To
read: Isaiah 40:1-11
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. A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
"Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" 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; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.
Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; 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!" See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
Text from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
To think about:
The prophet Isaiah called for God's people to be prepared for the coming of the
Messiah. Isaiah also shared some of the wonderful changes that would come with
this long-expected coming. The main change would be in our relationship with
God. God pardons our sins, brings peace to our lives, and comforts us as a
caring shepherd.
Isaiah also suggests that a change would come in our sense of mission in the world. We are to prepare the way of the Lord so that the glory of the Lord will be revealed for everyone in the world to see. The mission that we have in our day is one of preparation not only for our own lives but for the life of the world. Why? At Bethlehem, God announces that he cares enough about us to enter into the very place where we are. This good news brings about a change in our lives. As the Christmas carol shares: "Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled." Oh, how our lives and our world need to hear this message of peace, forgiveness, mercy, and healing again this year.
Isaiah also suggests that a change would come in our sense of mission in the world. We are to prepare the way of the Lord so that the glory of the Lord will be revealed for everyone in the world to see. The mission that we have in our day is one of preparation not only for our own lives but for the life of the world. Why? At Bethlehem, God announces that he cares enough about us to enter into the very place where we are. This good news brings about a change in our lives. As the Christmas carol shares: "Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled." Oh, how our lives and our world need to hear this message of peace, forgiveness, mercy, and healing again this year.
