Jesus Glasses - A Sermon for Sunday November 16, 2025

We have moved from Creation in Genesis

through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph,

Moses, Aaron,

David, Solomon

And now moving into the prophets.

Lasts week we heard from the prophet Amos,

who called the people out of disingenuous worship;

When the people don’t do justice,

when the people use their wealth

for their own comforts

and not to care for those in need,

Then God takes no delight in our solemn assemblies,

God despises our festivals.

Instead Amos calls God’s people into genuine faith and worship:

to let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing spring.

Amos’ words were proclaimed around 760 BCE,

To put that in perspective,

That’s about 1100 years after Abraham,

550 years after Moses,

and about 200 years after Solomon built the temple.

Today we hear from the first Isaiah prophet.

writing around 735-701 BCE,

about 30 years after Amos.

Isaiah was a prophet for the Southern Kingdom

based in Jerusalem,

Whereas Amos was prophesying

in the Northern Kingdom at Carmel.

Amos calls the people to justice;

restorative justice.

Isaiah still speaks to restorative justice,

but is also pointing to a time of hope and peace,

a time that exists in the present,

but is also fulfilled in a time to come.

The prophesy of Isaiah begins:

“Hear, O heavens and listen, O earth;

for the LORD has spoken:

I reared children and brought them up,

but they have rebelled against me.

The Ox knows its owner,

and the donkey its master’s crib;

but Israel does not know,

my people do not understand.

(Isaiah 1:2-3)

Isaiah is speaking to a sinful nation

who have forsaken the Lord.

(Isaiah 1:4)

The people were not living in the covenant.

It is a similar call that Amos made

to the Northern Kingdom.

God promised I shall be your God,

and you shall be my people.

Israel is blessed to be a blessing to the world.

Isaiah reminds the people of their call:

Learn to do good,

seek justice,

rescue the oppressed,

defend the orphan,

plead for the widow:

But it doesn’t end there.

Isaiah also reminds the people that

it is only by God’s grace

that they can live into their call:

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be like snow;

though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:17-19).

God promises forgiveness for a purpose,

God blesses them to be a blessing to all nations.

But like the time of the prophet Samuel,

the people weren’t experiencing God.

The people in that day

experienced silence from God,

and not the kind of silence in which Elijah heard God.

Isaiah 8 highlights God’s perceived absence.

But it also highlights that the king, Ahaz,

may have abandoned God for other allegiances.

So, has God abandoned the people,

or have the people abandoned God?

Isaiah was prophesying to a nation ravaged with war,

a nation conquered by the Assyrians.

They were walking in darkness.

Darkness like Syrians or Eritreans or South Sudanese

or Ukrainians,

or the Rohingya people in Myanmar

are experiencing today.

Isaiah says that God alone can save them.

God alone can bring about restoration.

God turns their fear,

their pain and their suffering into joy.

God removes the heavy yoke of burden on their shoulders

God crushes the rod of their oppressors

God turns the tools of war into fuel for the fire of light

that shines upon them in their darkness.

God turns their confusion,

God’s perceived absence,

into illumination.

God is going to give them a child.

Invite our scripture reader forward

It’s going to sound like Advent is coming early for us

here at Advent Lutheran church,

as we hear these familiar words of the prophet Isaiah.

Christmas isn’t coming early,

but Christ is with us,

and Christ is coming.

Let us make room God’s Word in our hearts,

let us prepare a path for the coming Christ,

and hear what God is saying to us, today.

FIRST READING: Isaiah 9:1-7

A reading from Isaiah.

  1 But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
 2 The people who walked in darkness
  have seen a great light;
 those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
  on them light has shined.
 3 You have multiplied exultation;
  you have increased its joy;
 they rejoice before you
  as with joy at the harvest,
  as people exult when dividing plunder.
 4 For the yoke of their burden
  and the bar across their shoulders,
  the rod of their oppressor,
  you have broken as on the day of Midian.
 5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors
  and all the garments rolled in blood
  shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
 6 For a child has been born for us,
  a son given to us;
 authority rests upon his shoulders,
  and he is named
 Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
  Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 7 Great will be his authority,
  and there shall be endless peace
 for the throne of David and his kingdom.
  He will establish and uphold it
 with justice and with righteousness
  from this time onward and forevermore.
 The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Word of God, word of life.

Thanks be to God.

Have you ever been to an optometrist?

Those who have know this experience well…

Which is clearer, number 1, or number 2?

The optometrist helps us find the best lenses for us,

so we can see clearly.

The prescription has to be just right,

not too strong, not too weak.

Many years ago,

my wife, Juanita, and I went to the optometrist

because we were due for an exam,

and I thought it might be time

for a new eyeglass prescription.

We had our eye exams,

and then spent the mandatory 3.5 hours

in the showroom

trying on every pair of glasses they had

to find the ones that look the best on us.

We came back a week or so later

when our new glasses were ready

so we could try them on.

My wife went first,

and if you don’t know her well,

she is the most polite and agreeable person ever.

She tried on her glasses,

and nodded, and said

“okay, this might take a bit to get used to…”

Then I tried on my glasses, and said

“Whoa! This is strong.”

It was like looking through a telescope!

I could have read the menu

from the restaurant across the street!

Turns out they mixed up our prescriptions!

Juanita could barely see herself in the mirror

and I could see through walls.

We had to wait another week or so

for them to have the correct lenses put in.

It was such a relief when the correct lenses came in.

Finally, we could both see clearly.

We all see the world through unique lenses.

Just like our own eyes have their own unique history,

so do we all.

Some eyes are strong, some aren’t.

Some have cataracts,

some have moisture issues,

some lens issues.

Similarly, the ways in which we view the world vary.

The way you view the world

is a blend of nature and nurture:

your upbringing,

education,

experience,

family,

friends,

and many other factors

along with our genetics

all impact the lenses through which you view the world.

When Christians read the bible,

it is often through the lens of belief in Jesus Christ

being the Son of God,

the Messiah,

the Saviour of the world.

Similarly, when it comes to the authority of scripture,

for Lutherans,

the bible has authority in so far as it points to Jesus.

We heard the well-known Advent reading,

we hear this around Christmas,

we believe the child Isaiah foretold

is Jesus of Nazareth.

I’m going to suggest we take off our Jesus glasses,

if only just for a moment.

Isaiah’s words were prophesied

about 700 years before Jesus’ birth,

so the people hearing this word 2700 years ago

don’t have the Jesus lens.

For ancient Jews 2700 years ago,

this royal proclamation of a child

may have referred to one of the kings of Judah.

This poem could have been written

to celebrate the birth of king Hezekiah

or, perhaps king Josiah,

who began his reign at 8 years old.

If this is the case,

then the king, be it Hezekiah or Josiah,

will be righteous and just;

a godly king,

serving God and serving the people.

Josiah was considered righteous.

He is credited with compiling

much of the Hebrew Bible.

But the timeline is off here with Josiah.

Arguably the same with Hezekiah,

though he was considered righteous,

ordering the people to return to YHWH, their God.

But in his time,

the Northern Kingdom was conquered

by the Assyrians

and he faced attack in the southern kingdom.

Not exactly peaceful.

Not exactly everlasting.

With all respect to the Jewish community,

in ancient times and today,

This child just can’t be one of the kings of Judah.

It is quite likely that Isaiah is not celebrating

a literal child born in that time,

but rather a celebrating a Royal Succession,

an ideal Ruler for Israel,

God’s presence embodied on earth.

This is where Jesus comes in.

This is where Christmas comes in.

Many Christians understand Isaiah

to be talking about a child;

a Wonderful Counsellor,

a Mighty God,

an Everlasting Father,

a Prince of Peace

that has a reign beyond the confines

of the earthly kingdoms.

The words of hope and promise only hold true

when seen through the lens of Jesus.

No earthly king nor kingdom

can hold eternity

nor offer genuine peace.

No earthly ruler can offer might

seen best in vulnerable love.

No leader of any nation can offer council

that is truly wonderful,

Good News for all the people.

It is God alone who can bring salvation

to a suffering people,

It is through Christ alone

that we can see Light shine into our darkness.

Christ alone is our Wonderful Counsellor,

Christ alone is our Mighty God,

Christ alone is our Everlasting Father,

and Christ alone is our Prince of Peace.

Today I suggest we add Optometrist of Light to that list.

It is truly the gift of God

that we can have Jesus glasses;

a lens for viewing the world as it truly is.

Jesus glasses help us see the sin that prevails,

sin in our hearts and minds,

sin in our broken relationships

Jesus glasses help us see the condition of sin

that we live in,

sin that is deeply entrenched in our world

sin in our communities,

in our workplaces,

our neighbourhoods,

institutions, governments,

and yes, even sin in our churches.

Jesus glasses help us see that the sin in our hearts

and the sin in our world

is too great a force to overcome on our own.

But Jesus glasses

also give us a glimpse into the way forward.

Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be like snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

Jesus glasses help us to see God’s Light,

God’s love,

God’s mercy,

God’s restorative justice

God’s redemption, reconciliation, and restoration

happening all around us.

Jesus glasses help us see those places

where the tools of war

and suffering

and oppression

and violence

can be repurposed for fuel for God’s peace.

Jesus glasses help us to avoid unnecessary division;

not just looking past, but appreciating

denomination and faith tradition

love for those on the

political left and political right

celebrating difference found in nationality and ethnicity

differences of Gender and sexuality,

of any affiliation, chosen or not,

And in recognizing and embracing difference

to see where there is genuine need in the world,

to see what is truly life giving, and act on it

- to join God in that work.

Through the lens of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection

we can see darkness in ourselves

and darkness in our neighbours,

and trust that God makes us righteous,

trust that God brings us healing,

trust that God gifts us with our own unique tools

to do good,

to seek restorative justice,

not to earn God’s love

but as part of God’s work of spreading it.

Jesus glasses show us that the darkness we experience

does not get the last word.

Poverty,

Illness,

death,

depression,

anxiety,

oppression,

violence,

cannot stand to the love and light of Jesus the Christ.

Jesus glasses give us permission to listen and eat.

Jesus ate with sinners, outcasts, tax collectors, prostitutes.

Jesus was hard on the religious elite,

but Jesus ate with Pharisees and scribes.

Viewing others with Jesus glasses

helps us see the image of God in each and every person,

that we can listen earnestly to our neighbours

and perhaps, by God’s Spirit,

we may be given insight to speak Light

in their darkness.

Think for a moment about all the different lenses people wear:

the different ways people view the world:

political left or right,

White Christian Nationalism

is growing in popularity,

and it is scary,

East vs. West,

North vs. South,

humanist, populist, environmentalist,

There are too many lenses

through with to view the world.

Like my wife and I in that optometrist’s office

wearing the wrong prescriptions,

the world is blurry

and out of focus

and near impossible to navigate

without the right prescription.

Jesus is your prescription.

For Jesus Christ is the light of the world.

Whoever follows Christ will never walk in darkness

but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

There is no eye condition too rare,

no prescription too complex,

no level of blindness to far gone for Jesus.

May we view others and this world

through Jesus glasses.

May we see each and every person,

made in the image of God,

precious in God’s eyes and ours.

May we put on our Jesus glasses,

trusting that God’s will be done

in our midst.

Thanks be to God. Amen.