How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the herald,
who proclaims peace,
who brings news of good things,
who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
The voices of your watchmen—
they lift up their voices,
shouting for joy together;
for every eye will see
when the Lord returns to Zion.
Be joyful, rejoice together,
you ruins of Jerusalem!
For the Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has displayed his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.
Isaiah 52:7-10
Who would have thought that the herald would be an angel,
the watchmen poor shepherds?
Who would have thought that the glow of God's shekinah glory in the night sky
Would lead to a feeding trough in a stable?
That a newborn's cry would be the first utterance of God come to reign?
That when God bared His holy arm
It would be the pudgy, flailing arm of an infant?
That the Word made flesh, come to comfort His people,
Would Himself first need the comfort of His mother's arms
And swaddling clothes?
Who would have thought that the revelation of God's reign to all the nations
Would first mean the worship and gifts of the magi
And not conquest and judgment?
May the majesty and mystery of Christmas fill your hearts with wonder, today and always. Much grace and peace to you and yours in Christ Jesus, from Amore, tinuviel, and the Ebony Dog.
