Advent with Isaiah

The prophet Isaiah spoke about the coming of the Messiah about 800 years before Jesus was born. It is incredible to contemplate some of his prophecies in retrospect. We are going to be having a look at some of these prophecies during this Advent season and already I am blown away by the words of Isaiah. I invite you to journey with us over the course of the next 4 weeks.

Let's start with Isaiah 64

3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
    you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
⁴ Since ancient times no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

    .....How then can we be saved?
⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean,
    and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
⁷ No one calls on your name
    or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
    and have given us over to our sins.

⁸ Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
    We are the clay, you are the potter;
    we are all the work of your hand.

As we read these words in the light of the Christmas story, reflect on the following poem from C.S. Lewis too.

When the year dies in preparation for the birth
Of other seasons, not the same, on the same earth,
Then saving and calamity go together make
The Advent gospel, telling how the heart will break.
Therefore it was in Advent that the Quest began...
~ C.S. Lewis, "Launcelot", Narrative Poems, p95

Living in Grace
D3LM3