The Preacher's Lectionary Notebook - Divine Solidarity and the Work of Remembering
The First Sunday after Christmas (Year A)
The passage begins with a purposeful intention to reflect on “the gracious deeds of the Lord,” suggesting something important about faith—that memory carries significance. The prophet opts for mercy as the foundation of this reflection. This is not a longing for a simpler time but rather an exercise in theological creativity. Amidst national suffering and uncertainty, Isaiah revisits the past and identifies enduring truths regarding God’s nature—unwavering love, compassion, and generosity. Israel’s story is one of failure, but also of divine generosity. That matters, because the way the past is told shapes how the present is lived.
As the reflection continues, the language grows increasingly intimate, almost parental. God is portrayed as one who called Israel “my people” in their childhood and refused to abandon them. This is not a distant deity managing a nation from afar, but a God deeply and emotionally invested. God is shown as one who truly believed in them, effectively saying, “Surely they are my people.” There is both hope and vulnerability in that line. It suggests trust—and risk. God’s relationship with Israel is not mechanical or contractual; it is relational, charged with expectation and care. The prophet reminds the community that they were never merely a project or a problem to be solved. They were loved, rescued, and defended.
Verse 9 brings the heart of the passage into sharper focus: “In all their distress, God too was distressed.” This sentence quietly undermines the notion of a God who observes suffering from a place of calm detachment. Instead, God enters into the suffering of the people. Their distress becomes God’s distress. The image of the angel of God’s presence saving them makes this intimacy unmistakable. Salvation here is neither abstract nor postponed; it is concrete, personal, and compassionate. God does not simply provide support; rather, God approaches humanity, participating in the pain of suffering. This divine companionship transforms the understanding of anguish. Suffering is not a sign of neglect; instead, it becomes the context in which God’s presence is most profoundly felt.
The passage ultimately emphasizes that salvation is rooted in love and mercy rather than in power or efficiency. God’s actions involve redeeming, uplifting, and supporting people “all the days of old,” implying a patient perseverance rather than a singular miraculous intervention. It narrates an extensive account of unwavering faithfulness. The reflection encourages readers to recall their own experiences of grace during challenging times, to reject the notion that God has withdrawn, and to believe that compassion—rather than apathy—is central to God’s workings. Isaiah 63:7–9 ultimately calls for a faith that remembers accurately, acknowledges the reality of suffering, and still boldly asserts that love has always been the more profound narrative.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION
How does the act of choosing what to remember shape theological understanding and communal identity, especially in seasons of suffering or uncertainty?
What does Isaiah’s portrayal of God as emotionally vulnerable and deeply invested challenge about common assumptions of divine power, detachment, or sovereignty?
If suffering is portrayed as a site of divine presence rather than abandonment, how might this reframe pastoral care, lament, and the way faith communities accompany those in pain?