Isaiah 9:6-7
For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 32:14-18
For the palace will be forsaken,
the populous city deserted;
the hill and the watch-tower
will become dens for ever,
the joy of wild asses,
a pasture for flocks;
until a spirit from on high is poured out on us,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
The effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust for ever.
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.
Justice Will Dwell
Do you remember, in the early days of the pandemic lockdown, the reports of wild animals returning to spaces occupied by humans, now curiously bereft of human activity? It stands out for me as one glimmer of hope in that surreal time. Perhaps the world was returning to some sort of equilibrium, where all creation could co-exist peacefully and environmental degradation cease. The photos that record this moment are incredible. Take a look at some of them here.
Of course, we couldn’t remain in permanent lockdown. That wasn’t the solution to our planet’s plight. The pandemic may have revealed some new possibilities for healing, some new concern for our neighbors, some new intentionality about righting the wrongs of systemic injustice, but it also killed over six million beloved ones worldwide…and counting. That’s not the abundant life for which we yearn.
Still, the images of those animals returning to city spaces is a portrait for me of the kind of vision Isaiah records. God promises a great reversal. The places of power will be deserted by the humans and become pasture for flocks. The places of human protection will become secure dens for the wild animals. But unlike what we saw during the pandemic lockdown, people also will dwell secure and will abide in peace. The flourishing of a world made “right” is the flourishing of all creation.
In God’s promise, a spirit from on high is poured on on us all. The chaos of the wilderness yields to the production of food for all who hunger. The fruitful field gives way to forest, a place of peace for the raccoons, the deer, the jackals and the wild boar. Justice dwells in the wilderness; righteousness abides in the fruitful field. Every place is filled with the goodness of God. There is no place where what is right for the wellbeing of all creation remains elusive or continues to be thwarted by the forces of evil.
Decorah, February 2019
A child has been born for us, a child who drew hometown shepherds and magi from the east to his humble birthplace, a baby at home in a manger where (we might imagine) cattle and camels came to sing his praise.
No more divisions. No more indignities. No more strife between ancient enemies. A child has been born for us.
A child.
God dwells with us—the portrait of strength by way of vulnerability, the embodiment of justice by way of grace, the one who holds together every citizen of heaven and every inhabitant of earth.
In this season of Advent, we have waited with expectant hope. We have prayed with gratitude and lament. We have sung and we have kept silence. We have slept in peace and wrestled through the night. We have cried out for God. And tonight, on this Christmas Eve, we hear again the newborn cries of our Savior. We marvel, again, at how God makes God’s home with us.
We join our voices with the shepherds and the magi, Mary and Joseph, the angels and the animals, the forests and the fields. We sing the song of Mary (as expressed in “Canticle of the Turning”), a song of trust that there is still a vision, fueled by God’s promise of abundant life for all.
From the halls of power to the fortress tower not a stone will be left on stone
Let the king beware for your justice tears ev'ry tyrant from his throne
The hungry poor shall weep no more for the food they can never earn
There are tables spread, ev'ry mouth be fed for the world is about to turn
My heart shall sing of the day you bring. Let the fires of your justice burn
Wipe away all tears for the dawn draws near and the world is about to turn!
—Rory Cooney, based on The Magnificat
This is one of my very favorite Christmas memories: Logan at age 8 preparing to sing his favorite song at the Sunday School Christmas Program.
A child is born for us. Amen and amen!
THE TEXT
Aurum,
Infuscatum et obscurum,
Canens noctis,
Canens mortis,
Acquiescens canendo…
Et angelum somnit aurorarum et bellorum,
Saeculorum aurorum fundit lacrimas,
Lacrimas rerum bellorum.
O arma!
O lamina aurata!
Gestu graves nimium,
Graves nimium volatu.
Aurum,
Infuscatum et torpidum
Suscita!
Dilabere ex armis in alam!
Volemus iterum,
Alte supra murum;
Angeli renascentes et exultantes as alas
Aurararum,
Aurorum,
Somniorum.
Aurum,
Canens alarum,
Canens umbrarum.
Gold,
Tarnished and dark,
Singing of night,
Singing of death,
Singing itself to sleep.
And an angel dreams of sunrise,
And war.
Tears of the ages.
O shield!
O gilded blade!
You are too heavy to carry,
Too heavy for flight.
Gold,
Tarnished and weary,
Awaken!
Melt from weapon to wing!
Let us soar again,
High above this wall;
Angels reborn and rejoicing with wings made
Of dawn,
Of gold,
Of dream.
Gold,
Singing of wings,
Singing of shadows.
Charles Anthony Silvestri, b.1965
Logan and his song are adorable! Merry Christmas to your family, Stacy.