Christmas is over. We have removed the star from the top of the Christmas tree to mark the journey of the wise men searching for the newborn King. We have given gifts to loved ones in remembrance of the gifts given by the wise men to the Christ child. We are living in the deserts of Egypt as our gloomy winter lingers on, and the low clouds depress our minds and hearts as though we too are refugees waiting and longing to return home. Yet, there is Good News! It is a new year with new beginnings, new adventures, new babies, and new opportunities to continue the hard work of being the kingdom of God on earth. Isaiah 61 is a good place to begin 2018. As you read and meditate on Isaiah 61, ask for the Lord to move you to continue living in the joy of Christmas, “do justice, and to love kindness, and walk humbly with your God,” Micah 6:8b, and in the midst of all the bad and/or fake news, believe that God has called you to join in the radical beauty of sharing the Good News.
The Good News of Deliverance
1 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.4 They shall build up the ancient ruins,
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines;6 but you shall be called priests of the LORD,
you shall be named ministers of our God;
you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,
and in their riches you shall glory.7 Because their shame was double,
and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot,
therefore they shall possess a double portion;
everlasting joy shall be theirs.8 For I the LORD love justice,
I hate robbery and wrongdoing;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.9 Their descendants shall be known among the nations,
and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge
that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed.10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations. – Isaiah 61 (NRSV)
