Early in His ministry, Jesus entered a synagogue in Galilee one Sabbath day and, when it was His turn to read from the Old Testament scripture, recited this passage in Isaiah 61,
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
And then to the dismay of the listening crowd He proclaimed, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled.”
We chose Isaiah 61 for this year’s OnRamp Christmas ornament because it reminds us of Jesus’ heart for the poor, the struggling, and the suffering. It reminds us that Jesus chose to identify with the lowly and rejected of society; not the rich and powerful. Our culture fixates upon those with fame, beauty, intelligence, strength. Jesus fixed His eyes on the weak, the sick, the dependent, those in need - the polar opposite of Instagram-influencer-society. Isaiah 61 reminds us to do the same.
But there’s more. Isaiah 61 gives us a glimpse of what true deliverance looks like in God’s eyes. It is not merely salvation from sin, though that is certainly at the core of it since sin is our ultimate ailment. But Jesus desires more. His ultimate intention is to free His people from all that causes pain and suffering and bondage. His goal is true and complete freedom to be all that God designed us to be.
It is into this mission of providing freedom, that Jesus invites us through the ministry of OnRamp. The gift of a reliable car or SUV provides freedom in a literal sense to a person previously trapped by immobility. That freedom of movement drives new opportunities for employment, new options for healthcare and education, and new access to religious and community services. As our team reminds ourselves frequently, “OnRamp is NOT about cars; it’s about people!” OnRamp opens doors to freedom and growth in all aspects of a client’s life. Everything good our community hopes to share with a family in need is accessed through personal transportation. OnRamp opens that door to freedom.
Yet there is a greater freedom to which OnRamp points. We are not the Savior. We cannot overcome death or ultimately defeat evil. But we know the One who can, and through this ministry of grace and love, we point our community to Him. Isaiah 61 reminds us that all of our sacrifice and service are worth it if they point our world to Jesus, the Savior who has defeated death and evil and who will return and make all things right. He is our ultimate hope, and it is our ambition to follow in His steps, giving the world just a glimpse of the glorious deliverance in store when He returns.
Well, that’s enough preaching from me today :-) Now you know why we chose Isaiah 61 as the basis of this year’s ornament, designed so skillfully by Julie Jennings and handcrafted by our team of volunteers. Donate $50 or more through the form below in honor of a family member, friend, or neighbor, and we’ll send them this beautiful, handmade ornament sharing the good news of Isaiah 61 and celebrating a particular client by name to whom OnRamp donated a reliable vehicle in 2021. Your gift will help raise the funds needed for the next set of client families on our waiting list. Ornaments will begin shipping in early December. You are also welcome to donate on your own behalf and we’ll send you an ornament to celebrate.