Isaiah 61:1-4

A Weary World Rejoices

What does a Roman Catholic, a secular non-religious poet, a Jewish composer, an American abolitionist, the Franco Prussian war, and the first ever broadcast over the airwaves all have in common? Our beloved carol “ O Holy Night”. A fascinating story and history.

The songs was origionally penned by Placide Cappeau who was a non-religious poet commissioned by a priest in France who wanted to dedicate the church organ. I am amazed at how even the secular word was steeped in Christian thought, even if it was not genuine conversion. My how far we have come in biblical ignorance in our day. How many people today would have a clue where to even find the Christmas story. During a carriage ride Cappeau penned the words to his now famous poem.

He wanted to put the words to music and so hired his Jewish friend and composer to put it to music. It was sung for the very first time in 1847 on Chritmas Eve. Interesting enough the song was banned by the church for about 2 decades not because of the words but because the writer and composer were secularist and Jewish. But by this time the song was being sung around christmas time in every French town and village.

In 1847 during thre Franco-Prussian war a french Soldier emerged from the trenches with out gun or bayonette, armed with only his voice and this song on Christmas eve and supposedly stirred the entire armies of France and Germany to call a 24 hour cease fire where the men sang and celebrated together.

Adolph Adams a Candadian-American composer and abolitionist was the first to translate the song into English. He was particularly drawn to the 3rd verse

Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease.

And in 1906 this song was the first song ever along with the reading of Luke 2 to be broadcast over the radio waves. Sailors at sea, office men and women, people in thier homes were all amazed and to hear something other than morse code being broadcast over the radio waves.

God's delay shall not deprive us of joy, for He has appointed a time for our salvation.

TRANSITION: Juneteenth, a day celebrated mostly in the south especially because the slaves in Galveston, Texas did not receive news of thier freedom until 2 1/2 years after teh emancipation porclamation. Likely due to the deliberate withholding of this information from the slave owners. Delayed though it might have been, the news could not remain a secret forever and on June 19th 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived and read General Order No. 3, declaring all enslaved people in Texas free.

God has poured out His pomade of perfume

1. On Prophet, Priest, and King

God prepared the greatest prophet next to the Lord John the Baptist who was anointed and empowered even from the womb, to prepare and make straight the way of the Lord. To preach the gospel of repentance, and to baptize.

The perfumed oil that was to be used in the Old testament was poured out on the heads of those who the Lord had appointed especially to these offices. It was symbolic of the presence of the Holy Spirit in choosing the person for such a task It was not just any common oil but a precise recipe to be followed and forbidden by the Israelites to duplicate it. God had a patent on it

2. On Jesus… who personifies all three

Luke 4: after Jesus had read these very words from Isaiahs scroll, and then Jesus drop the mic. He sits down and in verse 21 he says

Luke 4:21 “And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.””

Isaiah 11:2 “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

Never did the Spirit of God rest in a fuller or more permanent way than it did on Jesus. He is the greatest prophet who ever has or will walk the face of the earth, He is the great High Preist who lives forever from a new and better order, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

TRANSITION: I want you to notice that there is a difference in the last two points that there is the proclamation and the preformance of God’s promises.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer the Americans are coming! The americans are coming! Whether it was the distant sound of bombing, or the frantic pace and look of of ss soldiers . Many heard rumors that their liberation was imminent. Unfortunately many including Dietrich Boenhoeffer were killed by the Germans just days even hours before the Allies could reach them. But not so with the Lord. He has both proclaimed our liberation and he is more precise than seal team six and will be sure that every captive who trusts in him will be saved.

Yet he means that the “mourning” shall not hinder God from giving ground of joy, when he shall think proper; for “to appoint” has the same meaning as “to fix the time,” that the tediousness of delay may not discourage them. Calvin

God has made a proclamation of peace

1. To the poor

Luke 6:20 “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

Only those who are bent low and recognize thier need who have thier eyes fixed of God and His deliverance.

2. To the heart in pieces

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, though rare there are are cases of people who have literally died from a broken heart. The emotional stress of grief or even joy in rare cases causes the heart stress so that it ballons out to look like a Japanese Takotsubo (octopus pot).

I have gotten good at putting broken things back together. Wrap it up. Superglue If there is one piece of advice I would give every father, even mother is keep a tube of fast cure super glue on hand it will make you more popular around the house. The kids come to mom when they have a scrape or a bruise, but they come to dad if they need something fixed. Superglue has even substitued for stitches on house once of twice.

3. To those in prison

Imagine being kept in prison for your entire life, held by chains that rub and irritate.

What is interesting in this passage is that Jesus either Jesus is quoting a text that is borrowing from the Septuigent or Luke records is from the Septuigent because the Hebrew text of Isaiah reads, “open the prison to those who are bound, but the Greek Septuigent read, “opening the eyes of those who are blind.

It is interesting that often times prison and darkness go together, you think of the old dungeons as dark damp places. Where little light shines through. I dont know if you have ever experienced complete darkness.

I was in Mammoth cave where I grew up in Southern Indiana as a boy and we went into this one main room it was gigantic 50 tall cieling, and at one point we were told to turn off all of our flashlights. It was as dark as dark could be. Couldn’t see your hand right infront of your face. The human eyes are not meant to remain in darkness they are meant to respond to the light. They say there was an experiment where a man went into complete darkness for 10 days. After he emerged, it took his eyes 7 weeks to fully adjust to sunlight.

But the same is true for the Soul it is not meant to remain in darkness, but when the Light of the Lord shines in it responds slowly as the retina in the eye adjust to let in the right amount of light. So the soul rejoices at the light of the Lord Jesus Christ .

Hebrews 2:15 “and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

TRANSITION: Isaiah has come anointed of the Lord to proclaim that the year of the Lord is coming. Notice here that there is a contrast in the year of the Lord and the day of vengance. It shows that the Lords anger is but for a moment but his

Psalm 30:5 “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

This is a clear refernece to the year fo Jubilee where debts were forgiven where land that was lost went back to their owners. Say a person had to sell thier land because they found themselves in a difficult spot or in hard times, the person would calculate the price according to the number of harvests until the coming jubilees which was the 50th year, and then the land would go back to the familty and all debts were to be forgiven.

God has come to preform His promises

1. He props us up on our pain.

Esther 4:3 “And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

Instead of garments of mourning like sack cloth, he gives us garments that are fit for royalty. From burlap to cashmere. My brother is in the military and as a gift from Pakistan he brought me home a cashmere scarf. It is the softest most comfortable and warmest scarf ever.

From ashes to beauty. The oil poured over the head that soothes rather than dries out.

Example of my ashy elbows.

2. He plants us like trees

Though we once were bent low by the circumstances around us like a palm tree that bends and sways with the wind. And though we are cut down and oppresses, we shall be planted like oak trees of righteousness. The oak is a strong tree that stands tall and does not bend. It roots are deep.

Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.””

3. He puts together that which was pummeled.

TRANSITION:

Conclusion:

for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Those whose hearts are broken for sin, who are truly humbled under the sense of guilt and dread of wrath, are furnished in the gospel of Christ with that which will make them easy and silence their fears. 

Henry Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas day 

Their old familiar carols play,

And mild and sweet their songs repeat 

Of peace on earth good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head: 

“There is no peace on earth,” I said.

“For hate is strong and mocks the song 

Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then rang the bells, more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor does He sleep.

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day. 

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, 

Of peace on earth, good will to men!