“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” (Isaiah 42:6-8)
The modern media exerts a powerful and pervasive constant influence on the world. It can be used for good or evil, and, sad the say, the latter predominates, practically silencing the Word of God which His servants are called to speak. We who have faith in Jesus are called as the servants of the Lord, yet, too often we get mixed up with the ways of the world. We adapt the values conveyed by political and cultural icons, as well as the talking heads on TV and the social media “influencers”. We then wind up living according to such values rather than obeying the Word of God. Therefore, when we endorse the way of of the world, we abandon the call we have from God.
The people of Israel had done the same. They were reminded of their call and their failure by the prophet Isaiah. He mentions their role as the Servant of the Lord. Because they have failed to obey God and had embraced idolatry, that mission of the servant will be fulfilled by a specific person. This Servant of the Lord is totally committed to God’s will, to perform His mission completely with gentleness, meekness, humility, and patience. He will enlighten those living in darkness and free those trapped in the bondage of idolatry and sin. He will uphold and fulfill God’s law.
The Servant of the Lord is, of course, Jesus, and He has called us, His Church to carry out that call. We are to preach the good news that Christ came to heal and save those who are weak, powerless, oppressed, and sinful. We are called to live in righteousness as well as preach to the lost. We are called to love the poor and oppressed by blessing them with works of compassion and mercy. The message of eternal life and freedom from sin and death by faith in Jesus is one which we must share with everyone now.