Isaiah 52:7-10 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 52:7-10 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." Verse 8Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Verse 9Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. Verse 10The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Devotion
Oh, what a beautiful morning. Christmas morning. The messenger comes with beautiful feet, says the prophet—beautiful because they carry a message of good news: God is made known at last. The Lord has bared his holy arm so all nations can see it—no mistake. But, surprise! This bared arm turns out to be a bare arm: the bare arm of a baby in a manger, the bare arm of an innocent man nailed to a cross, the bare arm of one who will bear sins but who will refuse to bear arms. A different kind of ruler to usher in a different kind of rule, a different kind of world. A world where salvation extends to every nation and every people. Oh, what a beautiful morning!
Prayer
Bear me up, dear God, in the bared arm of Christ. Hold me close, and make me your own. In Jesus' name. Amen.