Isaiah 40:1-11
40:1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
40:2 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.
40:3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the
LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
40:4 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.
40:5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people
shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
40:6 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.
40:7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the
LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass.
40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God
will stand forever.
40:9 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!"
40:10 See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
40:11 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.
Perhaps one of the most embarrassing incidents in my life occurred
during third grade. I was desperately in love with my teacher, who
was fresh out of college. She had to discipline me one day (gasp!)
by sending me out to stand in the hallway. I had really left her no
other option, except perhaps to do physical violence to me. But she
loved me too much to do that. So, I stood in the hallway for what
seemed like an eternity. I dreaded going back in. What would it be
like? Would my teacher hate me forever? How happy I was to come back
into the room and find that while I was gone, the teacher had found
a book that talked about one of my favorite subjects, and that book
was laid open on my desk, just waiting for my return. The punishment
was over. I had paid double for my sin. Now, I could enjoy being
with my teacher again.
The four voices in this pericope may lend themselves to creative
presentation. The first voice (vv. 1-2) might be the prophet, or a
judge. The format of the sermon might make that person a narrator,
as well, both proclaiming what God said and holding the entire thing
together.
The second voice talks about a highway in the desert. Perhaps
someone with a hard hat and reflective vest could express the point
of that section. The third voice (vv. 6-8), uses imagery of wild
flowers and grass. A person in overalls, with gardening gloves and a
small shovel, could walk into the chancel to talk about the
reliability of God's word. And, the fourth voice, starting with v.
9, seems to be from the prophet again, and includes the allusion to
a shepherd, but I like the imagery of a mother.
As far as an overall theme, the second candle on the Advent wreath
represents peace. I'm reflecting on each of the voices in the
pericope, asking what each might say to us about peace. It's only
Monday -- still letting this marinade within me. MTSOfan
I'm not sure whether to feel peaceful or cringe at this text (tongue
somewhat in cheek.) "Take comfort! Here is your God!" The God of
might and power who can destroy us with a word, with a breath!
(Surely that's what Isaiah's original audience was feeling--Here
comes God to punish us in his wrath again!) But the mighty
terrifying judge arrives, only to say, "Your time of trouble has
ended! Here, let me hold you close!" The omnipotent Creator comes to
us as a gentle child--bringing grace and mercy..." Rabbi in IL
v. 11 - have you ever seen that kitschy, schmaltzy, drawing of Jesus
snuggling up with a lamb? When I see it, I want to say pee-yoo! What
a contrast to the Far Side cartoon that has God looking down on
earth with his finger poised over two buttons: "Smite" and "Don't
Smite."
What we deserve is "Smite" - perhaps that's why we come to expect
it. We know we have it coming. Yet that cheesy picture of Jesus and
the lamb offers profound reassurance and, sadly, it may be contrary
to many peoples' impressions of God. Ironically, both images are
true.
Sally in GA
A few early thoughts. And yes, it is Thursday already!
There are many images in these verses, and as I was noting them down
I realised that several of them were in the form The ****** of the
LORD
eg HAND, GLORY, MOUTH, BREATH, WORD, ARM , HEART.
I'm going to try and work with some of these images
Rev Ev in Bev UK
I am preaching from Isaiah for the first three weeks of Advent. Last
week, in an overview of this book, I talked about the three sections
or periods of the book. Brueggemann's article, "Loss and Hope"
particularly helpful. In that article, he notices the nearly 200
year pause in the writing between the end of chap. 39 and the
beginning of chap. 40. During that time span, Jerusalem has been
devasted, the people have been carried into captivity in Babylon.
The tremendous set of images and hopes so freshly launched after so
much silence and disorientation, must have been both startling and
discountable. For those who dared to imagine, it must have set their
pulses racing!
Ben Ollenburger writes on the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
site, "These verses...introduce Isaiah's book of comfort, which
extends through chap. 55. Framing this material are statements about
God's word...in between, God's word encounters and counters, two
complaints from the people who are to hear it. First, they complain
that God is powerless and unfaithful, that they are beyond God's
reach and that God has ignored them (40:27) Second, they complain
that God's solution to their resignation and fear is not acceptable:
it is unprecedented and impossible (44:24-45:13). Would we not think
so, too, if told that an Iranian was God's shepherd and messiah
(44:28; 45:1)? Nevertheless, the prophet announces that God the
creator has chosen Cyrus, the Persian king, to rebuild Jersalem and
the temple, both of them destroyed by Babylon, where the exiles from
Juday remain."
Ollenberg writes later in the article, "Remarkably, it is the
abandoned Zion and the ruined Jerusalem who receive the commission
to be God's heralds...What all the world, including the Jews
themselves, regarded as abandoned, desecrated, even as a woman
divorced by God (Isa. 50:1; 54:5) Zion/Jerusalem is entrusted with
the good news: the tidings of great joy, "Behold your God!""
"Good tidings" (good news/gospel)is the prerogative of the Caesares
(sp?) in the time of John the Baptist. How audacious it was for John
to call up this Isaiah text to announce any news other than the
"official word". How daring to speak any "good news" if it doesn't
come from the empire. (heard and probably misqouted by me from a
sermon of ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson)
To announce that there are good tidings of a new, salvific &
life-giving order was once a dangerous business. There seems to be
little danger for most of us to set out an announcement of a new and
restorative realm with a new Lord/Master/Ruler/President/King/Shepherd.(I'm
admittedly grateful.) Aslanclan
· Prepare for What? God wants to come into our lives and we shall be
cared for as his flock. The wonderful thing about God is this: with
him forgiveness can be had. Our sins can be pardoned. Forgiveness
and pardon is alone found in the person of Jesus Christ! Prepare to
receive God.
· Prepare with prayer. There is only one prayer that is always
answered, “Thy will be done.” When we pray and bring our plans and
actions in accord with the Divine Will, then and then only will our
preparations bear good fruit. Prepare to listen to His voice.
· Prepare your hearts and lives. The voice calls us to repent. John
the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus Christ by saying, “Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Simply put, “to repent” means
“to change.” To turn around from sinful ways, sinful habits and
sinful practices, leaving them behind us for good. We make
preparations for Jesus Christ by removing any obstacles that would
prevent him from coming into our hearts. Change our sinful habits,
and prepare for the Lord to come.
· Prepare then wait. One day is the same as 1,000 years. Waiting is
hard, but necessary. This is also a time of vigilant waiting for
Christ’s coming return in judgment. Nobody predicted it correctly
the first time, and nobody will be able to predict it correctly this
time either, but Jesus Christ is coming again. Live a life of
anticipation. Live a life of being prepared.
Leon<>< in NC
