January 3, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 42:1-9

Thus says God, the Lord,
   who created the heavens and stretched them out,
   who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
   and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
   I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
   a light to 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 idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
   and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
   I tell you of them. –Isaiah 42:5-9

I can envision Christ standing before God while God gives him his marching orders for his sojourn on earth. Of course, God intends for us to do the same things God lists here. Do what is right in God’s ways, not in the world’s ways. We are to be a light to the nations. We lose sight of this requirement as we stumble around in the darkness of the world around us. Opening the eyes of the blind is not limited to restoring physical vision but also seeing what needs to be done and doing it. The same is true of releasing prisoners. There are those who have committed crimes sitting in cells right now who need to be restored to living justly as they reenter society. Yet, we must not forget that we often see ourselves through a mirror dimly* and thus do not recognize that we, too, need to be restored to living justly.

As we start a new year, let us dedicate ourselves to following God’s instructions toward building a better world.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to see the glimpses of truth meant for us. Amen.

*1 Corinthians 13:12: For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.