Isaiah 42:1-9
We often get very zoomed in at this time of year. We have narrowed our vision to that of a nativity set. There is a stable (or not), shepherds, animals, the holy family, maybe some magi or wise men. The Christ child takes center stage, as does Bethlehem, that small town of David. We have traditions, music, habits, food, and homecomings. We wonder about those who struggle with the season, with loss or grief, or lack of belonging, or pain.
That’s what we see, and what we have become accustomed to seeing, and what we come wanting to see. This passage gives us the season from God’s perspective. There is a conversation about character and characteristics, about behavior, and about relationship to God. This is an advance description – not an after the fact memory.
How do we hear what God says is coming in light of what we believe has come? How do we hear this passage lived out in Christ, and how does that change our understanding of Christ?
