A Mystery: A Crown of Ashes, A Crown of Beauty

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me . . . [to] provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:1a, 3

Remember when you drew the manger scene in school or Sunday school? What did you put over the heads of the Baby Jesus, the angels, and maybe even over Mary and Joseph? It was a circle, sort of tipped on its side, called a halo.

Halo comes from Greek for threshing floor: a circular, slightly sloping area kept very clean, around which slaves or oxen walked to thresh grain. Halo eventually came to mean a divine, bright disk.

Today Isaiah proclaims that Jesus exchanges the Satan-serving horns I’ve worn since conception with such a halo. “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me [Jesus] . . . to proclaim good news to the poor [like me] . . . [to] provide for those who grieve in Zion [like me]: to bestow on [me] a [halo] instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

Ashes on my head signify mourning over my sinful state, sorrow over the glory of God that I’ve despised and discarded, unworthiness as I fall terrified before Yahweh Almighty. Yet because of his great love and compassion for me, Jesus wraps me in his perfect life, which he lived in my place. When Yahweh looks at me, he doesn’t see my ungrateful heart, lustful lingering, and feigned obedience. Instead, his courtroom gavel resounds with the exact opposite of what I deserve to hear: “Sinless! Perfect! Acquitted!”—in Jesus, through Jesus, because of Jesus.

Halos in your manger scene artwork reminded you that Jesus and angels are holy. “But how can Isaiah tell me I’m wearing a halo,” you wonder, “when clearly, I’m not holy?” That’s Isaiah’s Christmas message. In fact, Scripture’s central message is justification—Jesus places his halo on us—joy instead of sorrow, victory instead of defeat, God for us and God with us, right now and forever.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for [me], so that in him [I] might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Christ, our Lord and Savior dear,
bless us and be near us.
Grant us now a glad new year.
Amen, Jesus, hear us. [CW 332:4]

Professor Alan Uher serves Martin Luther College
as a professor of education.