Is 42:1-4, 6-7

Thus says the LORD:

Here is my servant whom I uphold,

my chosen one with whom I am pleased,

upon whom I have put my spirit;

he shall bring forth justice to the nations,

not crying out, not shouting,

not making his voice heard in the street.

a bruised reed he shall not break,

and a smouldering wick he shall not quench,

until he establishes justice on the earth;

the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,

I have grasped you by the hand;

I formed you, and set you

as a covenant of the people,

a light for the nations,

to open the eyes of the blind,

to bring out prisoners from confinement,

and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

The people were filled with expectation,

and all were asking in their hearts

whether John might be the Christ.

John answered them all, saying,

“I am baptizing you with water,

but one mightier than I is coming.

I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

After all the people had been baptized

and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,

heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him

in bodily form like a dove.

And a voice came from heaven,

“You are my beloved Son;

with you I am well pleased.”

BACKGROUNDER – THE BRUISED REED

The great gentleness and mercy of God are revealed in these beautiful words of the prophet Isaiah, “a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smouldering wick he shall not quench.” God who is above all of us, who is all-powerful and all-knowing, shows us his heart in these inspired words.

A reed is a very fragile plant which grows with roots in ponds or streams. Even a little bird brushing by a reed could bruise it. A smouldering wick is has stopped burning, and smokes futilely, with no hope of every coming alight again. There are so many people who are bruised and smouldering without hope. I think that all of us have felt like this at times. Some people struggle quietly without anyone to notice, or anyone to care. Does God care?

We know that trust that our Father in heaven indeed does care. He shows us his care for the forgotten in ways that we may not see, but his divine gentleness is fully shown to us finally and fully in the coming of His son Jesus. Luke writes of the expectation in the hearts of the humble people who are wondering about the coming of the Christ, the Anointed of God. John the Baptist announces the coming of one who will baptize with the “Holy Spirit and fire”. This baptism is a complete inner renewal of anyone who comes to the Christ.

Think again of the people who are like bruised reeds or smouldering wicks. Imagine how it might feel to know that someone sent by God is coming to you, to heal, to lift you up, to allow you to come to life again. This is the promise of knowing Jesus. When you are all but forgotten, Jesus remembers.

Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father, bathed in the Holy Spirit. This moment of shining out of Jesus leads, however, to the Cross. It is the crucified Jesus who shows us how God enters into our suffering, offering his helplessness, his humiliation, his suffering and death for us, and in him. He is well pleased with Jesus because only in the Cross can we see the gentleness of God offered to us.

Christians are the people called into what Isaiah calls the covenant, the deep and abiding relationship with the God of gentleness. But entering into the heart of God as we grow to know him leads us outward. Isaiah says that we are to become a light to the nations, meaning the people who are in darkness, the bruised reeds, the smouldering wicks.

How shall we respond to the divine invitation? If we have known the gentleness of God, then we too may join in the saving mission of Jesus. We too may offer a gentle presence for those who struggle quietly and alone, and offer them hope of healing and renewal in Christ.