Isaiah 66:10-14 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 66:10-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 10Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her- Verse 11that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious bosom. Verse 12For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees. Verse 13As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Verse 14You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bodies shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies.
Devotion
The image of Jerusalem as a mother is a comfort to all of us who live scattered, out-of-breath lives. The image of an infant at her mother’s breast, of a small child dandled on her mother’s knees, speak of an intimacy that takes us back to our source of life and love.
The Byzantine Art Exhibit, currently at Metropolitan Museum, New York, is characterized by a number of icons that depict the Madonna and Child. What is striking about every one of the images is the mother’s intense love and the brightness of the child’s response.
We are daily wound with God’s love and care. We are swaddled by a mothering God who daily gives us all we need to flourish and prosper. Begin this day with a prayer, be nurtured by God’s Word and give thanks aloud from a mouth full of praise.
Prayer
“Mothering God, you gave me birth in the bright morning of this world. Creator, source of every breath, You are my rain, my wind, my sun.” Amen.
Prayer based on Julian of Norwich's Hymn "Mothering God, You Give Me Birth," WOV #769.