We continue with "In The End - The Beginning by Jurgen Moltmann
'To us a child is born', proclaims the prophet Isaiah to his people who are 'walking in darkness' (Isaiah 9:6, 9:2). The destruction of their country, the expulsion from their homeland, forced labour in Babylon: a black eclipse of God had fallen on God's people.
...So 'the child of promise' becomes the symbol for the future of life, in contrast to the sufferings of the present. And in this way it also becomes the pledge of God's faithfulness: he will find his forsaken people and bring them home.
This is an image we see quite a bit at the change of one year to the next. The baby 2005 replaces the old man 2004. The child is future - what can be. This symbol of potential life is especially important for all of us when we face what can be a brutal, disappointing, and fear-filled situation in our lives. I'm always amazed when people say they would never want to bring a child into a world like ours. It is a sad statement that reflects an inability to trust that our God is a God for every age and this God calls each age and every generation into life beyond our present expectations. We could say that the more hopeless a day looks is precisely the time to consider the "child born to us" and how God will indeed be with us so that hope blooms before us.
Connection: It is easy to be defeated by the circumstances of our day. It is easy to fall prey to discouragement and failure. It is also critical for us to remind one another how God will keep giving birth to new life no matter how down and out we may feel today.
Lord of New Year and the New Day, take us with you into the vision of your blessed Reign that will begin today and will move us into the time that is to come. Ignite within us a yearning for the possibilities that you place within our lives. Amen.
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