Joy to the World!
Isaiah 61:1-11[1]
As I
mentioned last week, for some of us this time of year is very difficult. It’s
hard to feel like you’re a part of the “festivities.” Instead of joy, the
“Holidays” bring sadness. As a matter of fact, I’m one of those people. I’ve
dealt with this all my adult life. It relates to issues that go back to my
family of origin, but that’s too long a story to tell here. Don’t get me wrong:
I’ve always loved Christmas Eve services. Somehow, the “pall” that seems to hang
over me during this time of year lifts with Christmas Eve. But otherwise, it’s
difficult for me to “get into the spirit” of “Christmas cheer.” I know that I’m
not alone in that. That’s one reason for mentioning it—so that others will know
that they’re not alone.
For those
of us who struggle with the “Holiday Season,” the promise of joy can seem hollow.
The wounds we’ve endured in this life have so sensitized us to the suffering in
our world that no amount of tinsel or lights or wrapping or sweets can distract
us from the fact that it can all feel very hollow! While we are spending an
incredible amount of money on ourselves, we are surrounded by people who are
struggling just to put food on the table, just to keep the electricity going,
or just to keep a roof over their heads. It makes it hard to get into the whole
message of hope, peace, joy, and love when it seems like there’s precious
little of it going around for those who need it most.
I believe
our lesson from Isaiah for today addresses this problem. As I’ve mentioned
before, this portion of Isaiah was addressed to those who had lost everything at
the hands of the Babylonians. God had made good on the promise to bring them
back to their homeland, but when they got there, the reality of their “salvation”
fell far short of what they had hoped. They returned to a land that had been
devastated by war and left a wasteland. Their lives were harder than ever, and
it seemed that the God who had promised to deliver them had failed to make good
on those promises. Their faith was spent and their lives seemed hopeless.
What’s
more, after going through years of exile that were intended to teach them to
follow God’s ways, they still hadn’t learned their lesson. They still failed to
practice what the prophet spoke of as “righteousness” and “justice,” which refers
to God’s intention that all people should thrive together, equally. Isaiah
defines “righteousness” this way: “to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the
thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke” (Isa
58:6). He gets more specific: God’s intent was that they would share with the
hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked (Isa 58:7). But they were
too wrapped up with their own concerns to actually put God’s “righteousness”
into practice.
As a
result, God promised to come and set things right himself. And that brings us
to the lesson for today. Here, one who speaks like “the Servant of the Lord”
announces that God had anointed him to “to bring good news to the oppressed, to
bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to
the prisoners” (Isa 61:1). He promised to give the “oil of gladness” to those
who were mourning—very likely because they were struggling just to survive. The
prophet promised in the name of the LORD that God would cause “righteousness” to
grow up and flourish like a lush garden! In other words, God promised to set
right all that was wrong, to relieve their suffering, and to establish true justice
that would enable them all to thrive together, equally.
We know
of this message in the Bible—we call it “social justice.” But for some reason,
we seem to miss how important it is in God’s saving purpose. We tend to think
of our “eternal destiny” as the “important” part of “salvation.” From that
perspective, anything we do to help alleviate suffering in this world is good,
but it’s not “necessary.” It’s sort of something “extra” that those who are
exceptionally caring do, but it’s not a “required” part of the Christian life.
In reality, nothing could be further from the truth! Throughout the Bible, it
is clear that the work of “righteousness” or “justice” that makes it possible
for us all to thrive together is not a “side note” to God’s purpose. Rather, it
central to God’s saving work in this world![2] And God’s
promise to do this calls us all to take up the work of establishing
“righteousness” in our world!
The
thought occurred to me that perhaps this year we’re all having difficulty
finding joy in the holiday season. This year we may not be able to observe all
the “festivities” we would like. However, it might not be a bad thing for us to
have to look deeper to find the joy of Christmas. True joy is about the promise
that God would send us a Savior who would not only proclaim the good news, but
who would also enact it by relieving suffering and setting all things right in
the world. If we find it challenging to see that promise fulfilled in our day
and time, we can remember that that God isn’t finished with his saving work.
The promise points forward to the time when Jesus will complete the work of
establishing “righteousness” so that all people can thrive together and enjoy
the life God intends for us. I think that may offer a hope that can bring joy
not only to us, but also to the whole world!
[1] ©
2020 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 12/13/2020
for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
[2] Cf.
T. E. Fretheim, “The Prophets and Social Justice: A Conservative Agenda,” in Word & World 28 (Spring 2008): 163,
“God's concern about matters of social justice was believed to be so strong and
so pervasive that it was built into the very heart of the covenantal promises.
And God was and will be faithful to such promises.”
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