(Listen to this homily here).
We’ll be hearing a lot from the prophet Isaiah during
Advent. More than any other
prophet, his words prophesy the coming of the Messiah.
Today
he states, “On that day, A
shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall
blossom. The
Spirit of the LORD
shall rest upon him…” Isaiah is the one who prophesied, “Behold, a young
woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” His
writings are featured in Handel’s Messiah: “Unto
us a child is born.”
Where
Isaiah’s prophecies were particularly accurate was in the fact that he foretold
the Messiah who would come to suffer for his people. In his four servant songs (poems) he spoke about how the
Christ would suffer, shed his blood and die for his people.
What
fascinates me is that these prophecies were uttered several hundred years
before Jesus came. Everyone who
came before Christ was in a long
Advent! Jesus alludes to this reality:
“Blessed are the eyes that
see what you see. For
I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to
see what you see, but did not see it, and
to hear what you hear, but did not hear it…”
Our
season of Advent is different from the first long one for two reasons. First, ours is only three and a half
weeks! And second, we know how the
season ends—Jesus Christ did indeed come as a baby.
Meditate
on these realities today.
Recognize how blessed we are to know Jesus is coming and allow this season to help you prepare well for
Christmas.
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