Thoughts for the Day

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory....

For I the Lord love justice,
I hate robbery and wrongdoing;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants shall be known among the nations,
and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge
that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed....

For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

These wonderful words from Isaiah, written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, are part of three poems written by the prophet to describe the glorious future that God will bring to His people through a Messiah. The "anointed one" means "Messiah"! But they are also known to us because it was this passage that Jesus was to read years later as a thirty year old adult in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4.14-30). After handing back the scroll Jesus sat down - visiting Rabbis were expected to speak, and it was the tradition to do this sitting down. As the people looked at him he was to simply say: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." We can only imagine what they must have been thinking of the man they had seen growing up as a boy, who is telling them that he is the Messiah come to save God's people.

Yesterday we were reminded that God had promised to rescue His people, and today we look at some of the qualities that He loves, and the changes that will be made. Isaiah says "I the Lord love justice". The word "justice" means simply "fairness in the way people are treated". It's quite a simple concept when put like this. We need to ask ourselves: Is it justice when people starve while others throw out excess food? Is it justice when people's homes and lives are destroyed while others simply look on and do nothing? Is it justice when people have no access to good healthcare or die of preventable diseases?

We are God's people, and are part of His plan to bring justice to our world. God wants us to make changes to our hearts and minds, so can we make one small change this New Year to help bring justice to someone else? Many of us are elderly, but that is no excuse for us either, perhaps we can improve our listening skills and pray for more people and their situations.

Lord God,
we pray for the restoration of balance
in a world marred by injustice.
May Your righteous hand bring equilibrium
to the scales of justice,
ensuring that the guilty face consequences
and the oppressed find liberation.
Grant us the patience to persevere,
knowing that Your justice is just and true.
Amen.

(Based on a prayer from Strength in prayer)