“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 35:10)
Considering what we have all endured during these years of COVID and social upheaval, this Christmas comes with a promise of hope for the future. Many people in our world today feel depressed because of the suffering, evil, and violence that surrounds us. So they look for hope in the familiar celebration of Christmas which reminds them of their childhood. Others see it as a time to overindulge in drunkenness, food and feasting to forget the anxiety and fear that overwhelms them. Many do so because they lack faith Jesus, but even many Christians fall into the same worldly thinking and behavior as they feel overwhelmed by the evil around us and by their own sinfulness.
Isaiah presents to all of us an antidote: the coming Kingdom of God. This Kingdom of Heaven is the blessed hope of the righteous, those who have faith in Jesus, those He has redeemed. In life they have been oppressed and abused. They are called blind, lame, deaf, and mute because they are totally incapable of caring for themselves, attaining justice for their injuries, or victory over their sin. But such are those who make up the Kingdom of God. The strong and powerful, the famous and the celebrities, the attractive and the proud, the self-righteous and self-assured, none of these can enter that Kingdom. Only the lowly, the sick, the helpless, the losers of this world will enter as they trust in Jesus not in self or the things of this world.
Isaiah’s words are like an oasis in the desert of suffering and pain. They help us to focus on the reality of the unseen Kingdom amid the trials and turmoil of life, because they serve as an assurance that there is a better place. The glory of God’s Kingdom is a great comfort because it will be free of pain and darkness. Heaven is made magnificent not by streets of gold and mansions of glory, or even by the presence of our loved ones but by the comforting and glorious presence of the Lord God. And now is the time we can share this hope with others as they, whether or not they realize it, celebrate the day that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Without faith in Jesus, they will never experience the joy of the Kingdom of God.