Wednesday, December 23rd

Micah 4:6-86 “In that day,” declares the Lord,“I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief. 7 I will make the lame my remnant,     those driven away a strong nation. The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever. 8 As for you, watchtower of the flock, stronghold[a] of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.” We are reminded in this passage how God loves the underdog.  The poor, the oppressed, the widows and orphans—all get favor with God.  And yet, who among us would choose to be poor, oppressed, widowed or orphaned?  None of us.  But we all want God’s favor.  As we get closer and closer to the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth, let us remember how he loved the poor and ate with sinners.  He took notice of the untouchables, he healed the sick and loved those others though unworthy.  We do not need to become an underdog to gain God’s favor, but in following Christ’s example—loving the unloved, having mercy for those who suffer—we can gain God’s good favor as well.  Rather than enjoying our privilege without taking note of those who don’t have it, we should humble ourselves and raise others up. Prayer:  God, help us to see you in every face around us, not just the faces of those we love, but also in the faces of strangers and those we don’t think we could love.  Amen.