Year of Promise: Isaiah 64:1-4 - Third Sunday of Advent

"The 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; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to 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. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations."

Descent into the Kidron Valley by Lawrence OP on flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

On our Christmas tree are several ornaments that commemorate milestones in our lives. There’s one from the first Christmas that Elizabeth and I were a married; another marks the first Christmas with our daughter. There’s even one from my first Christmas as a newborn.

 

This year, we have one which commemorates all the crazy things that happened this year: the toilet paper shortage, social distancing, mask-wearing, quarantines, home haircuts, temperature checks, and the like.

 

We need some laughter—because much of what happened this year isn’t funny. So when you hear the prophet Isaiah proclaiming “the year of the Lord’s favor,” you pay attention. God is bringing good news to the oppressed; binding up the brokenhearted; proclaiming liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners; comforting all who mourn. This is what our world desperately needs; for God to tear open the heavens, come down, and deliver us from evil.

 

There’s just one problem: we hear these words every year. We certainly did last year; and look what happened. So what do you say? Will 2021 be any different? How long do we have to wait for God to deliver? Or are these words just feel-good bluster?

 

To put this dilemma into perspective, we must consider when they were first spoken. Israel had just come out of the darkest period of their history: exile in Babylon. They were back home in Jerusalem, trying desperately to rebuild their city and their lives, which had all been reduced to rubble. And it wasn’t going so well. Progress was excruciatingly slow. Even worse, society was divided between the “haves” and “have-nots.” There were factions and divisions in society that are not all that dissimilar to what we’re experiencing today.

 

All the while, the memory of “how it used to be” lingered in their minds—particularly Israel’s glory days under Kings David and Solomon. Will life ever be good again?

 

With every day that passes in this pandemic; every Sunday we spend apart; and with every diagnosis, every layoff, every closure, every death, we fall deeper into chaos and further from God. How much longer, O Lord; how much longer must we wait for you to deliver on what you promise?

 

The good news is that God is listening—and God is speaking.

 

The promises God proclaims do not apply to a point in time, but to all of time. God does not move in and out of our lives or our world; with us in good times and absent from us in the bad. Even when we are unfaithful and disobedient, God does not go away. God is good all the time—and all the time God is good. But life goes through good seasons and bad. We go through seasons when we are attentive to God’s presence, and others when we go our own way. There are times when faith is strong, and times when faith fails. Life in Christ is dying and rising, every single day. Right now, the weight of death is more burdensome than ever.

 

But what makes the coming year the year of the Lord’s favor is not some foreknowledge that the virus is going to go away and life will get back to normal. We don’t know what will come to pass tomorrow, let alone a year from now. What we do know is that God is faithful.

 

That’s how you should understand “the Lord’s favor—” not so much as good luck or good fortune exclusively for you, but a relationship through which God’s love and God’s good purposes live in you. The greatest truth you will ever know is that God loves you and the rest of the world so much that God became a human being, suffered, died, and rose again— for you. Chaos and death will not stop God from being good. The only question is, do you believe this?

 

The challenge, in these hectic times, is to cling to these promises; beginning each day in expectation that God will be gracious.

 

The question isn’t about circumstance; but rather your attentiveness; the trust you put forth in God is promising here. That is what you have the power to change: the extent to which you embrace your God who keeps promises. Your trust doesn’t make what is horrible any less horrible. But you are trusting God’s faithfulness to carry you through. You are trusting God’s goodness to prevail. As you walk with God, your outlook changes.  You expect to receive grace. You seek to do good.

 

You also recognize that as a member of the Body of Christ, Jesus is living through you to love and heal a hurting world. The pains and needs of your neighbor light a fire of compassion in you, to do whatever is in your power to make a difference. And the more we commit ourselves, as the Body of Christ, to doing good with the good we have been given, the bigger the change we’ll see. Hope inspires hope. Godly people inspire other Godly people. Healing happens.

 

Every day, month, and year promises the Lord’s favor. This isn’t good luck; but a promise of presence—Emmanuel, God with you. If your outlook is full of despair and bitterness, that’s what you’ll get. Clinging to the promises, on the other hand, God’s love will meet you every step of the way. Yes, it’s been a bad year—and no, we don’t know what circumstances 2021 will bring. But Jesus will bring forgiveness, healing, and grace—every single day.

 

You can look forward to 2021 as the year God will be good to you. It’s a year Jesus will be calling you to himself and sending you forth to share God’s blessings to heal this weary world.