Healing Rays of Righteousness

Read Isaiah 61:1-3

Filled with the Spirit of God, the prophet Isaiah promised great joy to the world — through the proclamation of the good news, through the binding of the brokenhearted, through liberty for captives and release for prisoners (61:1-3).

Hundreds of years later, the angels proclaimed to the shepherds the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)

When Jesus launched his ministry 30 years later in the Nazareth synagogue, he read the prophetic scripture from Isaiah 61 and then rolled up the scroll and said to the gathered worshippers, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Another hundreds of years later, Isaac Watts echoed the angel’s message in poetry and George Frederick Handel set those words to music:                                                                                                 Joy to the world!  the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King.                                                                    Let every heart prepare Him room, And heav’n and nature sing.                                                                He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove,                                                 The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love.

Nevertheless, worldwide stories of human depravity – sin, carnality – capture the news headlines and fill the airwaves on a daily regularity.  The news clearly indicates that we are an ethically, morally, and spiritually bankrupt people.  There is very little good news to be found here.  Hope is in scarce supply.

Even so, hope is the joyous good news of Christmas.  John Greenleaf Whittier said it so well when he wrote:                                                                                                                                                                                  I heard the bells on Christmas day, Their old familiar carols play;                                                              And wild and sweet the words repeat, Of peace on earth, good-will to men.                                        And in despair I bowed my head,  There is no peace on earth I said;                                                         For hate is strong and mocks the song, Of peace on earth good-will to men.                                       Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;                               The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.

I remember as a young teen-ager walking home from the neighbor’s house after darkness had settled across the field, railroad tracks, small stream, and meadow that separated our two houses.  I remember how much less fearful I was when I could see the porch light of our house, and how relieved I was to have the darkness of the night give way to the bright lights of home.

This is the story and message of Christmas.  God enters the darkness of our world and replaces the darkness of fear with the peace of his light and presence.

On one dark night a mother said to her fearful child as she put her into bed, “There’s nothing to fear in the dark.  And besides, the angels are near you.”  The child replied, “But, mommy, I don’t want angels.  I want a skin face to be with me.”

In the opening verses of his gospel of Jesus Christ, John declares that God came to fearful man with a skin face, namely Jesus; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. …In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (1:1-4, 14).

There is not a more amazing and beautiful picture of the almighty, holy God than that which shows him coming down to us human men and women as our companion and provider in our experiences of sin, sickness, sorrow, and the daily routines of living.  In Jesus Christ, God made himself human, visible and tangible so that we could become his beloved sons and daughters.

CHRISTMAS is more than just lights and trees and presents. CHRISTMAS is all about God’s answer to our brokenness.  CHRISTMAS is about the good news that God comes down to earth to do something about our sinfulness, our failures, and our fears.  He comes to forgive, heal, and restore us to wholeness, because he so greatly loves us.

When darkness and fears arise in your thoughts and spirit this Christmas season, hear the message of the heavenly angel, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Lk. 2:10-11).

When you hear the joyous singing of Christmas hymns and carols, listen intently to the heartbeat of God’s love for you.                                                                                                                                           “Joy to the world, the Lord (of light and hope) is come!”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 5, 2018