Maranatha!


9    The First Song of Isaiah    Ecce, Deus
       Isaiah 12:2-6
Surely, it is God who saves me; *
    I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, *
    and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing *
    from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say, *
    Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;
Make his deeds known among the peoples; *
    see that they remember that his Name is exalted.
Sing praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, *
    and this is known in all the world.
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *
    for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Like yesterday when it was the Song of Zechariah, in the prayerbook Canticle 4, our “gradual” or responsive psalm for this coming Sunday, Advent 3, is a canticle, “the First Song of Isaiah,” Canticle 9. Whether done in Hebrew or English it is meant to be sung, and there is ample music, plenty of settings in our hymnal for doing this, solo or choir or in congregation. It’s always sad to me when liturgical material that historically is sung, whether in church or synagogue, cantor or congregation at large, is simply spoken or recited because it’s prescribed for the day, because an opportunity to learn and experience something about Heilsgeschichte, our holy history and holy worship, slips away. As for the Song of Isaiah, even the scholar sings it rather than obliviously muttering through it and moving on:
For us Christians, this section of Isaiah is extraordinarily rich in messianic prophecy apt for the Advent season. In my Bible Seminar or Sunday School class, we would start at Isaiah chapter 7 and read straight through to the end of chapter 12, and we would sing or chant Isaiah’s Song together, as the rabbi does above.
As a matter of fact, it’s worth the read and the experience to begin at the beginning, Isaiah chapter 1, read slowly, contemplate, and discover what the man Isaiah is all about. It's the prophet himself, the prophet and Elohim, Adonai the Lord. It's holy, filled with doom and promise, and reading it is a holy event, an Advent blessing where hints of Christ himself can be found.
Advent. Excitement builds. Come, Lord. Amen, come!
TW+