Opening Prayer
Gracious God, I put myself before you in this moment with waiting heart, expectant desire. Open my eyes that I may see your promise fulfilled; open my ears that I may hear your word whispered to my deepest being.
Amen.
Passage
Isaiah 40:9-11
You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Reflection - Jay Mason
Like the children’s song goes “Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.” We have heard or sang it hundreds of times. Here it is in scripture, shouting the Good News from a high mountain.
As I read this scripture, I was caught off guard by a seldom heard word – recompense. It accompanies God but what is it and how is it so central to Him? The most significant example of recompense inhuman history is Christ’s payment for the sin of mankind on the cross. Jesus gave something both by the way of compensation (his sinless life), and paid for something (the penalty of our sin). That one word captures the Gospel itself.
Today consider going where your voice can be heard: your work, home, school, neighborhood (or even social media) and share the great news! Lift it up and do not be afraid.
Closing Prayer
My Lord, may all that I have seen of you and all that I have heard from your word now enflesh itself in me. Send me from this place as the incarnate promise of life to all whose life I will touch this day.
Amen.