Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year Advent-Christmas Devotional - 2017 - single page | Page 27

Rejected by Appearance
Friday, December 22nd
Isaiah 53:3
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Are you happy with what appears? Anybody who is honest
with themselves will always see apparent flaws. It seems as if children are in general happy with who they
are. They are happy to simply have a body that can run, jump, and skip. They are happy to have a face that
can smile, eat, and shout. But there always comes a day, when suddenly and perhaps slowly, we begin to
look at ourselves differently. We are concerned with what others see. Subsequently, we are concerned
with what we see. Does my nose look normal? Will other people like the way my hair looks? My ears look
weird! And it never really stops from there. Into adulthood, as our hair begins to thin, our bodies begin
swell, our skin begins to wrinkle, it is an all too depressing task to wake up and look at how we appear.
What is it about our appearance that bothers us so much? The truth is, it is rejection. We are in constant
worry that who we are is not enough. This struggle makes incredible sense. The Bible teaches us that when
sin came into the world it corrupted everything. Everything, including our body is broken and breaking. In
that way, in our appearance, we see our unworthiness. We see the big and little ways that make us worthy
of being rejected by others—especially by God.
But consider our text. The last person you would expect to be rejected is Jesus! On Christmas, we see this
perfect, precious Son of God come into the world. Nobody would reject him! But Isaiah prophesies just
that. He, who is worthy of gifts, praise, and embrace would himself experience the kind of rejection you
and I experience, but to an eternal degree. When Jesus took on human flesh, he would not remain a
precious baby with wise men around him in celebration. He was set on a path to become the most rejected
individual of all time. By his grace and his love for the rejected, for you and me, he was despised and he
was rejected. All of this so that we would never be rejected again. Instead, thanks to Jesus, we are
eternally embraced by our Savior.
Prayer: Dear Lord, may the gift of your Son, Jesus, always remind us that while we may appear unworthy,
we know this is not the case. Through his work, you have made us perfect in your eyes. Amen.
Activity: Make a list of the things people judge about others. Then, one by one, consider the ways in which
the world similarly judged Jesus in his life.
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