Believe This: The Time has Come – December 27, 2021

Scripture: “You prepared this salvation in the presence of all peoples. It’s a light for revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for your people Israel.” “For Zion’s sake I won’t keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I won’t sit still until her righteousness shines out like a light, and her salvation blazes like a torch.” (Luke 2: 31-32 and Isaiah 62: 1)

 The Good News that we have proclaimed for this Advent/Christmas season ends with a second chapter of Luke that starts, “When the time came…” Indeed, the time has come for us to move from the narrative of birthing to the narrative of restoration. The story of Jesus’ ritual cleansing as a child contains stories of people who had been waiting for this moment. But the time of waiting is over–for us too. Like Isaiah who says, “for Zion’s sake I won’t stay silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I won’t sit still,” we will not stop our songs of resistance until justice shines out like a light for all.