The Prophet Isaiah is announcing the coming of a time of good news[1]; a time when there will be great rejoicing - for God will be bringing good news to the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, and those who mourn. They are the ones who for so long have lived in the darkness of this world. And yet the saddest of realities is to know and understand that they are still among us even today. As we prepare for the arrival of our great celebrations of Christmas, there are still among us the oppressed and the brokenhearted, those who are being held as captives and as prisoners, and those who continue to mourn.
Do not be deceived, there are individuals even within our society – right here in America – who still struggle with different forms of oppression. Maybe they don’t speak English, or maybe they can’t speak at all. Maybe they have no hearing, or maybe they are blind. Maybe they are the wrong gender or race. Maybe they are in love with the wrong gender or race. Maybe they are too old, or maybe they are too young. Maybe they are being held prisoner by an abusive spouse, parent, or child. Maybe they are being exploited by an employer or government to the point of slavery.
But there is hope, for this is the promise that has been given to us; there shall come the light of God’s salvation into the lives of all. The real question is whether we will seek to follow the true light of God, or shall we be distracted by the false lights of this world and the ones of our own imaginations.
John the Baptist was sent by God to testify to the true light of God. But those who were in power – those whose authority among mortals was derived and assigned by the worldly powers – came to question John. At first glance it might seem that they were asking John if he is the light[2].
However, those of us who remember later parts of the story of John the Baptist know that these others – the servants of the Pharisees – were there to ask questions to set a trap against John. They also were there to guard against any individual who would attempt to take away their power within the community. Their future plans would be ignored by the masses if this distraction was not stopped as soon as possible.
Has this time come again? Are there all around us such loud voices who are calling out to us … to each one of us … so that we have somehow forgotten the path to the true light of God’s hope and God’s love? Have we become so distracted and blinded by the glitter and the glamor of our secular world that we have lost sight of the very essence of the true meaning of the coming event? Have we become so overwhelmed by the messages of this secular world that we do not hear the gentle whisperings of the Holy Spirit calling us back into the arms of God?
The choice is ours to make. God has given each one of us the freedom to choose. We can follow the teaching of this world, or we can seek to follow after the true light … the light sent by God to lead us home.
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