DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY IN THE WEEK OF ADVENT IV (12/22/10)

GOD’S WORD—Isaiah 7:13-14
Then Isaiah said: "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”

MEDITATION
Time for some Dr. Seuss:

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, ‘till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”

And what happened then…?
Well…in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch’s small heart
Grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn’t feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he…

…HE HIMSELF…!
The Grinch carved the roast beast!

Indeed, Christmas can be a wearisome exercise. Our mental, emotional, and/or spiritual resources may run dry and our soul screams at us to adopt the attitude – if not, the actions! – of the Grinch. If we can’t be happy at Christmas, why should anybody else?

Our Lord knows that weariness of soul, as Isaiah pointed out in today’s reading. We weary one another; we weary God. That’s just “the nature of the beast” – or, to carry the analogy through, the nature of the Grinch!

God understands, and gave us a sign anyway. A virgin would give birth to a son. His name would be Immanuel – which means “God with us.” With love like this, small hearts can grow three sizes in one day!

PRAYER
Stir up, we beseech You, O Lord, Your power and come; and with great might protect us, so that our deliverance, impeded by our sins, may be hastened by Your gracious mercy; through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

VERSE
O Ruler of the nations,
Monarch for whom the people long,
You are the Cornerstone uniting all humanity:
Come, save us all,
Whom You formed out of clay.