Spiritual Hiccups - Hope Is Born

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing... Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the  tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in  the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall  become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.

On Christmas Eve, the Daily Lectionary doesn't say much about Christmas.  The gospel does report the birth of John the Baptist, but nothing about a baby Jesus.  But the words of Isaiah speak the hope of this night.  The barren desert shall break forth in vegetation.  The blind shall see and the lame leap and run.  Death will turn to life, brokenness will be healed, and none will miss out on the fullness of life.

Tonight, as we remember a Savior's birth, we say that promise has arrived, and we celebrate.  Oh, we know that there is still much brokenness.  We know there are many who are denied anything close to full life.  But if, as Jesus himself insists, the Kingdom of God has drawn near with the Messiah's birth, then history is already being bent toward the end of brokenness and woundedness and death. 

As Christians, we do not for a moment deny the darkness of the world, the darkness into which comes the light.  We know that this light shines in the darkness, in the pain and brokenness of our world.  But we also know that the darkness cannot overcome the light.  We know that death cannot overcome the hope born tonight.  In Jesus, we see God at work in our world, moving history toward God's end. 

And so, even though we see the darkness, we see even more clearly the hope.  And so, no darkness can diminish the joy and celebration we experience, as we sing praises for the light, for Hope born this night.

Click to learn more about the Daily Lectionary.