Before all Nations: A Final Reflection on Isaiah 61

A Fitting Moment to Finish

As we come to the end of our preaching series on Missional Discipleship, it feels extremely fitting that we have done so during the Christmas season. This is not simply a convenient point in the calendar, but a profoundly meaningful one. Christmas reminds us that God’s heart and mission is for all people and all nations. This is the mission that is now entrusted to us as disciples of Jesus.

Throughout our preaching series we have anchored ourselves in Isaiah 61, a powerful prophetic vision of what it looks like when the Kingdom of God breaks into the world. It paints a picture of salvation, restoration, healing and justice. Isaiah 61 has helped us imagine what we are longing to see as we live missionally, shaped and sent by Jesus into the everyday places of our lives.

God’s Heart for the Nations

There are two verses in Isaiah 61 that we did not spend much time on in our sermons but they speak directly to the missional heartbeat of this Christmas season:

Isaiah 61:9 - “Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

Isaiah 61:11 - “For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”

Both verses point beyond the people of God themselves and outward toward the nations. God’s transformational work in His people is not meant to remain hidden. The blessing of the Lord is visible to all. It is seen, recognised, and acknowledged by others.

Living a Visible Faith

This is what missional discipleship looks like. We are disciples who live out our faith before the nations, before all people, so that others may see what God has done and give Him praise.

This is why Christmas is such a fitting moment to conclude this series. At Christmas, we celebrate that there truly is good news for all people. We celebrate that a light has come into the darkness.

Isaiah 9:2 - “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”

All these years later, the world still knows what it is to walk in darkness. We feel it in our own lives, in our communities, and in the brokenness of the world around us. Yet we can boldly declare that the darkness has not had the final word. A light has dawned.

The Light of the World Calls Us to Shine

That light is not just a lovely idea, it is a person. Jesus said:

John 8:12 - “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas is the light that pierces the darkness. His presence brings hope where there is despair, comfort where there is pain, and joy that cannot be overcome by circumstances.

And remarkably, Jesus turns to His followers and says:

Matthew 5:14-16 - “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Here we hear a clear echo of Isaiah 61. People see the lives of those who are blessed by the Lord. Righteousness and praise spring up before the nations. As disciples of Jesus, we carry His light into the world so that others may see Him and give glory to God.

Into the Next Season Together

As a church, we are stepping into a new season in a few weeks’ time. Moving to gathering every Sunday creates new opportunities to worship together, to be formed as disciples, and to be sent out again into our neighbourhoods and networks. May we do so with renewed confidence and hope, knowing that the light has come and that we are called to let it shine!