Nicholas, Bishop of Myra — Luke 1:68-79

[The Lord says,] “Now, I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them… Then you shall rejoice in the Lord; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.”  (Isaiah 41:15a, 16b, NRSV)

The making of anyone into a threshing machine powerful enough to take down mountains is pretty awesome! In these passages, God appears to be telling the nation of Israel, through Isaiah the prophet, that He will give them amazing power, to do amazing things—making hills into chaff is, so far, not something even today’s mega-machines can do easily! So we might expect that the next step would be to celebrate the use and availability of this great power, and to brag around the world about how powerful this nation is! But wait! The next things the Lord says is, “Then you shall rejoice in the Lord…” What? We can’t even have a moment to brag about our power and prowess?   “…in the Holy One of Israel you shall Glory.” It is not about us! It is about the Lord God, and what His power accomplishes through us. In Advent, we remember with the Blessed Mother, “My Spirit rejoices in God my savior.” Like Bishop Nicholas, we dedicate our lives to serving God.

Most Holy and Powerful One, thank you for finding us worthy to share your power. Make us always remember that it is your power, and guide us in using it for your purposes.  Amen.

– Mary Parrish, St. Thomas Episcopal Church