Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
As you remember from this familiar passage, King Ahab refused Isaiah's command; he would not ask a sign from God. "I will not tempt the Lord." he piously declared as if he were a pious person. His hypocrisy reeked like King Herod's, many centuries later.
But the Lord will give a sign, beautiful, astonishing and unprecedented. A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.
Knowing the mysterious birth of Jesus, the Evangelist recognized this passage immediately; it was fulfilled in the life of Jesus, whose life, death and resurrection were indeed signs deep as the nether world and high as the sky!!
These signs were further confirmed by the Gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Without God's Spirit of Wisdom to enlighten our minds the most convincing signs and most obvious scriptural texts sail right over our heads.
Mary, the young woman of Galilee, inspired with Wisdom and uninhibited by ego, needed only a word of reassurance -- "Do not be afraid! -- and a word of explanation,
Even yet we ponder these mysterious words as they guide us through dark and confusing times.
The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.We spend our lives pondering these words and wondering what they should mean to us. Mary knew and the future brought further explanations as she traveled with Joseph to Bethlehem, Egypt, Galilee, Nazareth, Capernaum and Jerusalem. Grace upon grace revealed what it means to share life and communion with the Son of God.
Even yet we ponder these mysterious words as they guide us through dark and confusing times.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.