"Comfort and Peace"
Sermon Presented December 4, 2005
Isaiah 40:1-11
Second Sunday of Advent
What message is Christ's Church called to proclaim? Is it the message of Hollywood style vengeance that the Left Behind series proclaims to show backsliders and unbelievers who's right once and for all? Or is it the message God gave to Isaiah - a message of comfort and peace? We find both messages in Scripture, depending on your interpretation, but Christian messengers tend to proclaim one or the other - not both. (A member of the Marysville, KS church once told me that I needed to preach some "hell-fire and damnation" sermons.) You can't please everyone!
Our text, written in poetry, is from the 40th chapter of the prophetic book of Isaiah. When we move from chapter 39 to chapter 40, we leap forward in time almost 200 years. It's as if we close one book and open another. The style, content and historical background between the writings is profoundly different and scholars believe they were written by different authors. Our text and the 15 chapters following it were written from Babylon during the late exilic period. Let's look at God's call to the prophet in Isaiah 40:1-11. (Read text.)
God gave these words to the prophet to proclaim to the Israelites who have been held captive in Babylon since Jerusalem was destroyed. Most of these captives never lived in Jerusalem - it has been that long since the captivity began. These exiles were born in Babylon, among people who worship Marduk and Nebo instead of Yahweh. Their alienation from God got them into trouble in the first place. Now God breaks into the silence of their despair with a new word - of comfort, forgiveness and peace. It's a word that their time of captivity is coming to an end. This word ends God's silence and gives the people a message of hope.
The message isn't one of wishful thinking and cheap promises, but it comes from the depths of Israel's covenant relationship with God. God promises that comfort is on the way! Captivity will end and their sins will be pardoned.
The people understood their exile as punishment for abandoning God and refusing to honor their part of the covenant relationship. Now God says: "Enough - enough penalty, enough exile, and enough displacement! The exile will end! All is forgiven! I am here to comfort you. I love you and will guide you and care for you gently and lovingly. I will transform your darkness into blessing. I will save you." That's good new - it's gospel - it's a message of salvation! And God wants the prophet to proclaim this good news to God's people.
My favorite image of God and Jesus is that of the Good Shepherd. I know little about sheep - except what I learned while in Marysville from those who raise sheep. I love the picture of a shepherd carrying an awkward and heavy lamb to safety. For my tenth wedding anniversary, I asked for this wood carving titled "The Good Shepherd." When my great Aunt Flora died, I requested this 1800's print of the Good Shepherd. The print chosen by our NE Area Kansas AIDS task force was one of the shepherd carrying the lamb. This image speaks volumes to me!
Just as this picture is one of comfort and peace for me, it was even more meaningful for those in captivity. For them, it was a picture of the reversal of the horrors of the past - siege, destruction, separation from loved ones, a desert march to Babylon, and the hopelessness of exile. This reversal will be accomplished by the caring, loving embrace of the vulnerable and helpless by the shepherd. This image speaks God's immanent presence and care for God's people.
Those in captivity see God as both shepherd and king, and this image brings comfort. In Mark's gospel, Jesus is also king (God's son) and shepherd (one who gathers the lost to himself.) When we read the gospels and prophets together we see that what God promised through the prophets is delivered in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the personification of that shepherd image.
Isaiah is instructed to tell the people that God is delivering God's part of the covenant in their relationship. God is carrying Israel and caring for the people in the midst of their tragedy.
This image was made real by an incident from my distant past. When I was very young, Mom took my younger sister and me on the Greyhound Bus to Gower to visit Dad's parents on the farm. When we returned to St. Joseph the next day, there was a tremendous storm in progress - in fact the storm became a tornado. As we stood under the awning of a downtown store waiting for the local bus, my sister Judy literally began to blow down the street. A man grabbed her and carried her back to Mom who held her closely until we could proceed home. That picture of the man rescuing Judy and carrying her to safety comes to mind as I think of God embracing the lambs!
Frederick Buechner says that Hebrew peace, shalom, means fullness, means having everything you need to be completely and happily yourself. God's peace doesn't mean the absence of struggles but the presence of God's love in our struggles.
Everyone experiences tragedy in his or her life. It may come as divorce, the death of a loved one, a medical or financial crisis, persecution or a betrayal of trust. Tragedy is part of life and can't be avoided! But when we know that we can't go on with life as we know it, God comes to bring peace and comfort. God's presence comes in the midst of tragedy when we surrender to God - when we acknowledge our helplessness without God.
My favorite magazine in the genre of spirituality is Weavings, a publication of the United Methodist Church. In an article on Peace, the author asked his spiritual guide: "How do you know when you are in the presence of God?" His answer: "When I experience peace." That kind of peace is an internal state characterized by freedom from fear and anxiety. Christian peace grows as our taste for individualism, materialism and competitiveness diminishes. Spending daily time with God is the central discipline for establishing and maintaining this peace.
We make peace with God and with the world through confession of our sins, thanksgiving for our blessings and acts of love. We are comforted in the same way. The message of comfort and peace is given to us to share with others. "Comfort my people," says the Lord.
God gave Isaiah this message to proclaim to people held captive. But until he shared it, it wasn't good news to them! We also have been given a message of good news. Our good news is that Jesus came into the world 2000 years ago to bring comfort, forgiveness of sin and new life, and he continues to come into our lives today with the same message of peace and comfort.
And what do we do with that message? Well I'm sorry to say that we tend to sit on it, bury it or timidly speak it when someone else broaches the subject. Now remember, I'm speaking here of good news not scary news of death and hell but good news of life and peace. I'm speaking of the good news that God loves us and carries us when we can't go forward by ourselves. I'm speaking of the good news that we have eternal life with Christ - a gift that is without measure and without end.
We all want and need reassurance of God's love and forgiveness. It may be that a picture or a woodcarving can bring you that assurance as you converse with God until you no longer need such an aid.
God loves each of us just as we are and God loves us too much to allow us to stay as we are. We grow spiritually as we experience God's love, comfort and peace in regular fellowship with God. We experience that peace when we allow God to help us set right priorities. When our knowledge of God's love moves from our head to our heart - when it becomes personal, we are on the path to spiritual renewal.
During this Advent season, let's prepare for Christ's coming into our lives by taking time to experience his peace. Then, let's go outside of our comfort zones and proclaim that good news to our friends and family. You see, the Christ has come. And still comes!
