Third Friday of Advent - December 20, 2019

Isaiah 56:1-8


Thus says the LORD:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.
Happy is the mortal who does this,
the one who holds it fast,
who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it,
and refrains from doing any evil.

Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely separate me from his people”;
and do not let the eunuch say,
“I am just a dry tree.”
For thus says the LORD:
To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give, in my house and within my walls,
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.

And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
Thus says the Lord GOD,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.


• God’s salvation is always tied to justice. The readings from Isaiah that have guided us through Advent have consistently dealt with justice, that is, with doing what is right to others.

• In our contemporary, adversarial discourse, many see “justice” as a code-word associated with radical movements or certain political positions. In fact, it is a solidly biblical word, the cornerstone of much Old Testament spirituality. You could easily substitute the word “love” for justice . . . loving God and others with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Justice is the tangible, outward expression of love wherever there is human need. Justice is the actional element of love.

• As you read and meditate on Isaiah 56, consider your own notions about justice. What is justice to you? What negative notions of justice live within you? What positive notions of justice live within you?

• Isaiah – and other Hebrew prophets – leave no doubt that we are all called to love others by living justly. In what tangible ways do you seek justice in your own world? What acts of justice are part of the normal run of your life? Notice what arises to the surface of your awareness, then bring it into your prayer.