Christmas Eve / Christmas Day
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation....
-- Isaiah 52:7
One of the shadows that hovers in the background of any Christmas celebration is the haunting fear that after all of the hectic activity leading up to the celebration of Christmas, nothing has really changed when it is over. The world continues as it has with its specters of violence, greed, and lust. This section of Isaiah is often referred to as Second Isaiah and reflects a time when Israel was living in exile. It was in the midst of this time of despair when there was little evidence of any hope that things would actually change in the way that the prophet had spoken. His message was a strong proclamation that despite the apparent reality in which the people lived, God reigns. Christmas in our fractured world is also a good time to proclaim to God's people that God reigns.
In our violence-torn world, what better news could someone bring to the people than the message of peace? Unfortunately, in our cynical world, we are skeptical of such a message. We've heard it before and nothing really has changed. Yet the Christian message to believers living in such a cynical world is the startling news, "Your God reigns!" To counter such cynicism, we are invited to be sentinels who look for signs of God's work in the world. Swimming against the currents of cynicism, worshipers are called to "sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion." This is not a naive denial of reality. The prophet was fully aware of the contrary signs of the world. "Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem...." We are to sing a counter song because we believe a truth that most of the world denies -- God reigns! It is because of that truth that, despite the evidence around us, we can look to the future with expectation. It is both a realistic and a much needed message on Christmas Day.
-- Isaiah 52:7
One of the shadows that hovers in the background of any Christmas celebration is the haunting fear that after all of the hectic activity leading up to the celebration of Christmas, nothing has really changed when it is over. The world continues as it has with its specters of violence, greed, and lust. This section of Isaiah is often referred to as Second Isaiah and reflects a time when Israel was living in exile. It was in the midst of this time of despair when there was little evidence of any hope that things would actually change in the way that the prophet had spoken. His message was a strong proclamation that despite the apparent reality in which the people lived, God reigns. Christmas in our fractured world is also a good time to proclaim to God's people that God reigns.
In our violence-torn world, what better news could someone bring to the people than the message of peace? Unfortunately, in our cynical world, we are skeptical of such a message. We've heard it before and nothing really has changed. Yet the Christian message to believers living in such a cynical world is the startling news, "Your God reigns!" To counter such cynicism, we are invited to be sentinels who look for signs of God's work in the world. Swimming against the currents of cynicism, worshipers are called to "sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion." This is not a naive denial of reality. The prophet was fully aware of the contrary signs of the world. "Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem...." We are to sing a counter song because we believe a truth that most of the world denies -- God reigns! It is because of that truth that, despite the evidence around us, we can look to the future with expectation. It is both a realistic and a much needed message on Christmas Day.
