Dec. 23 - Where can I get one of those robes?
Contributed by
Rachel Lapp, director of public relations on Sunday December 22
Scripture
Isaiah 61:10-62:3 - I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
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Devotion
Where can I find the robe of righteousness this Christmas? Not, apparently, in one of the thousands of catalogs which have arrived in my mailbox since October. Not in the over-heated, over-decorated, over-merchandized malls. Not at The Gap or JCPenney or Bed, Bath and Beyond or Marshall Field’s or even in Ten Thousand Villages. Not online.
the lives of those we love, a ritual continued, a need met or a surprise. While it is hard for me to consider God’s gifts to us as a neatly wrapped package, I do like the idea of God clothing us in a robe of righteousness - a cloth I could wrap around me like a metaphor for God’s love.
The robe of righteousness is only available from my God - free for the taking, a gift that we cannot return with a receipt or exchange for a different size. This is a present full of wonder and joy that shines, urging us to share God’s name as a member of Christ’s “royal family.”
We are already blessed by God’s salvation. We can wear that blessing like a crown, like jewels. With our robes of righteousness, we can wrap ourselves in:
forgiveness
patience
kindness
peace
unconditional love
thankfulness
joy
peace
longsuffering
empathy
goodness
gentleness
fairness
generosity
humility
self-sacrifice
modesty
courage
goodness
gladness
and praise.
We can celebrate God’s love and share it, spreading a robe over others. We can wear this robe from year to year, growing in understanding of God’s constant love, which shines brightly in a season of hope.
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