Friday 20 December 2024

Today is Friday the 20th of December in the 3rd week of Advent. Julia Shaw with We Are Bread And Wine sings, ‘God is With Us’. From dust we are and shall return Naked we came and shall return Fullness of breath in our lungs Was your first gift to us So breathe again and we will live closer to love Marvellous light flashed in your eyes as you hung the sky Your world teemed with life branches and vine chaos refined No eye has seen no ear has heard How you make beauty with time Teach us your ways Teach us to die So we may rise Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah God is with us Today’s reading is from the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 7:10-14 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. In this passage we see in prophecy a sign of God’s presence and help. God, through Isaiah, offers a promise of hope: a young woman will bear a child named Immanuel, meaning "God is with us." In Ignatian spirituality, contemplation invites us to place ourselves imaginatively within the scene to encounter God personally. We might imagine ourselves as someone at the court of Ahaz, alarmed perhaps at his anxiety, and so also fearful about the future. How might you respond to God's invitation to trust? Do you struggle with fear and a need for self-reliance, resisting God's signs of hope? Imagine being a witness as the prophet Isaiah proclaims the message of Emmanuel. Let yourself hear those words directed toward you: “God is with you.” Reflect on where God is active in your life even when you are uncertain. How is God speaking to you now? What signs of God’s presence—no matter how small—can you discern in your daily life? As you listen to the passage again consider how, as we prepare for Christmas, we are invited to deeper trust, letting go of self-reliance and welcoming God’s love. “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign.” Take time to hear Isaiah’s prophecy within your heart, reminding you to hold onto hope, to trust in God’s promise of presence, and to prepare for the coming of Christ, who is truly Emmanuel—God with us. O Wisdom Lord and Ruler Root of Jesse Key of David Rising Sun King of the Nations Emmanuel Come, Lord Jesus