“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.”
Isaiah 53:7-9 NIV
My last blog post of 2018 is a reflection, a plea, a cry, a hopeful awakening to the new thing God is doing, has been doing for all of time.
This morning, as I was doing the post -Christmas clean up, I paused the frenzy to spend some time in the scriptures. This is something it’s easy to forsake during this busy season, but there is so much to be found in the words of Jesus, the words we read with such ease only because he paid for that privilege with his life.
I began to cry as I read this prophecy of Jesus, written long before his arrival—yet it happened exactly as the prophets said. Think about that for a second.
We read of this man, despised and rejected, who died a death far more gruesome than we can fathom. I read the words aloud, thinking of the price paid for me, and I stopped as I read one of the most devastating statements I’ve yet to encounter in the Word of God.
Yet who of his generation protested?
All those followers, all the people who loved him while he was performing miracles suddenly grew silent as he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
We are no different, thousands of years later. We love him, we post captions on Instagram about him, yet we will not protest as he carries our cross. We are too apt to disengage in conflict, we refuse to acknowledge sin, and we flee from embracing the ugliness of repentance. Every day I have an opportunity to be a voice, to speak the truth, to say I am his, and so often I shrink back over fear of what people will think or what they will comment.
So my prayer, my plea, my invitation for you in 2019 and even today, is for us to stand up. There is a Savior, not just a friend who we need. There sin lodged deep in our heart, sin he felt the pain of as he crawled to Golgotha. Sin he paid for with the crimson blood he shed.
We celebrate Christmas only because there was a resurrection. His birth means nothing without his death. I cannot join in his joy unless I embrace his suffering. I want the real Jesus, not the Jesus who agrees with me and supports my political views, not the Jesus who pats me on the back.
Our generation is waving at Jesus all the way up the hill, refusing to protest the wickedness he paid such a high price to free us from.
God help us. God help me.
Let us return to you, to the real you. If it means we have to step away from the programs and the good things we are doing for God, we will step away. If it means we will lose friends over embracing the truth, we will suffer the losses. If it means we walk a dark, lonely path, we will cling to you even tighter.
We will be the generation who refuses to stay silent, because he is worth it all.
This is my New Years resolution, My life resolution. I don’t need another distraction or another good thing that will keep me from the great thing. I need Jesus.
Sarah D. Shearer 
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