Reading
Psalm 72, Isaiah 11:1-5, Luke 10:21-24 and 1 John 2:1-17
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash round his waist. Isaiah 11:1-5
Reflection
The light that Isaiah speaks about: the light that breaks the yoke, the bar, and the rod of the oppressor; the light that penetrates and punctuates the darkness ; the light that comes in the form of a child of peace: yes, God, more of this light, please. The texts are handed to us from our Jewish forebears, for some this “Old Testament” can stand on its own. These words do not take on a new meaning for those of us who are people of Christ only and our own interpretation. Isaiah offers powerful words for those in darkness in any time and in any place.
Isaiah is preparing us to hear the astonishing story of who has come in the person of Christ. He reminds us that the longing for light is an ancient human longing and assures us that in the presence of the darkness of this world—be it friendly darkness or devastating - God is present, working to help us know God more clearly and to live together with deeper compassion, justice, and peace.
May the light that we celebrate help us to see, to widen our vision to all the ways that God shows up in darkness and in the day.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, I welcome you—
In weakness, to find courage,
In penitence, to find a new beginning,
In uncertainty, to find the next step,
In darkness, to find a way,
In loneliness, to find companionship. Amen
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