01 January 2023 – Christmas 1A (06A)

CELEBRATION AND LAMENT
(Isaiah 63:7-9)
The prophet’s lament
begins with praise of God’s deeds
‘all the days of old’.

But out of context
we miss Isaiah’s efforts
to motivate God.

The exiles’ return
to a devastated land
had not been easy.

They behaved badly,
God became their enemy
and fought against them.

Celebratory,
the words are apt for Christmas
and our new year hope.

They also prompt us,
lament to God the evil
of today’s Herods.
    Jeff Shrowder, 2022
 
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