Outreach Service Aberkenfig

‘Fear not’ said God through Isaiah two and a half thousand years ago ‘for I have redeemed you; I have bought you back from Cash Generator where you had sold yourself!’ Well that really is what redeemed means, paid your price after you have sold yourself down the river. That was the beginning of our first reading, all that time ago God wanted to tell each of his children – all in the world – just how much he loved them, just what ends he was prepared to go to to protect them, and their world was pretty confused. The nation of Israel had been overrun by a mighty army from a neighbouring nation and in line with the practice of the day all who ‘were anybody’ had been taken into exile – carted off to the invading army’s homeland. In the midst of all this here is God saying not quite ‘don’t worry be happy’ but do not be afraid for I will take care of you, I will look out for you even in the midst of all the trials and tribulations in the midst of all the mess and muddle of the world, I love you so much that I will sell off the whole world to get you back as we heard in the first reading. God is not promising an easy ride for His children His people here, but He is promising to be in it with them to stand by them to save them from drowning in the confusion of a turbulent world where all the certainties have been taken away.
Five hundred or so years later, the Roman army was in power in Israel – another invader, but this time in such numbers that taking the people away