United with the angels, we praise the Holy One... The earth shall send forth light in honor of God's Son.Isaiah Chapter 60 (New American Bible)
1
1 Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
2
See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; But upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory.
3
Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.
4
Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: Your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
5
Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, For the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
6
Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
7
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered for you, the rams of Nebaioth shall be your sacrifices; They will be acceptable offerings on my altar, and I will enhance the splendor of my house.
8
2 What are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their cotes?
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All the vessels of the sea are assembled, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, To bring your children from afar with their silver and gold, In the name of the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.
10
Foreigners shall rebuild your walls, and their kings shall be your attendants; Though I struck you in my wrath, yet in my good will I have shown you mercy.
11
Your gates shall stand open constantly; day and night they shall not be closed But shall admit to you the wealth of nations, and their kings, in the vanguard.
12
For the people or kingdom shall perish that does not serve you; those nations shall be utterly destroyed.
13
3 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you: the cypress, the plane and the pine, To bring beauty to my sanctuary, and glory to the place where I set my feet.
14
The children of your oppressors shall come, bowing low before you; All those who despised you shall fall prostrate at your feet. They shall call you "City of the LORD," "Zion of the Holy One of Israel."
15
Once you were forsaken, hated and unvisited, Now I will make you the pride of the ages, a joy to generation after generation.
16
You shall suck the milk of nations, and be nursed at royal breasts; You shall know that I, the LORD, am your savior, your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17
In place of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron, silver; In place of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron; I will appoint peace your governor, and justice your ruler.
18
No longer shall violence be heard of in your land, or plunder and ruin within your boundaries. You shall call your walls "Salvation" and your gates "Praise."
19
No longer shall the sun be your light by day, Nor the brightness of the moon shine upon you at night; The LORD shall be your light forever, your God shall be your glory.
20
No longer shall your sun go down, or your moon withdraw, For the LORD will be your light forever, and the days of your mourning shall be at an end.
21
Your people shall all be just, they shall always possess the land, They, the bud of my planting, my handiwork to show my glory.
22
The smallest shall become a thousand, the youngest, a mighty nation; I, the LORD, will swiftly accomplish these things when their time comes.
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Epiphany, the wise men visited Jesus & presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. You can read the story in Matthew's Gospel here.
This Isaiah passage relates to the Epiphany because its final verse mentions gold and frankincense. The inclusion of 'myrrh' is a significant addition, and perhaps picks up the image of the 'Suffering Servant' Isaiah writes about most poignantly in chapters 52 and 53.
The word 'epiphany' means a moment of sudden and great revelation. Today's passage is full of contrasts suggesting a dramatic change. Verses 1-3 move between the image of darkness, which covers the whole earth, and a glorious light, which will attract all to it. In verse 4's idea develops into an image of movement: people from far-away lands will gather together and families who have been dispersed will be reunited.
But the focus - the worship of God - is always the same, whether it is through the gifts of gold and frankincense, or the proclamation of "the praise of the Lord".
To Ponder
Some people describe their decision to follow Jesus as a dramatic change, whereas for others it is a gradual growing in commitment. Think about your life story, whatever it may be. What epiphanies or moments of revelation have you had, which meant that life could never be the same again?
How have these moments of revelation changed you?
Isaiah spoke these words to offer hope to the Israelites in dark times. How can your moments of revelation support you, or others, when things become difficult?
Bible notes author: Ken Kingston
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