BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
When Jesus opened the scroll in Luke 4 and read from Isaiah 61, He was declaring the
dawn of divine restoration . "Beauty Of The Ashes" is not a poetic fancy; it is a promise
for the broken and the poor in spirit. God is not intimidated by our ashes. For sin cannot
stand in the presence of God. For our sins have been cast into the sea of ashes anointed
with the oil of the Holy Spirit. He is not overwhelmed by our mourning. He does not
abandon those weighed down by the spirit of heaviness. Instead, He moves toward us. He
appoints, He exchanges, and He glorifies Himself through our transformation. Oh, the
beauty of our Ashes.
The Context of Isaiah 61
The people of Israel had been through
Devastation, Exile, Destruction,
Disappointment . Isaiah 61 comes as a message of Hope : a divine reversal. The prophet
speaks to the Weary , the Wounded , and the Worn-Out . Have you ever been their saints?
Isaiah 61:1-2 sets the tone: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me..." and by verse 3,
we find the core of the message—a triple exchange:
• Beauty of the ashes - “At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I
gather you : for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth,
when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.” { Zep 3:20 }
• Joy for mourning- “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the
morning.”
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