What’s there to fear in a trip to New Orleans? Possible exposure to mold or fireants, being stretched by doing new handyman tasks, or working in a community where we could not walk to the convenience store alone came to mind before leaving. Isaiah speaks to those who have weak hands and feeble knees in situations where movement out of comfort zones is highly beneficial.
Our team was placing finishing touches on a home which the owners would very soon return to. I was immersed in renewing metal by scraping off rust and applying a fresh coat of Rustoleum when a family member came by to look. I stopped my task to greet him, relate and listen. He was ecstatic over all he saw and declared: “If anyone does not believe there is a God, all they have to do is come and see this place.” This man proclaimed and rejoiced in the same spirit as Mary does in the traditional Canticle read during Advent.
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden.”
Both Mary and the New Orleans resident saw the greatness of God and evidence that He has looked upon lowly servants. Two people from different generations witnessed God’s mercy and strength to lift up lowly people.
Isaiah prophesies of the positive effects Christ will bring to the world. Joy and gladness; streams in the deserts are images of the benefits for followers of Jesus. Yet these lovely Advent passages come to life after laboring on the Gulf Coast. I have yet to journey to the mountains of Lebanon, however I have spent time in an unmajestic New Orleans neighborhood which is beginning to rejoice and blossom. I returned home unaffected by mold or crime; fireants had not devastated me. Like Isaiah, I had seen the majesty of our God.
Isaiah 35: 1 – 10
Luke 1: 46 - 55
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