Veteran’s Day is a time when we say thank you to the ones who sacrificed a time in their lives and plans to go off into service of this country. Sometimes they even gave their life. I am very thankful even though I know that I can’t fully appreciate it. But I enjoy the freedom that has been secured by so much sacrifice.

This is one of my favorite parts of the Bible. These verses often come up around Christmas thanks in part to Handel. It is one of those pieces of prophecies that clearly point to Jesus and predict and describe his death. It is amazing to me that it was written about 700 years before his birth. What I find even more interesting is that it talks of a somewhat unattractive person who is rejected and beaten. He did not deserve it, but took it for us anyway. Wow, that seems really weird that God’s great servant would come. It shows and reminds me to trust in God’s ways and not my own. I really need to learn to be more humble and sacrificing! Further, why this reading is so interesting is that says that it was the “LORD’s will to crush him”. It is clear from this reading that he bore our “sin” and “transgressions.” So the bad things that make us feel ugly and keep us from God is exactly why Jesus became ugly and took our bad things for us.

I also don’t fully appreciate the sacrifice that Jesus made. This reading today points out just how much Jesus suffered for us. Thank you Jesus for suffering and dying for me so that I may be right with God!

Your fellow traveler,
Aaron