The Seventh Day of Christmas

A Look Back on the Year . . .

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord...

 - From Isaiah 61

The Christmas Season covers it all. From the joy of Christ's birth, to the sudden remembrance that His mission has a distinctly grave element . . . to some final words of great encouragement as we move on to a new year. 

Seven Days of Christmas. The Number Seven has always had profound significance. It seems to represent completion, or fullness. Seven days in a week. Seven colors in a rainbow. It is easy to reflect on this day, first on the idea that we have wrapped it up: a year is over. But then the rainbow emerges, as a reminder that God has life, and good things in store for us, in our future. 

(As a side note, we really do need to reclaim the rainbow as a symbol of God's grace, and of purity).

And so we come to this place where the year is over, and one week of Christmas is fulfilled. We read the words of Isaiah, where he writes that we will be crowns of beauty in God's Hand.

Most of Isaiah 61 is in the first person. It describes a man that has felt isolated and marginalized. All he has been doing, is speaking the truth. But the people have maligned him for being so bold. In our times, you can get in big trouble for doing what's right. You can lose your reputation, your job, your marriage. 

Crazy, right?

But it's true. We've all been told to just keep quiet, and not to stir things up. Whether its an ethical matter, or maybe even something criminal; there is a power structure in society and we are expected to fall in line. The "Me Too" movement of 2017 brought this to light, as women with decades of horrible memories finally felt empowered to come forward. What gave them such boldness? For starters, true courage. But it didn't hurt, that they had strength in numbers.

Isaiah understood this. He preached God's truth, and was stigmatized for it. But in Chapter 61, he looks ahead to the final outcome:

We will be vindicated.

You will be vindicated for doing what's right. You will win, in the end. 

You will win.

And that's a great way to wrap up the year.