Loving God, you speak words of comfort and hope into a world filled with despair.  Help us to know that you are near at all times, and teach us to trust in the promise of your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Imagine that you are in a place of despair.  Imagine that you look out at the world around you and say, “This isn’t right.  This isn’t how things are supposed to be!”  Imagine not being able to worship as you used to.  Imagine looking out your window and noticing that absolutely everything looks unfamiliar.  Imagine that you have suffered many losses, including your home and your family members.  Imagine feeling as though you are in prison, with no way out.  Imagine thinking that God has forgotten all about you.  Does any of this sound familiar to you?...

    Unfortunately, this description of life in exile quite easily applies to many people today.  It also applies to the people of Israel and Judah who were carried away to Babylon as slaves.  And then along comes Isaiah, both to them and to us, with a message of hope.  It is a message designed for those who have been traumatized.

    “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (Isa. 40:1-2).  Imagine how this would sound to you if you had been in prison.  “Your time is up.  You’re about to be set free!”  Would this change in any way how you would live from day to day - if you knew that your redemption was drawing near?...

    Still, this redemption and freedom were not going to come immediately to the people Isaiah was addressing.  There would be some time before the glory of the Lord would be revealed.  And so, they are given something to do while they wait: build a highway – prepare the way of the Lord (Isa. 40:3).

    Given that Isaiah is using poetry in order to convey his message, at least a little bit of imagination is called for as we consider what sort of a highway might be implied.  (Although I do need to add that the quest for an actual road to get in and out of Shoal Lake might also reveal the glory of the Lord!)  However, in Isaiah’s case he points to the wilderness as the place for these preparations to be made.

    And so, your redemption is drawing near, and the glory of the Lord is going to be revealed, and you need to prepare for this.  Start clearing away the clutter and make space for God.  Start getting rid of the stuff that you just don’t need and clearing off your schedule the things that really don’t matter.  Start making the time to listen to people like John the Baptist, who show up in the wilderness and point to the coming Messiah.  Start allowing some time and space in order for your heart to be open to the presence and power of God.

    Keep in mind that this is still part of the message that Isaiah had for a nation full of traumatized people.  And so, there is the promise of God’s comfort, and of coming freedom, and of the revelation of the glory of God, and at the same time there is something to do in the mean time: build a highway, and proclaim the good news!  We should probably add that it doesn’t sound like very good news, at least at first.

    “All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field.  The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it” (Isa. 40:6-7).  Not a very good start, all things considered.  However, we are still listening to poetry, and the point of associating the people with grass that withers away rather quickly is to compare their life span with the life span of the word of God.  And so, people come and go.  Their life span is actually pretty short in the greater scheme of things.  However, God is forever, and so is God’s Word.  It is an attempt to put things in perspective and a reminder that God’s timing is quite likely a little bit different from ours.
 
    The good news, however, is still to come.  “Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’” (Isa. 40:9).  In other words, God is here.  God is here, and God is both powerful and gentle.  God our Shepherd will lead us, and will especially care for the most vulnerable members of the flock.  God “will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep” (Isa. 40:11).

    This sounds an awful lot like how Jesus the Good Shepherd operated, as well as his servant St. Nicholas.  Steve Bell, in a recent blog post about St. Nicholas, pointed out how most of Nicholas’ kindness was directed towards the most vulnerable - both children and young women.  One part of the story that is pretty hard to include in a children’s message is that the farmer’s daughters that Nicholas saved would have been sold into slavery as prostitutes.  It is what we would call human trafficking today, and it is still closely connected with women who live in poverty.  These are the ones that God cares about the most, just as Jesus spent most of his time with those who were most vulnerable, and those who were outcasts.

    And so, God is here, and God is coming.  Jesus is here, and Jesus is coming.  Our redemption is drawing near and the glory of the Lord will be revealed.  And what do we do while we wait? – Build a highway and proclaim the good news.  Make space for God and show in all that we say and do that God is here.  For, in spite of all causes for despair, “the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8).  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Advent 2 (NL 2)                                Isaiah 40:1-11
December 6, 2015                                Mark 1:1-4
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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