Isaiah 61:1–4, 8–11 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 61:1–4, 8–11 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 61The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; Verse 2to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; Verse 3to provide for those who mourn in Zion- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
Verse 4They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Verse 8For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Verse 9Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
Verse 10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Verse 11For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
Devotion
When I served as a campus minister, each year we would anoint our graduates before they set out to wherever God was calling them. We marked their foreheads with oil and charged them to be God’s love embodied in the world and to pay special attention to the ones Jesus spent the most time with—the most vulnerable in the community.
We are right in the middle of Advent. Perhaps your life is feeling very full of all the “merry and bright” preparations we feel we have to do in this season.
Isaiah 61 reminds us that the same Spirit that brought order to creation, resurrected a valley of dead bones, and called Mary lives in all of us, too. We are anointed with God’s Spirit. With what kind of anointed work might the Spirit be calling us to fill our Advent lives? To bring good news to the oppressed. To care for the grieving and imprisoned. To pay special attention to those Jesus spent the most time with.
Prayer
Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and renew in us your call to embody your saving love, justice, and grace with all people. Amen.