Isaiah 40:1-11

The Promise of Comfort

When does christmas begin for you? Everyone has their own measure of what brings christmas to them.

Handel's Messiah begins with the words "comfort ye", echoing the words of Isaiah here where there is a change of tone. He shifts from darkness to a hope of light. There is something comforting about this passage.

The loss of hope

In today's culture, we are concerned about our future. There seems to be no hope. The people of God felt the same thing centuries ago as Isaiah wrote. They struggled with the following:

Where is God?

The people could not see God. They had lost hope in the future and thought God had forgotten them.

It can be hard to see God in a world of suffering. Has God lost control?

Isaiah is clear here: God is on His way to rescue! There is a future hope of a saviour.

The voice of comfort

God breathes into us a new heart and a new life when we have been beaten down. That reminds us that we are still His people and have not been forgotten. We are assured of our forgiveness in the cross. That brings more than just comfort!

What this tells us is that God doesn't remain outside of creation - He becomes a part of it and experienced life here. Where is God in the suffering? He is there right in the middle of it, hanging on a cross, in order to end it all. We are forgiven by our personal saviour.

Prepare

Isaiah's call in response to this comforting saviour is this: Prepare.

Get ready for God. He is on His way and nothing can stop Him. How can we prepare our lives for His glorious arrival?

Repentance

Mark begins his gospel with John the Baptist, who calls for the people to repent ahead of Jesus' coming. He was preparing the way through repentance.

Only through the repentance of our sins can we be ready to receive Jesus and His glory. Our God is immense in His power and glory and can bring us home in glory.

Frailty

The third voice Isaiah uses points to our human frailty. We are weak and dying.

Yet the Word of God, and it's truth never fails.

Good News

The gatekeepers of Jerusalem announced the return of the people from exile. Good News!

And so we should shout our Good News: Christ the Lord is born! He brings a great gospel to the world and we should share it's message of hope with everyone around us.

God comes to us in our weakness, and gives us His strength.