Isaiah 9:1-4 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 9:1-4 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 9But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. Verse 2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness- on them light has shined. Verse 3You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. Verse 4For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
Devotion
All of creation is groaning for freedom. The yoke of many people's burdens is too much for us to carry and something must be done. For those of us who have been affected by the hegemonic death-dealing system of sin, our hearts cry out for salvation. But the good news is: God is in the liberation business! For those who have been on the wrong end of the inexcusable disparities in our world, there is freedom. The life-crushing bar across their shoulders is lifted by the one who makes all things new. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. put it, "The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."
There is also good news for those of us who have wielded the heavy rod of injustice. We too will experience liberation as we are lured into the “beloved community” of wholeness. We will no longer dwell in darkness but will see God’s great light radiating in all of creation as we become "extremists for love" (Martin Luther King, Jr.).
Prayer
God of justice and mercy, give food to those who are hungry, water to those who are thirsty, love to those who are lonely, healing to those who are sick, comfort to those who are troubled, and awakening to those who are asleep. Amen.