May Your joy and peace be with this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Isaiah 40: 1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished , that her iniquity is pardoned : for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted , and every mountain and hill shall be made low : and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed , and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 6 The voice said , Cry . And he said , What shall I cry ? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 7 The grass withereth , the flower fadeth : because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8 The grass withereth , the flower fadeth : but the word of our God shall stand for ever. 9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings , get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings , lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up , be not afraid ; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! 10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd : he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young . (King James Version)
Imagine a day without broadcast or print news. Better yet, imagine a day with nothing but good news. Such is the message of the entire Bible for those who love the Lord; but for those who do not, they have chosen a different path. Israel's story is our story. The people of God lived much like us, one day we're close to God, loving God and thanking God for all of God's wonderful blessings; then the next we're far from God, having chosen another path, usually one of self-direction and one of passion and pleasure. Our decision has led us away from God and we still sometimes blame God for our feeling so alienated from God.
The message in this Isaiah passage was the same one God shared with John the Baptist to share with God's people. It is a message of hope and peace. It is an invitation back to God. It is a call to the flock of God, that God our Shepherd shall gather us and carry us as God leads us back to God's place. Such is Advent, the time of preparation. It is a time spent shedding off that which has weighed us down with regret and guilt from the past, so that our time of preparation is a time of excitement and happiness for that which is coming.
PRAYER: Gracious God, You better than anyone know what has weighed me down and caused me to feel away and alone from You. Free me from all of that and allow this time of Advent to truly be a time of joyful preparation for that which You have, are, and will do. May I be a part of those who share good tidings with all. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
