Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading
Isaiah 42:1–9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. (NRSV)

Reflection

Our text today is the first of four distinct passages in the latter chapters of Isaiah commonly known as the “servant songs”—imagery that was likely originally written with Israel in mind before later being identified with Jesus by the early church. Coming out of the season of Advent, there are close parallels to be drawn between these “servant song” passages and the prophetic words given by Mary and Zechariah in Luke—a hopeful reimagining of the world around us, driven by the one who “will bring forth justice to the nations,” “open the eyes that are blind,” and “bring out the prisoners from the dungeon.” “The former things have come to pass,” Isaiah announces on behalf of God, “and new things I now declare”—a promise of hope, a promise of a new future, a promise of a better world.

The French surrealist poet Paul Éluard was once quoted as saying “There is another world—and it is in this one.” I’ve always loved that quote, particularly at the outset of a new year, because it reminds me not to accept the status quo as a given, whether in my life or in our wider world. If we can imagine a world that better reflects Christ’s love, it is incumbent on each one of us to help realize that dream—trusting that God is right there working in, and through, and alongside us as well. A better, fairer world is in this one, a world in which all things are made new through Christ’s love. May it indeed be so.

Prayer

Holy God, give us the courage and imagination to not only dream of a better world but to work alongside you in making it so. Amen.

Written by Matt Helms, Associate Pastor for Children and Family Ministry 

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

Devotion index by date

Please email me daily devotions