by Rev. Julie G. Hutson
A Reflection on Isaiah 41: 14-21
Although I am far away from you, beloved community, I imagine that there are more than a few of us who are thinking about Christmas gifts. What will we give to those we love that might adequately epress that love? As a child I used to go to the local drugstore (Winton’s Rexall Drugs) and buy my father a bottle of Old Spice cologne to give to him at Christmas. I don’t know if my father even wore cologne, but in my mind it was surely a gift he would look forward to receiving!
In the reading from Isaiah today, God is providing for the people from unexpected places. Abundant water in places that would normally be arid and dry; fertile trees in the wilderness and desert. God would do this to provide for the people, but God would also do this as a sign that all may see.
In this season of giving and receiving gifts, may we remember the greatest gift given to us all – the gift of hope come to earth in Jesus the Christ.