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The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,because the Lord has anointed me;he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,to bind up the broken-hearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives,and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations;they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing;I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God;for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. (Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11)
As a kid I used to get in trouble for trading something my parents bought for something my friend's parents had bought them. I was usually on the losing end of the deal. I didn't think so, but my Dad did. I traded what I thought was junk for treasure! The value I placed on my item did not compare to the value I saw in the other item.
The prophet Isaiah shares God's offer for a trade, and guess who wins? God wants to remove from His people the ashes of mourning and grief and replace it with a garland, a symbol of victory. To take away our mourning and give us oil of gladness, a symbol of anointing and blessing from God Himself. To take away our faint spirits and instead replace it with a mantle of praise; a mantle being like a stole around our necks. God will take our ruined cities and repair them even after generations of neglect and disrepair. And for our feeling of neglect, God will give us a covenant, a promise of belonging (to God no less!).From being unknowns to becoming known about all nations; from being no one's people to being God's people. All in all, it's quite a trade, and it costs only our belief in God.
That's what the Advent message is; the words of God shared by the ancient prophet to people even today who would hear and receive and act on this important trade offer. From evil and neglect to the springing forth of righteousness and praise.
PRAYER: Loving God, help me to trade with You that which has kept me down and out. I freely hand over to you anything that is keeping me from being the blessed person You have called me to be. Take my sorrows and griefs and make me joyful and hopeful. Take my sin and replace it with Your Holy Spirit. Take my evil and replace it with righteousness. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Tell someone that you know about a great trade they can make today!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Request: Dear friend, please be in prayer for Mary Tomas who is undergoing hip replacement surgery today at 11 in Gonzales Hospital. Blessings to you all for your prayers! And may God's blessings for a great day be yours as well!
