Daily Readings - Sat Dec 09 2023
Isaiah
19For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.20And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.21And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.23And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures,24and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork.25And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.26Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
Matthew
35And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;38therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
1And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.5These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.7And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
Sermon
In today's readings, we find a beautiful tapestry woven by the prophets and the Gospel, inviting us to reflect on God's promise of restoration and our role as His laborers. The First Reading from Isaiah paints a vivid picture of a future filled with hope and abundance, where the people of Zion will live in Jerusalem without tears, guided by teachers and blessed with fertile land. This vision of restoration is a beacon of light for a people who have endured hardship, promising them that God's compassion and provision will prevail. The imagery of abundant water and grain, along with the intensified light of the moon and sun, symbolizes a time of divine healing and illumination.
In the Gospel, Matthew presents Jesus as the compassionate shepherd who sees the multitudes as distressed and without guidance. Moved by their condition, Jesus calls upon His disciples to pray for more laborers to assist in the harvest—the work of spreading the Gospel. He then commissions the twelve disciples, empowering them to heal and cast out demons, instructing them to focus first on the lost sheep of Israel. This mission is a continuation of the hope Isaiah foretold, as Jesus extends God's healing and teaching through His disciples, indicating the expansion of God's kingdom beyond the Jewish people, starting with them.
These readings call us to recognize our role in God's plan. Just as Jesus had compassion on the crowds, we are urged to see the needs around us and respond with love and service. The moral lesson here is one of trust and active participation in God's work. We are reminded to trust in God's providence and to be His laborers, bringing healing and light to a world in need. As we go about our daily lives, let us embrace this call with compassion, freely giving as we have freely received, and trusting that God's restoration and peace will prevail.