Day 24—Tuesday, December 23

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.
You shall multiply the nation, you shall increase their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:2-7

Christmastide Sonnet 3: Refugee
Malcolm Guite

We think of him as safe beneath the steeple,
Or cosy in a crib beside the font,
But he is with a million displaced people
On the long road of weariness and want.
For even as we sing our final carol
His family is up and on that road,
Fleeing the wrath of someone else’s quarrel,
Glancing behind and shouldering their load.
Whilst Herod rages still from his dark tower,
Christ clings to Mary, fingers tightly curled,
The lambs are slaughtered by the men of power,
And death squads spread their curse across the world.
But every Herod dies, and comes alone
To stand before the Lamb upon the throne.

Guite, Malcolm. "Christmastide Sonnet 3: Refugee." Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year. Norwich: Canterbury, 2012. 16.

A GIFT FOR ISRAEL
The prophet Isaiah rejoices that he has been given glad tidings for the people of Israel. In the midst of prophecy regarding Israel’s rebellion and the coming exile, Isaiah’s words ring with a note of joy. This exile will not be forever. The people can be glad because there will be a king in Israel again, and He will reign with might and with justice.

In Giotto’s painting we see a different kind of gladness portrayed – a mother gazing into the face of her newborn child. Giotto portrays Mary’s countenance filled with tenderness and peace, so much so that it is difficult to recall that Mary receives Christ in the midst of a harrowing ordeal, not so different from that of Israel. Like Israel in its exile, Mary might have felt tempted to believe that she had been abandoned by God. She knew from Gabriel’s glad tidings that she had been chosen, but when she arrived in Bethlehem it did not seem like God had made a way for her. Like the Israelites, she must have wondered why God would leave His chosen ones without provision and without honor.

The Lord answers both Mary and Israel with a single gift, and to each it must have seemed like odd comfort. To Israel, hemmed in by enemies and overthrown by idolatry, the Lord promises to give a child. To Mary, without anywhere to go, tired and vulnerable, the Lord gives a son to care for. Each may be excused for wishing for different provision. Mary might have hoped for a spare room, forgotten until now but clean and serviceable, and a few days to settle in before the birth began. Israel might have hoped for a reprieve from encroaching empires, renewed prosperity, and the invincible army of Joshua or David.

But as always, God gives to His servants what is needed, and even in the peaceful scene of the manger, Giotto hints that both Mary and Israel can be glad. A son has been born, but a king has come as well. And from the long centuries, Isaiah’s voice can be heard beside this manger, naming him: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God. Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Handel’s Messiah gives these words their proper setting, and echoes Giotto’s kingly representation. The child, even in his infancy, is triumphant. He is, and has always been, the great governor of all earthly kings. He is, and will always be, the one who brings justice, the one who breaks the rod of the oppressor, the one whose government increases forever.

Malcolm Guite’s poem ushers us into the reality of Christ’s government here and now. It may be that like Mary, like Israel, we wish God would send a different gift, a different means of breaking the rod of the oppressor. Christ’s rule just doesn’t seem present enough for the injustices that his people daily face. Guite reminds us that although the oppressor may not be aware of it, the increase of his government has not ended. Indeed, the increase of his government, and of peace, shall have no end.

Stir up thy power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let thy bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

Janelle Aijian, Torrey Honors Institute