Welcome to Advent 2025! Each Sunday, we’ll explore the verses of Mary’s song in Luke 1:46-55 until we reach its crescendo on Christmas Eve. From 11/30 to 12/27, we’ll read biblical passages that prompt Mary’s praise and prepare us to enter the pageant of the birth of our Savior.
Advent Passage: Isaiah 9:1-7
In the climax of her song (Luke 1:51-53), Mary praises the Lord for uplifting the humble and filling the hungry. This is the restorative mission of Jesus, and we see Him do this work throughout His earthly ministry.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of this mission around 800 years before Jesus’ birth. During those long centuries, the Israelites faced division, Assyrian control, exile in Babylon, return under Persia, and the spread of Hellenism leading to annexation by Rome. For hundreds of those years, the prophets of Israel fell silent.
Knowing all the trials God’s people endured deepens our understanding of the importance of Jesus’ coming to deliver righteousness and justice to them. Contemplating their centuries of waiting also reveals the deep confidence they had in God’s faithfulness.
As you read today’s passage, I invite you to place yourself in the sandals of an Israelite in the 8th century B.C. under Assyrian rule:
Imagine how good it sounds…A light will shine in the darkness. The nation will thrive and rejoice. The yoke of oppression will shatter. The weapons of war will be no more.
Because…A King will be born, named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His kingdom will thrive in peace, without end. He will reign in justice and righteousness forever.
Friends, A King has been born. Jesus reigns in the heart of every person who trusts in His faithfulness.
Like the Israelites, we still face many challenges. We are divided, oppressed, and many go hungry. We also wait. We anticipate the forever part, when Jesus’ works of righteousness and justice are complete. We remain confident because we know God is faithful.
And, in the meantime, we share the light of Jesus. We grow and rejoice. We release the oppressed, uplift the humble, heal the hurting, and feed the hungry. We make peace. We do for others what our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace has done for us. Because unto us a child is born.
© 2025 Lori Myers Berry
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