2021-Dec-25: The Nativity of Our Lord
2021 The Nativity of Our Lord Isaiah 52:7-10 Isaiah book 2, from which chapter 15 is taken against the historical backdrop of destruction of the Temple for a people in the midst of a physical exile. As long as God abandons Zion, they are to be in exile. First, a messenger on foot (this was the fastest way of carrying news back in the day) announces to Zion, "Your God is King". Then, sentinels lift up their voices in a song of joy. Finally, Jerusalem herself joins in the joyous acclamation of God’s salvation. Very pointedly, this passage joyously announces the coming of a King, not just any King but God himself. And not just for Zion but in the sight of all nations where all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God. At the center of the beauty of this news is its paradoxical nature. In the birth of child Jesus, the Eternal Word takes on flesh and dwells among us. He comes to defeat not an earthly power but to defeat death itself and give us everlastin...