The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3
Lord Jesus, I’m marinating this morning in the most holy and glorious paradox imaginable—the contrast between the weakness of your birth and the magnitude your calling. Who could’ve ever imagined that a baby whose birthing room was a stable would be the means by which God will stabilize and transform everything awry in the universe?
Who had any way of knowing the child who nursed from a young mother’s breast is actually the Ancient of Days—the one feeds every creature, nourishes all of creation and nurtures the whole family of God with his grace and truth?
Who recognized that the dependent, vulnerable spirit of this infant is actually the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord, by which the world was created… by which one Day all oppression will cease… all chains will be broken… all injustice will give way to justice…
By which crowns of ashes will be replaced with a coronation of beauty… painful mourning will be supplanted with irrepressible gladness… broken hearts will become whole, healthy hearts… those who despair in their stories will become those who delight in God’s glory… the greatly disfavored will be the eternally favored of the Lord… who possibly could’ve seen, known, and believed such a thing of a helpless baby lying in a manger?
We praise, magnify and adore you, Lord Jesus for displaying your splendor most clearly in the gospel… the gospel of your kingdom… the gospel of God’s grace. May your splendor and fame be more fully revealed in us and through us… until the Day you return to finish making all things new. May we, who’ve been declared righteous by faith in you, live as a people who love your mercy… advocate for your justice… and walk humbly with you, our God. So very Amen, we pray, in your most loving and peerless name.
