Isaiah; like sailing on the high seas!

I wonder if anyone has been brave enough to skim Isaiah this week? To use a sailing analogy. A New Testament letter like Galatians or Colossians while rich, exhilarating and profound is like going for a sail on the Swan River. You can see the banks, follow the other boats and endure the chop relatively easily. Isaiah, however, is like taking your sailing boat out of the river, through Gage Roads and out beyond Rottnest into  the Indian Ocean. As Rob and I bring you God's message through his prophet we are going to do our best to explain what's going on. First, historically then in the prophetic section we are dealing with. The prophetic sections will often include Isaiah's diagnosis of the disease 2700 years ago and recommendations for its cure (be prepared for how little has changed). These prophetic sections will frequently be liberally baptised in God's unquenchable love, grace and mercy for his often toxic people. We will discover how giving God is, whether we are aware of it or not. My one prayer for us all is that as we sail this wide open ocean called "Isaiah" together we become, "oh, wow!", aware of who we are and who the living God is. As I scrabble about my "I'm the centre of the universe" life, to suddenly encounter the true God who gives, even to the extent of  the life of his Son, so I can be restored to intimacy with him, this is the stuff of Isaiah. This is the dangerous, demanding yet exhilarating work of sailing the  high seas. This weeks section covers chapters 1 to 5. It's often referred to as 'The Arraignment'. In this early prophecy Isaiah sees Israel in a courtroom and the prosecutor laying out his charges. It looks bad, but is everything lost? We will see.BlessingsMalcolm