to be on the R.O.Y bus right now and to still have a chance.” [1]
The finale of every big sports game ends with celebration and disappointment. Watching the championship game, I noticed two things: (1) When a top pick team is defeated by the underdog, it brings a look of disorientation to the faces of the players and fans (2) Dabo Swinney continued to say Clemson’s team remained on the R.O.Y. bus regardless of winning. The final score left both teams reflecting on the teams’ past histories to remember who they are, where they came from, what their purpose is, and what drives them.
God’s people of Israel were God’s chosen pick. However, the plays and tackles of life were leaving Israel feeling disoriented. The prophet Isaiah spoke into Israel’s great disappointment; you see Israel was experiencing Babylon’s crushing upper hand. And God’s people began to feel downcast and defeated.
The memories of being on the big-time bus were fading as they felt God was abandoning them to the R.O.Y. bus. Israel did not feel they had a chance to feel the victory of being God’s chosen pick again. Life felt like a losing game.
In our assigned lectionary text today, Isaiah speaks a word of encouragement when the people of God experience life’s hard places. Isaiah reminds God’s people and us who we are, where we came from, why we still have purpose, and what drives us.
God’s people are precious, honored, and loved (Isaiah 43:4). God has called each child of God by name and we belong to God. The same divine hands that stretched out the heavens and earth also formed humanity from the dust. This kind of chosenness is not just a title, but a symbol of God’s desire to live in relationship with humanity in our greatest joys and deepest disappointments.
Believe it or not, God’s people came from the R.O.Y. (the Rest of Ya'll) bus. You see the divine Dream Team is the only one who rides the big-time bus – that’s our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Throughout the generations our spiritual ancestors climbed into the R.O.Y. bus. They were chosen to follow God’s big-time bus into God’s victories.
Sometimes God’s people experienced losses when they wandered from the truth of God’s faithful and loving lead. Still today we find ourselves losing the game of life to the sin of pride and trusting our abilities over and above God’s power and guidance.
And yet God’s steadfast love led God’s people through the waters of the Red Sea and through the River Jordan into the freedom of God’s promises. The pillar of fire led the way forward through the wilderness and tested the people’s faith to be all in and follow God obediently. Even as God’s people forgot Holy Spirit’s playbook and became disoriented by fear, sin, and defeating obstacles in life, God promised to redeem them by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God’s people are not only loved beyond measure and redeemed, but God’s people are created for God’s glory, forgiven with the promise of new life, and sent to proclaim the wonders of God’s love.
Therefore, the faith of God’s people is driven by the knowledge that through this gift of faith our God is able to do far more than we can ever hope, ask for or imagine. Even when life’s circumstances made God’s people feel like the underdog, Isaiah wanted to shape the hearts and minds of God’s people by the virtue of humility. Isaiah wanted to encourage God’s people to keep their eyes on the big-time bus and obediently follow God’s lead into the Lord’s victory.
Former Alabama quarterback Jay Barker says, “Dabo Swinney has always been the underdog;" Barker was one of Swinney's teammates. "He has had to fight for everything and has never been given anything. That's what has made him so successful. He loves being the underdog because he's lived it his entire life" [2]
Passing through the waters and walking through the fire shaped Swinney’s life, leadership and relational coaching style.
Dabo said in an interview, “My experiences growing up shaped me from a mental toughness standpoint, a drive, a work ethic, a perseverance, an attitude of hope…Sometimes that’s all you got – hope! And if you’ve got hope that gives you power in the present” [3].
Even after winning the National Championship Monday night, Dabo gave all the glory to God.
When a sports reporter asked about this Swinney said, “It’s hard to survive and thrive in this world if you don’t have a spiritual foundation and something that will give you peace,” Swinney explained. “‘Cause life is hard. And we’re all gonna experience death, failure, setbacks, disappointment, cancer — it’s a really difficult world. For me, my relationship with Christ [is a priority and it] has given me hope and peace” [4].
The lesson from the R.O.Y.(the Rest of Ya'll) Bus are these:
First and foremost, there is no shame being on the R.O.Y. (the Rest of Ya'll) bus. It is a means of living out our faith through a growing humility and trust in the one and only Dream Team who goes ahead of us – God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. As we engage in the playbook of life and faith we all will go through hard places.
When it feels like we are treading the waters of anxiety, uncertainty, or grief or walking through the fiery trials of life we so easily become defeated by fear. The hard places of life are disorienting. When we are disoriented, we easily forget who we are and where we have come from. We lose sight of our God-given purpose and what drives us.
I wish being a follower of Jesus Christ prevented us from experiencing pain, suffering, and hardships.
Instead our faith gives us the spiritual foundation to endure and keep following God. You see God is leading the way for us to know the plans the Lord has for us – not for harm but for our well-being - to give us a future with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). God’s plans are not just individual plans for you and me, but they are plans for all of God’s people.
The Apostle Paul says, “We have peace with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus’s anointing baptism, ministry, death, and resurrection that we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because Gods’ love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5).
The next time your circumstances make you feel defeated, remember these things:
Remember who you are: you are precious, honored and loved by the God who calls you by name. Your circumstances do not define who you are; God’s love does. You are created for God’s glory!
Remember where you come from: you come from the family of God who has always been on an adventure of faith with God. From the beginning of Scripture our family of faith has experienced every high and low imaginable – so rest assured that you are not alone when you are faced with adversity. Not only is God with us, but your sisters and brothers have your back! That’s what the family of faith is for.
Remember you still have a purpose: When you pass through the waters and walk through the fire God will deliver you. God will work through your experiences so that you and I may proclaim God’s mighty deeds to encourage others with humility, hope, and peace.
Remember what drives you: The Lord goes ahead of you and is your rear guard (Isaiah 52:12). As we keep the Lord ever before us, knowing the Lord is our strength, we shall not be moved (Psalm 16:8).
That kind of motivation does not disappoint. God’s truth gives you and I hope and power in the present. God is on our side and we will overcome!
May it be so for you and for me.
In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
[1] Staff Reports, “Swinney Says Tigers Are on the R.O.Y. Bus, Alabama Ahead of Everyone Else,” The Clemson Insider, October 30, 2018.
[2] Mark Schlabach, “Dabo Swinney Overcame Pain and Poverty to be on the Cusp of History,” ESPN, January 7, 2016.
[3] Nancy Spitler, “It’s How You Win that Matters,” Clemson Word University Magazine.
[4] Will Maule, “Clemson’s Dabo Swinney Takes Reporters to Church When Asked About His Faith at Press Conference,” Faith Wire, July 20, 2018
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