“Rejoice, and Rejoice Again!”

Scripture: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Christmas has always been known as a “time of wonder”, even for those who don’t celebrate Christ’s birth. Children come to the day wide-eyed and expectant, and adults, somehow, see the day through those same childish eyes that they had lost years before. It’s a day filled with family and friends gathered around the dinner table, laughing and sharing and loving each other as they had yet to do that entire year, and they come to the day to give joy and receive blessings, and there is not one other day all year long that can even come close.

But there are some who completely miss the joy of the season – perhaps because of the pain of loss and struggle that grips their hearts, and for others through their lack of focus on what the day is really all about. The Message of Christmas, the true message, was given by the angels in a field, speaking to a group of poor shepherds, 2,000 years ago. “Today … a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) The love that Almighty God has for humanity was “fleshed out” in a stable, and the message of hope hasn’t changed since that glorious day burst upon the earth in such a perfect way.

But nearly 700 years before that first Christmas, Isaiah prophesied to the joy of the day. He would tell of this humble birth (Isaiah 7:13-15), he would tell of God’s great Purpose, (Isaiah 9:2-7), and he would share the joy of the Lord’s coming with all who would ever read his words (Isaiah 40:3-5).

Today, we read more of the joy that will come to all who will believe in Him.

Read Isaiah 61:10-11

“… my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation”. These words are certainly reasons to rejoice, aren’t they?
But when Jesus told the parable of the Wedding Feast, he also spoke of these garments, but in a far more specific way – that they were “wedding clothes”. (Matthew 22:1-14) And these clothes would have a great significance. They would indicate that the individual had come to show honor to the ones being married, and those who came without the clothes, who would not show the honor that was deserved, would be thrown out of the party. The wearing of “salvation clothes” tell others that we are filled with joy because we love the One we come to revere.

In Zechariah 3:1-9, we read of the high priest Joshua, standing before the Judgment seat, dressed in filthy rags. The rags represent his sin, which should be reason enough for his condemnation, but the Angel of the Lord tells the others to remove his rags and replace them with splendid clothes – rich and glorious ones. These new clothes become a sign of Joshua’s cleansing and forgiveness, and we discover that the salvation clothes weren’t his, and they aren’t ours, to put on, but that they come from the Lord. That is what faith is – not ours to own, but simply ours to wear.

This is what Isaiah is trying to describe to us – that our “salvation garments” aren’t something that we own or earn or even borrow – they are given as a sign of, first, our allegiance and love of Christ, and second, as a sign of forgiveness and restoration to God. Some folks don’t care much for this image though, as they want to have control over what they have in this life. But it isn’t our choice or by our doing - it is a gift from God, and just as with any true gift, it has nothing to do with the one who receives – it is about the generous nature of the One who gives.
What greater reason could there be for rejoicing? That we have been given the gift of eternal life by God Himself - not as a gift that was delivered by some unnamed and uncaring messenger, but by God in the Flesh.

And this gift will be incredible. The prophet compares it to the beautifying of a bridegroom and his bride – that it will not be ordinary in any sense of the word, but will be the best and most precious gift that God has to give.

The second analogy that the prophet offers is in a more earthy example involving the germination and growth of seeds. Have you ever seen a seed that would grow while it is clutched tightly in your hand? Or tucked safely away in your pocket? Or never removed from the packet it was purchased in?
Of course not! You have to let go of it, you have to bury it in the ground, and you have to believe that it will produce a good crop! It’s the same with our lives. We acknowledge that we can do nothing to produce any good fruit on our own, so we give it over to the Lord, and we let our life of sin completely die in Jesus’ hands, and we believe with all our “heart and soul and strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) that he can and will make us right and fruitful in him.
Isaiah tells us that it is the Lord who will bring righteousness and praise to adorn our lives, and, by implication, that we can do nothing to help in this matter except to give it all over to the Lord and his way.

Read Isaiah 62:1-3

Isaiah now switches from the overwhelming joy that he feels, to the lack of joy that his nation is experiencing. And it isn’t the deep sorrow that we read of though out Isaiah’s prophecy, but rather the dedication that he now has to spreading the word of God to as many people as he can. “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,”, he says. It isn’t to his benefit, it isn’t even for the joy of Yahweh that he will do this, but for the benefit of those who will hear the Lord’s message of hope. And what will he tell them? That they aren’t going to come to the Lord by looking to other gods, or by doing it all on their own – that the only way is through complete and undying faith in their One and Great Jehovah!
And his greatest desire is that they (Jerusalem!) will gain the righteousness of God, and will become that divine beacon; the coming of a new day after a long, dark night; a torch that will light the way for travelers who are lost. In chapter 60:1, Isaiah tells us to “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” In other words, “wake up and get up, otherwise how will the Lord’s light shine in you”!

The prophet is speaking of this “new light” to the people of today, and not just to the people of Israel in 700 BC! So what are we to do with this new Light? Quite honestly, nothing - nothing except to carry it in an obvious way so that others will see it. We don’t have to make it shine, we don’t have to light the torch, we don’t have to focus it on someone in particular. Just live a life that reflects Christ to all who see you – “blue collar” and “white collar”; the high and mighty as well as the lowly; churchgoers and those who have never set foot inside a church. Live a life that will bring others to say “I don’t know where you got that, but I want some!”

And when we do this for the Lord, Isaiah tells us that he will give us a new name – one that reflects the person we have become – like Simon becoming Peter, and Saul becoming Paul. It will be a name that we might never choose for ourselves, but it will be the perfect one for our life in Christ. And the glory of the Lord will not only shine upon us and around us and through us, but we will be adorned in the splendor that can only come from the hand of Jesus, which brings us back to our first verse for today – we will be “clothed with garments of salvation and arrayed in a robe of righteousness.”

The light, the crown, the glory, the garments of salvation – all of it comes to us because of the joy we receive at Christmas. Not because of the gifts we receive from others, but by the gift of the Babe of Bethlehem – the Christ, the Messiah, Emmanuel, God who is with you and me!
Do you still have the Joy of Christmas, now that the day is behind us? The joy of Christ is the gift that never gives in, never gives up, never slackens, never diminishes, never disappoints. Our rejoicing over the hope that comes in this day must never end! Rejoice in Jesus, again and again, every day and forever more!

Rest your life in the palm of God’s hand, and never again doubt the joy of eternity!