Note: If you follow the Christian liturgical calendar, you know we are in the middle of Advent. This post is the first of two in a mini-Advent series Iāve titled The Hope We Carry.
Although these reflections donāt come directly from Jesus' teachings, they fit squarely within the mission of Work These Words.
Jesus didnāt appear in a vacuum; He stepped into a story that had been unfolding for centuries, a story shaped by Israelās prophets and promises.
Therefore, to work the words of Jesus, we must understand the world He inherited and the hopes He fulfilled.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2 NIV
Before Isaiahās words can speak to us, we need to hear them as they were first spoken.
The more clearly we understand their world, the more faithfully we can live in ours.
Isaiah 9:2 emerges from a scene of national trauma. The northern tribes of Israel, especially Zebulun and Naphtali, had been crushed under the weight of the Assyrian empire. These were border tribes, the first to be invaded and the hardest hit. Their land was ravaged, their identity shaken, and their future uncertain. They became known pejoratively as āGalilee of the nations,ā a reminder that foreign powers now shaped what once belonged to Israel.
So when Isaiah speaks of people āwalking in darkness,ā he is not describing general discouragement or a bad season of life; he is naming people living under political oppression, military occupation, spiritual confusion, and social fragmentation.
Darkness, for Isaiahās audience, was not a metaphor; it was their reality.
A reality not too different from ours.
Here in modern America, weāve grown painfully familiar with darkness.
The darkness of loneliness in an age of hyper-connection.
The darkness of exhaustion in an age of relentless pursuit.
The darkness of disorientation in an age of guides and gurus.
But there is hope.
Isaiahās words remind us that God does some of His best work in the dark.
Creation began in darkness.
And so did the first light of a new creation, when salvation slipped into the world on a quiet night in Bethlehem.
Next week, we will turn toward that Light, but for now, we sit in the tension.
For now, we hope.
The good news of Advent isnāt that the darkness is gone; itās that the Light is coming.
Reflection Questions
Even though these are not red-letter words, they can help us work the red-letter life.
1. How does understanding the historical darkness of Isaiahās audience deepen your awareness of the places in your own life and the world around you where Godās light is needed most?
2. What practices (prayer, rest, attentiveness, confession, community) can help you carry hope into the places where you are most tempted to despair, retreat, or numb out?
Work These Words
Work These Words is the first newsletter from the āwith Sean Dreherā Substack. It focuses on exploring the words of Jesus and how to put them into practice in the modern world.
The name comes from Eugene Petersonās paraphrase of Matthew 7:24-25 inĀ The Message:
āThese words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hitābut nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.ā
Most times, I write alone. Occasionally, Iāll invite members of the ministerial team fromĀ Kingdom SouthĀ to lend their voices. But always, the aim is the same:Ā to help you work the words of Jesus into your life.
Happy trails.