Second Sunday after Christmas

Clothed, Named, and Displayed by God

Isaiah 61:10–62:3 Second Sunday after Christmas

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Christmas has a way of giving us joy—and then quietly testing it.

The lights may still be glowing. The tree may still be standing. The manger scene may still be in place. But the intensity of Christmas morning has faded. The wrapping paper is gone. The guests have returned home. The calendar has turned another page. And the world seems eager to move on as if nothing extraordinary has not happened at all.

That is precisely why the Church refuses to let Christmas end after one day. We are given twelve days of Christmas, not because the miracle needs repeating, but because our hearts need reminding. God has acted decisively—but we are slow to trust that what He has done truly changes who we are and how we live.

And so today Isaiah places these words on our lips:

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God.”

At first, that kind of joy almost sounds out of place. It sounds bold—perhaps even unrealistic. And it raises an honest question for us at the tail end of Christmas:

What kind of joy is this, and where does it come from?

I. Rejoicing That Seems Out of Place

Isaiah’s joy does not arise from improved circumstances. Jerusalem had known devastation. Zion had worn the name 

Forsaken.

God’s people had lived with the memory of exile, loss, and silence from heaven.

And yet Isaiah speaks as though the celebration has already begun.

That tension feels familiar to us.

We celebrate Christmas knowing full well that sickness remains, grief lingers, and death has not yet been swallowed up. Joy feels real—but also fragile. It doesn’t take much to dim it:

a difficult diagnosis,

a painful memory stirred by the season,

an empty chair at the table,

the quiet realization that some prayers are still unanswered.

When joy fades, we begin to ask dangerous questions—not first about God, but about ourselves.

II. The Deeper Problem: Accusations That Refuse to Be Silent

When joy slips away, something else rushes in to define us.

Sometimes it is our own conscience. But sometimes—painfully—it is the voices of others.

Let me illustrate:

Even after repentance, accusations made by others against us have a way of lingering. Words spoken in anger, disappointment, or suspicion do not always disappear simply because forgiveness has been asked for and given. Sometimes those accusations come from the world. But sometimes—and this is harder—they come from fellow Christians.

You did repent. You did confess. You did seek reconciliation.

And yet the accusations continue.

Not shouted—just implied. Not always spoken—just remembered.

It can feel like standing in a courtroom where the verdict has already been announced by God, but the prosecution refuses to sit down. And when those voices keep speaking long enough, they begin to sound convincing. We replay the accusations in our own minds. We begin to doubt what God has said about us.

Slowly—almost imperceptibly—we become paralyzed. Not by guilt we are still carrying, but by shame we were never meant to keep.

That is how Zion once lived—wearing names God had already removed: Forsaken. Desolate.

And that is how Christians still live at times—clothed not in Christ’s righteousness, but in the memory of past sin and the echo of ongoing accusation.

That is the deeper problem: When accusations persist, even forgiven sinners begin to doubt the verdict God has already declared.

III. God Answers Accusation with Proclamation

That is why Isaiah does not answer accusation with explanation—but with proclamation.

“For He has clothed me with garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

Notice the direction of the verbs. God is the One doing the clothing.

This is not moral improvement. This is not spiritual accessorizing. This is justification.

God takes what is threadbare and stained and covers it completely—with righteousness that does not belong to us, but to Christ. He does not negotiate with our sin. He does not wait for the accusers to be satisfied. He declares us righteous because Christ has borne our sin fully and finally.

Isaiah reaches for wedding imagery: a bride adorned with jewels, a bridegroom robed like a priest.

That imagery matters. It tells us something essential about God: He does not merely tolerate His people—He delights in them.

And Isaiah adds one more image: like seeds pushing through frozen soil, God causes righteousness and praise to spring up before all nations. Just as surely as spring follows winter, God’s saving work produces visible life.

This joy is not fragile because it is not rooted in us. It is rooted in Christ’s finished work.

IV. God Will Not Be Silent About His Redeemed People

Then something remarkable happens.

God Himself speaks:

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent.”

God refuses to remain quiet while accusations linger.

Their righteousness shines—not because they are impressive—but because God is faithful. Like the dawn breaking the darkness, like a torch burning in the night, God publicly vindicates His people.

And Isaiah gives us one of the most tender images in all of Scripture:

“You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”

Notice carefully—God is not wearing the crown.

He is holding it.

Turning it. Displaying it. Delighting in it.

That crown is His redeemed people.

God does not hide you. He does not apologize for you. He does not regret saving you.

He holds you up as evidence of His redeeming grace.

V. Living as Those God Has Named and Vindicated

This text does not call us to become glorious. It calls us to believe the name God has already given.

You are clothed. You are named. You are treasured.

Even when accusations echo. Even when joy wavers. Even when your life looks painfully ordinary.

Christmas does not end because joy fades. Christmas endures because Christ has come.

And because He has come, God delights in His people, clothes them with righteousness, silences the accuser, and displays them to the world as living signs of His redeeming grace.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayers of the Church

Second Sunday after Christmas Isaiah 61:10–62:3

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Gracious and faithful God, You have clothed Your people with garments of salvation and covered us with the robe of righteousness. You have named us Your delight and hold us as a crown in Your hand. Keep us steadfast in this Gospel joy, especially when our hearts waver and accusations seek to undo what You have declared. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, In a world quick to accuse and slow to forgive, preserve Your Church in the truth of Your Word. Guard us from bearing false witness against our neighbor. Teach us to speak truth in love, to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to live as those whom You have publicly vindicated in Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of the Church, We pray especially for Presiding Pastor Larson as he meets today with a troubled congregation struggling with unfounded accusations and division. Grant him wisdom, patience, and courage rooted in Your Word. Bring repentance where there is sin, clarity where there is confusion, and peace where there is unrest, that Your Church may be built up and not torn down. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful God, You know how fragile our joy can feel in this fallen world. We commend to Your care all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially those battling cancer and enduring ongoing treatments. Grant them strength, endurance, and hope. Surround them with compassionate caregivers, skilled physicians, and the assurance that they are clothed in Christ’s righteousness even in weakness. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Compassionate Father, We pray for all who grieve, for those who sit with empty chairs at their tables, and for those whose prayers seem unanswered. Remind them that You have not forgotten them, that they are not forsaken, and that their salvation shines with the dawn of Christ’s coming. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of all authority, Bless and guide those who govern in our nation and communities. Grant them humility, integrity, and a commitment to justice, that all may live in peace and good order. Restrain evil, protect the vulnerable, and uphold what is right in Your sight. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Faithful Lord, As we prepare to receive the Holy Supper of Your Son’s body and blood, grant us true repentance and living faith. Teach us to trust not in ourselves, but in Christ alone, who gives Himself for the forgiveness of sins. Preserve us from doubt and misuse of this Sacrament, and strengthen us through it in love toward You and one another. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O God of hope, Keep us mindful that our life is hidden with Christ in You. When accusations echo and joy wavers, fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who has silenced every charge against us by His cross and resurrection. Hold us fast until that day when faith gives way to sight and we rejoice forever in Your presence. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.