Today's Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 55:1-13; Luke 1:1-25

Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem,for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. (Isaiah 52:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  A blessed and joy filled Christmas to all the saints of God our Father!  The hymns’ of Christmas are still coming from the lips of His saints.  We sing without ceasing the praise of our eternal Father and the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.  Our God and creator have brought comfort upon His people through Christ our Savior.  We break forth into singing!

The singing is not coming from the high places or where the Lord resides according to the prophet Isaiah.  The singing is coming from the waste place of Jerusalem.  The city of Jerusalem has been besieged and its walls have been laid low in captivity.  The city is in ruins and yet it proclaims its rebuilding.  The coming of the King is at hand.  

The birth of Christ is a restoration of Israel.  Israel reduced to one.  The child in the manger is the fulfillment of the promises of God that Israel is restored.  No longer do we wait for the salvation of the Lord because the salvation of the Lord is manifest in Jesus Christ.  Restoration is in the manger.  

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we look back while looking forward.  We know that as Christ came into this world on Christmas, He will return to restore this world to its original glory.  The world may seem like the waste places described by Isaiah with all the chaos that surrounds us.  The world wants to pursue the desires of the heart and selfish living.  Sin kills and destroys the perfect creation of God. Satan tempts and jeers at us relentlessly in all facets of our lives.  Amid all the waste places around us, God delivers us through His one and only Son Jesus Christ.  He brings to us comfort in the promises of His restoration in the forgiveness of sins.  We will be taken from the waste places of this present world and delivered to the New Jerusalem, a restored creation, at the resurrection.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

All idols then shall perish, And Satan’s lying cease, And Christ shall raise His scepter, Decreeing endless peace. Proclaim the Savior’s birth; “To God on high be glory And peace to all the earth.” (LSB 383-A Great and Mighty Wonder stz. 4)

-Pastor Timothy Paul Davis is Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church  in Athens Georgia.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.