Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10 (NRSV)
Devotion
Awaking can be such a varied experience. It is discomforting to be awakened from a deep sleep by a shrill alarm. But to be awakened by a joy-filled 3-year-old is a delight: “I waked up. I got myself all dressed.” She was beaming with pride and pleasure. Today’s readings call us awake to the delightful vision of God’s coming reign. Sorrow and sighing flee away. The desert rejoices and blossoms. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear. We do awake, “transformed by grace,” and we find ourselves announcing to God, “I waked up. I got myself all dressed — in your ways.”
Prayer
God of everlasting joy, call us from our slumber to your own glorious life. Amen.