For like all those years ago for the people of God, in the midst of all this gloom, a light continues to dawn. This light reminds us again of the promise of Advent…that this world will not have the last word, that love and light will overcome, that the Word Made Flesh came to dwell among, to become one of us so that we can become like him.
December 15, 2024
This Little Light
“This Little Light Radiates Joy”
Isaiah 9: 1-7
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl
Isaiah 9: 1-7
Nonetheless, those who were in distress won’t be exhausted. At an earlier time, God cursed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but later he glorified the way of the sea, the far side of the Jordan, and the Galilee of the nations. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned. You have made the nation great; you have increased its joy. They rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest, as those who divide plunder rejoice. As on the day of Midian, you’ve shattered the yoke that burdened them, the staff on their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor. Because every boot of the thundering warriors, and every garment rolled in blood will be burned, fuel for the fire.
A child is born to us, a son is given to us, and authority will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be vast authority and endless peace for David’s throne and for his kingdom, establishing and sustaining it with justice and righteousness now and forever. The zeal of the Lord of heavenly forces will do this.
This Little Light Radiates Joy Isaiah 9: 1-7
This week, we find ourselves once again living between the already and the not yet. We have already experienced the hope and peace of the Advent Season but our journey to Bethlehem is not complete. And in this strange in between, we hear the words from the prophet Isaiah. Like us, they straddle the line between past/present and future, bringing forth a vision of perpetual peace, bringing forth a feeling of perpetual joy. How could it not!? After years of gloom and doom, after images of war having consumed their lives and their land, after so many years of uncertainty, of not knowing what is next, Isaiah brings to the people a vision which promises great joy!
As I read this text, I was drawn to the New JPS translation according to the traditional Hebrew text. It translates verses 1 and 2 this way…”The people that walked in darkness have seen a brilliant light; On those who dwelt in a land of gloom Light has dawned.”
This image of a land of gloom resonates with me, given everything which is happening in our world right now. From upheaval in the Middle East, to the uncertainties in our own nations, to even the panic of Christmas is a little over 1 week away and I am not even close to being done with Christmas shopping, these simple words, inspired by Isaiah’s vision of a child being born for us, remind us this world will not have the last word. Or as one commentator put it, “We have lived and are living in the 8th Chapter of Isaiah which describes a time of trouble when God is silent, and reality is violent. She goes on to say that God has seemed silent and distant for so many while others have heard the roar of God in wildfires and hurricanes. She ends her study with the statement: In the midst of all that uncertainty and unrest, where is the hope for us as people of faith? Where do we find our joy?
These are the questions I find myself asking daily as we continue to live in this land of gloom, wondering when we will ever experience light and hope again. Even as I ask these questions, I realize that I am getting into dangerous territory.
What I mean by this is again, as people of faith, these questions, of where is our hope, where is our joy, these questions bring us to a crossroads. We could ask them and give some Pollyanna answer, pretending that everything is sunshine and roses, buying into the narrative that we are supposed to fake it until we make it, falsely attributing this burden to Maya Angelou who really said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better”.
There is danger in answering these poignant questions in such a way, because nowhere in our faith story does it tell us that everything is supposed to be perfect, nor does it tell us that we won’t experience any issues. Rather what our faith story tells us, what Advent promises us is that God is with us, that God meets us where we are, meets us in the mess, meets us in the good times, meets us where we are and surrounds us with love and grace.
Which means if we have the courage to answer these poignant questions authentically, we find that there is more to Isaiah’s vision than we first assumed. In Isaiah’s vision, we find a prophet telling the people like it is… yes, things are not good right now. Yes, it seems like things are falling apart. Yes, our world is filled with gloom and doom and yet…and yet, in the midst of the uncertainty and unrest, we find hope. We find joy. We find the promise of our God at work in this world. Because Isaiah tells the people, tells us that God has acted in the past and God will act again to bring healing and wholeness to all of God’s people. Isaiah reminds the people, reminds us that gloom and doom is not the last word, that in the midst of the mess, in the midst of it all, God is moving in and among us, bringing healing and wholeness. Isaiah tells the people, reminds the people that this is what makes our light shine bright with hope. This is why our light brings peace. This is what makes our light radiate with joy. Not because of who we are But because of who God is. Our God who has named us and claimed us, Our God is faithful from generation to generation. Our God who is with us.
For like all those years ago for the people of God, in the midst of all this gloom, a light continues to dawn. This light reminds us again of the promise of Advent…that this world will not have the last word, that love and light will overcome, that the Word Made Flesh came to dwell among, to become one of us so that we can become like him.
With this vision of joy, this vision of peace, this vision of hope, Isaiah is inviting the people to “change their practice, which will in turn change their expectations.” Because if they only focus on the gloom and doom, that is what they are going to see and get. BUT…what if…what if they imagined, what if we imagined, what if they opened themselves, what if we open ourselves to where God was already at work in their midst, calling us to see beyond the depressing status quo to the life giving, life transforming Beloved Community all around us?
Something which I fully admit that I have been remiss in doing in my personal life and in our communal life. And in doing so, I have separated myself from the Beloved Community in my midst. I have closed my eyes, my heart to what God is doing, has been doing in our midst. In doing so, I have forgotten that the joy, hope, peace of our faith is directly tied to where we see God’s movement in the world, that it is our joy as people of faith which empowers us to boldly claim what God will do in the future.”
Now please don’t hear me say that we can change a few words, change a few practices and all our problems are fixed. What I am saying is that I know many of you are like me, struggling to find joy in this season. We are wondering and are worried about what’s next. I have no easy answers or quick fixes. As a prophet of God, what I do have is this…an invitation to hear the “poetry of God’s embodied promise [once more as it pierces] the silence of our despair”.
“For unto us a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.”
This is where we find our joy. This is where we find our hope. This is where we find our peace. We know that today and all days…on those who have dwelt in a land of gloom, a light has dawned. And that light radiates joy for all of God’s people. May it be so. Amen.
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