Isaiah 62:1-3
As you may know, the so-called “Christmas Star” made an appearance early in the week after 800 years. It was interesting to have the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occur on the Winter Solstice a few days before Christmas. It got people talking about the star that led the Magi, and if it is making a comeback…
Astronomers know that a similar event happened around the time of Jesus’ birth. However, the Star of Bethlehem remains a mystery as to how it led the Wise Men to the baby Jesus like a heavenly GPS.
Still, to have this happen at the end of a year like this – a year that has felt like we are in some sort of exile: separated from family and friends, from vacations, work and other forms of normalcy. At least this bright light in the sky raised awareness of the Christmas story and the Christ who can banish the 2020, After-Christmas Blues. And even to have someone explode a bomb on a downtown street on Christmas morn. For those families, blues indeed. Some families lost their Christmas…
People of faith know the Christmas star was an announcement of the birth of a King – but more than a king: the Anointed One, the Christ – for that is what Christ means. In Isaiah 61-62, it is the Christ of salvation who speaks to God’s people both then and, by the Spirit, now.
In our verses, the Anointed One promised that He would not rest until their righteousness and salvation were seen and heard by nations and kings. He, Christ the true King, would be continually active in securing their calling, for the Lord would give them a new name and a new identity as God’s crown of splendor and royal diadem.
We don’t know exactly what that looked like to the ancient people of God, but we do know that crown and diadem refer to a type of turban wrapped around the head. This turban was a symbol of honor and authority – and also worn by priests.
We also believe and know that Jesus was anointed as our King and Priest. And here, we hear him declare that the Lord will bestow on the faithful kingly glory and priestly authority, reassuring God’s people that the Christ will make it happen.
Today, on this side of Christmas, we know it did happen: a sweet conjunction, not of planets in the heavens, but between heaven and earth. Christ, heaven’s Word, became flesh on earth to keep His promise. He established his Church as the new Zion, and has been tirelessly calling us to let the righteousness that comes by grace shine in the world, and that salvation in Christ burn in our hearts like a torch, igniting our passion to proclaim, worship and serve as his ministers and priests. We are in the truest sense what Peter wrote: a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Today, on this After-Christmas Sunday, we know how to banish the blues. We are the answer. We have been crowned with splendor, a royal diadem in the hand of our God. We have been given a new name: Christians, and in Christ’s name we will not keep silent, we will not remain quiet.
The son of a choir director grew to love music, and went on to become the first African American collector of spirituals. It was hard. Few were written down, but he persisted and published them, including our next hymn.
When a choir sang it for the first time, they felt like they were fulfilling the same task as the angels. They were putting their voice to Christ’s own promise that the message of salvation would be heard, that the kings and nations would see God’s glory at the birth of the Savior.
This is how we banish the After-Christmas Blues: We shine. We serve, guided by the Lord’s hand, and we declare. We go and tell it everywhere that Jesus Christ is born!