Christmas Eve

December 24, 2019

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 63:7-9

For he said, ‘Surely they are my people,
   children who will not deal falsely’;
and he became their savior
   in all their distress.
It was no messenger or angel
   but his presence that saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
   he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. –Isaiah 63:8-9

In the scripture above The Prophet Isaiah records his conversation with the Lord, the one to save the people, the one who has been carrying them all along. For some reason the Bible study I regularly participate in during the fall and spring has been intent on studying the Hebrew Bible. Thus, I have noted a pattern. The people of God turn to God in times of trouble when they need to be saved. Even when God eventually allowed them to be taken into exile, God arranged their return to their homeland. Their history though is like riding a roller coaster. Everything falls apart—God saves—things get better—the people turn to the ways of the world—things get worse again—God saves again.

Eventually, God deemed it necessary to dwell among these humans and came to them in the form of a newborn who grew and developed, taught and demonstrated love, and eventually died on a cross to save God’s people. And God raised him from the dead. Christ Jesus continues with us in spirit and in truth.

I think God wants us to get off that roller coaster and build a world ruled by love. Isaiah 40:4 states this well:
Every valley shall be lifted up,
   and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
   and the rough places a plain.

I do not think God wants a world that is stagnant or stoic. I envision traveling through life on an even keel while discovering all the wonders of the earth, sharing it with one another, and basking in the joy of exploring a universe full of the joys of life. Instead when we get to the beginning of the Kingdom of God, we get scared and reach out for lesser gods distracting us from our journey of faith. We need to hear the words Mary and others heard from God, Fear Not, I am with you, let’s go and not settle for the gods of the world like greed and lust for power.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the courage of Mary to say when you call: Here am I. Amen.

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.