Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and come down. 

Mountains then would quake because of your presence. Isaiah 64:1 

Seeing God face-to-face was a fearful thing. Even the voice of God struck terror in the hearts of the people of Israel. When He spoke to them from the smoke and the thunder of Mount Sinai, they pleaded for Him to stop. They could not bear even hearing the majestic power of the voice of their LORD. So, in His mercy, God permitted Moses into His presence so that He could receive the Ten Commandments. Even then, when Moses was gone for so many days, the people of Israel assumed that Moses had been consumed in the holiness and power of the Almighty God. From the time of Adam and Eve hiding in the garden, humans have been fearful of even the voice of God. 

When then would Isaiah make this plea? Why would Isaiah wish that God would rend the mantle of the heavens and come down upon the earth in His almighty power? Why would Isaiah want the mountains to shake under God’s thunder as they had at Mount Sinai? The answer is given. Isaiah wants God’s people to wake up to the reality of how far from God’s will they have wandered. 

Isaiah wants Israel to see how her worthless idols avail her nothing. Their idols have no power to act. They have no power to provide. They have no power to protect. They have no power to save. They are little imaginations of men’s minds. From ancient times, there has been no God but the Triune God. He is the God who has made Himself known. He is the God who spoke through Moses and the prophets. Isaiah is calling upon God’s people to listen to Him once again. 

Is this a plea we could make for our own nation? Have we become like Old Testament Israel and Judah? Have we become like something unclean and detestable to our God? Has our witness and our testimony become withered and dry having no more effect on the people around us than a leaf blown in the wind? Have we given God reason to hide His face from us? If we are honest about our nation, we must answer with a resounding YES. 

While we look forward to the day of Christ’s return in judgment, perhaps a better plea for us to make is Lord, make me a witness of your mercy. Christ has called upon us to make disciples of all nations. We are called to make God known to the nations. We are called not to hide away His treasured word but to share it with others. We are to rip open the mantle of self-worship and make hearts quake with the law. But we are also to calm these same troubled hearts with the only hope there is, the gospel. This is how we work to build the kingdom. Blessings as you make the presence of the true God known to this nation and this world. 

Frank Van Brocklin 

Principal Teacher 

Coming up in the near future at Immanuel Lutheran School:

❖ Our school children will be singing at the 10:30 worship service on Sunday, December 3. This is also the day of the school bake sale. We encourage you to participate in both.

❖ Joint Children’s Christmas Service rehearsals with the Immanuel Sunday School are set for December 3 and December 10 from 9:15-10:15 AM. 

❖ During the season of Advent, our classes will be attending the Advent services at 1:00 PM. This provides parents an extra opportunity in addition to chapel services to join their children in worship. We hope to see you there. 

❖ Our Second Quarter Midterm is on Friday, December 1. 

❖ Basketball practices begin on December 4. A team practices are on Mondays. B team practices are on Tuesdays. Joint practices are on Thursday. Practices last from 3:15-5:30 PM. 

❖ On December 6, students in Mrs. Routhieaux’s class will be hosting the Advent meal as a fundraiser for their Discover America trip. The meal that night will be tacos.

❖ A family movie night has been scheduled for Friday, December 8 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.