December 28th - Reflection

Isaiah 49:13-23 (NRSV)
God comforts the suffering

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me."
Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
Your builders outdo your destroyers,
and those who laid you waste go away from you.
Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.

Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land
surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
The children born in the time of your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing:
"The place is too crowded for me;
make room for me to settle."
Then you will say in your heart,
"Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away
so who has reared these?
I was left all alone
where then have these come from?"

Thus says the Lord God:
I will soon lift up my hand to the nations,
and raise my signal to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

Reflection
God has come to us and is with us! God chose to be with us! Rejoice because God became like you and me. All are included in this act. God has come! God has brought salvation to the nations through his promise to Abraham. God has become flesh in a marvelous way. Heaven and earth are united through the virgin birth. God is with us!

Make room for Jesus. Don't let the sins and desires and wants of this world crowd him out. God is with us. Shove something loose and let Jesus into your heart. God is with us! See, at the arrival of Jesus, all who come to him. Announce to all the world what Jesus' presence has meant to you in your life. Announce the hope, the trust, the love, the fellowship and most of all the salvation from sin, death and the devil, that Jesus has brought to you. Announce that God is with us!

But also in all your excitement, look. Look real hard at the palms of Jesus hands. Look, he has inscribed you there. Look closely at the scars. Look into Jesus eyes and see the remnants of the pain he endured. Look at his brow and the scars. Look at Jesus' side and feel the compassion that Jesus had for you. Your name is written in the scar in the palm of his hands. Jesus died for you...you! Jesus' love for you is deep, eternal and universal. God chose to be with us...God is with you! Thanks be to God!

Prayer
God you are with me and your children. Protect us from sin, death and the devil. Lead us together as disciples in following you. Show us the way. Teach us how to love as you love. You are here. You are near. Thanks! --- Amen