PUNCHLINE - What an interesting structure to this piece of Isaiah 5. It begins as a ballad about the vineyard. It’s a friend’s song-says Isaiah-which makes it less suspicious coming from a prophet. The guy uses the best plants, the best brawn and brain to produce a stellar crop of grapes. But one taste from the grapes and the owner’s face squinnies up into intense dislike. The grapes are terrible! That’s the song. What to do this "friend" asks. So the friend tells everyone what is going to be done to these unproductive grape plants: no more protection, nurture or care for them. They are abandoned to the elements, weeds, briars, and wild animals. "Yeah, we listeners are supposed to say, "those sour grapes deserve it!" Then comes the back door slap in the face: "You (Israel) are those sour grapes!" By placing that information last, the prophet confronts his listeners with their sin.

BALLAD OF THE SPURNED LOVER - according the NIB, this is a ballad / song form. That is, God is Pavarotti singing a sad song about God’s favorite subject: human beings that God loves so much. It could in today’s culture take on the flavor of a country song reflected in the title: "You Took my Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat." The passage certainly is a song of disappointment-love sought / love spurned / love lost. A homily from this lesson could well capture the essence of the literary form of ballad/song by simply using the same-or at least including parts of the same-song form in the homily itself. If God decided to come to worship service next week and sing a song about your congregation, what might God sing? Would the song be fraught with inspiring alleluias? Would it be a lament? Would there be any resemblance to what God sings in Isaiah 5? What would that be?

What would God sing about us? What would be its title? The mood? Rhythm? What title would you give the song that God sings about you?

Pastors / Spiritual Leaders: try your hand at being a lyricist! Sit down and write several verses about your congregation! What a cool and engaging way to begin a homily by telling your brothers and sisters that this week you have written a song about them. Let the words honestly reflect your expectations, joys, and disappointments. I just know some of you are going to get carried away with this. ("And come Monday morning, I’m going to record this and bring it down to the local radio station . . .")