Saturday Reflection – 04 December 2021
Saturday Reflection – 04 December 2021
“Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting.” Isaiah 45:17 NIV
As we continue on our journey through the Advent season, preparing ourselves to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord, and prepare ourselves for His second coming, we cannot overlook the state of the world, in which we find ourselves, for it is when we pause for a moment, and reflect on this world, that we will recognize even more, the need of our Messiah, a need which will stir us to action to ensure that as His ambassadors, we are actively and enthusiastically spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. The prophets echoed the message of the coming Messiah to bring light and hope to all God’s people, in a time when they felt desolate, disgraced, and distanced from God. This message of redemption is meant to remind the people that all is not lost, and though we may not see God’s hand in all the circumstances, the master potter continues to fashion us, even as His hands remain on the steering wheel.
And so, the prophet in his announcement declares that their salvation would come from the Lord, whose salvation would be effective and lasting. That the Messiah who would come into the world, who show us the way to life everlasting, would lead us in that way, and who by His eventual sacrifice, would be able to conquer the effects and consequences of sin, death, and the grave. Christ would save all God’s people from their sin, and lead us to newness of life, and in the way everlasting.
It is interesting then, that we find ourselves in similar circumstances like the society when the prophet proclaimed today’s watchword. Many find themselves similarly desolate, disgraced, and distanced from God. And we can clearly observe the immorality and wickedness in the world. It is in this context today, that the prophetic message proclaimed by Isaiah holds true. For Christ can save us with an effective and lasting salvation, powerful enough to cleanse the vilest sinner, to conquer the strongest temptation and sin, will give us peace and set us free. We, who are God’s people, are reminded in this season of preparation, that Christ came to reclaim us from darkness and to restore us to light. We remember the proclamation made by Christ that He came to seek and save the lost.
We prepare then, for His coming, by igniting hope in the hearts and minds of people everywhere, that our Saviour is able to reclaim and restore us. That hope even reminds us how lost and condemned we were, and places and newfound or greater sense of gratitude in our hearts as believers, and reinforces the need for evangelism, bearing the message that even “the vilest offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus, a pardon receives.” We prepare for his coming by tuning our hearts and minds on the Saviour who has come to save the world, on the first from sin, and on the second, to take His beloved, that where He is, we are forever. Too often, the distractions surrounding Christmastime, block our vision, and consume our minds, that we fail to see the Christ, the reason for the season. We are too busy buying and packaging gifts, baking, and preparing food, and planning festivities, that we often forget to take time to worship our Incarnate Lord, who reclaimed and restored us, too busy to actively and enthusiastically spread the good news in this season of cheer and goodwill. And these are important and beneficial to our holiday, but without Christ as the center, in the place of prominence both by our words and actions, then we will never really understand and appreciate the true meaning of the season, and experience the depth of peace given to us by the Saviour. May our minds instead be turned to Christ, who will freely save, transform, and set free.
Until next week, let us take the time this Christmas, to reflect on the true reason for the season, and may be stirred to worship and service to the Saviour who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. Amen.
Dominic J. Blair