The Nativity of Our Lord
Christmas Eve: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20
Christmas Day: Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:1-20
The wait is almost over. Our salvation is drawing near. Nonetheless, can we see any sign of it? The voices are still crying out of the rubble but have become more faint and subdued, while discourses of exclusion, marginalization, and bigotry have regained their strength. The rod of the oppressor (Isaiah 9:4) looms larger and heavier. The fruits harvested by sacred and dedicated labor are feeding the trampling boots of the occupiers (Isaiah 62:6-12)—sorrow and hopelessness reign among God’s faithful people. However, the sign of the arrival of our Savior points to this: “a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12).”
This is the sign that God’s grace has indeed appeared, bringing salvation to all (Titus 2:11). It is also a sign of foolish weakness that points to God’s majestic power: forgiveness through the water of rebirth (3:5), out of pure and rich mercy (6), so we might become heirs of the promise of life everlasting (7). For this, a child has been born for us (Isaiah 9:6).
God sings through the psalms:
“Say among the nations, ‘The LORD is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.’
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar and all that fills it;
let the field exult and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the LORD, for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his truth.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples behold his glory (Psalm 96:10-13, 97:6; NRSVue).”
Bridging Faith 