December 21, 2025

Isaiah 49:5-7

5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
6  And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Christmas Program and Fellowship

“In declaring God’s messianic salvation as light to the Gentiles (Isa 42:6; 49:6), Simeon recovers a long-neglected but seminal truth of Judaism, namely, that Israel was not the terminus of God’s revelation, but the conduit of God’s revelation to all humanity.”