Date: 25 December 2023
Author: Bill Buchanan
Text: Isaiah 52:7-10 (NRSV)
7
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
8
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy,
for in plain sight they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
9
Break forth; shout together for joy,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10
The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
On this special and holy day, there remains a lot of uncertainty around the world. Violence and war continue to run rampant. A relative few live in opulence while so many struggle just to survive. Our fears seem to motivate us way more than our compassion. Is it even possible to celebrate “good tidings of comfort and joy" when we know how troubled the world really is right now?!
I’m struck by this text from Isaiah. It was written in a time when Israel had long been conquered by Babylon and was living in diaspora in foreign lands. It was easy to give up hope that nothing would ever change for them. But Isaiah paints a picture of something different. It’s not a picture of revenge against their conquerers or smiting their oppressors. The message is all about peace. It’s about joy. It’s about comforting the weary. It’s about welcoming people home, and he says the whole world will see it. This text, however, was written before any of it happened, though Israel did eventually get to go home. Isaiah is going ahead and claiming the victory now, trusting that God would bring it to pass.
On this Christmas, let us claim the victory that God is bigger than all the tumult around us. Though we can’t fully see the brightness of shalom just yet, we trust that the birth of Emmanuel, God With Us, is like a candle lit in this midwinter darkness. Our joy today is an act of resistance against the temptation of giving up and giving in. What are we waiting for?! Let’s celebrate the arrival of God’s Kin-dom! And, let’s spend our days from here forward participating in its continual unveiling.
Prayer:
God Who Is With Us, thank you for Jesus, the light you shine in the darkness. Thank you for reign of peace that is yours. Help us to recognize it and participate in it, today and every day. Amen.
Author: Bill Buchanan
Text: Isaiah 52:7-10 (NRSV)
7
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
8
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy,
for in plain sight they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
9
Break forth; shout together for joy,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10
The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
On this special and holy day, there remains a lot of uncertainty around the world. Violence and war continue to run rampant. A relative few live in opulence while so many struggle just to survive. Our fears seem to motivate us way more than our compassion. Is it even possible to celebrate “good tidings of comfort and joy" when we know how troubled the world really is right now?!
I’m struck by this text from Isaiah. It was written in a time when Israel had long been conquered by Babylon and was living in diaspora in foreign lands. It was easy to give up hope that nothing would ever change for them. But Isaiah paints a picture of something different. It’s not a picture of revenge against their conquerers or smiting their oppressors. The message is all about peace. It’s about joy. It’s about comforting the weary. It’s about welcoming people home, and he says the whole world will see it. This text, however, was written before any of it happened, though Israel did eventually get to go home. Isaiah is going ahead and claiming the victory now, trusting that God would bring it to pass.
On this Christmas, let us claim the victory that God is bigger than all the tumult around us. Though we can’t fully see the brightness of shalom just yet, we trust that the birth of Emmanuel, God With Us, is like a candle lit in this midwinter darkness. Our joy today is an act of resistance against the temptation of giving up and giving in. What are we waiting for?! Let’s celebrate the arrival of God’s Kin-dom! And, let’s spend our days from here forward participating in its continual unveiling.
Prayer:
God Who Is With Us, thank you for Jesus, the light you shine in the darkness. Thank you for reign of peace that is yours. Help us to recognize it and participate in it, today and every day. Amen.
Bill Buchanan is Executive Director of the non-profit ministry Youth Mission Co. He is an ordained pastor, a Christian educator, and an avid lover of music, good food, and fun with friends.
