Go, Tell It on the Mountain

Read

Isaiah 42:1-13

1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”

10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
and proclaim his praise in the islands.
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,
like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.

Think

After the birth of each our children, my wife and I spent time on the phone calling grandparents, great-grandparents, other relatives, and friends to tell them the good news that our baby had been born.

As new parents, you want everyone to know as quickly as possible, and you want to share your good news as much as possible. And this is easy today with cell phones and social media available.

Whenever anyone has good news, they want to share it with as many people as possible. The prophet Isaiah spoke about the servant of the Lord who would come in faithfulness to bring justice and restoration. And at his coming, the people are called to sing a new song of praise, to go out and “raise their voices” and “shout from the mountaintops.”

On the day of Jesus’ birth, God’s people are given news of the greatest gift, the gift of salvation. As we hear the good news of Jesus, we respond with great joy, sharing it wherever we go.

“Go, Tell It on the Mountain” calls us to hear the good news of the birth of Jesus and to respond with shouts of joy! We can go out and share this news with everyone we can imagine.

Go to the mountaintops and shout—share it everywhere!

Pray

Lord and God, may we respond in pure joy at the news of Jesus’ birth, sharing it wherever we go. Amen.