Saturday, December 17th
by聽Kristina Frug茅
Isaiah 7:13-15
Then Isaiah said: 鈥楬ear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
Isaiah鈥檚 words are to King Ahaz in Jerusalem. Ahaz is a ruler who neglects God and makes idolatrous choices that gravely endanger his people. Isaiah utters these words to him from within the context of an unstable time – the powerful take as they desire, the poor become pawns of the wealthy, threats of violence persist from outside nations, there is a loss of faith in God and distrust of one another, injustice rules the day. Sound familiar?
Despite the dire circumstances鈥he seed of God鈥檚 promise is given. In our Christian story this seed is fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. Immanuel. God With Us. It is a bold promise to speak into corrupt and oppressive realities. Jesus鈥� time, like Isaiah鈥檚, and like ours, was deeply troubled. Yet none of this deters the promise of God from entering the world. Not in Isaiah鈥檚 time, not in Jesus鈥� time, and not in ours either.
The promise is for Immanuel. God with us. All of us.
May this seed take root in our bodies, our neighborhoods and all of creation.
May we embrace and participate in the new life this promise offers.