God will make all things Right

December 7, 2014 God will take care of everything Second Sunday of Advent Year B Isaiah 40:1-11 We start out this morning with one of the most inspirational verses from the bible. 5843 “Comfort Ye” Possibly no Bible chapter has exerted a greater influence on the world’s leaders than Isaiah 40. Handel begins his Messiah with “Comfort ye”; Luther pored over it in the castle at Salzburg; John Brown read it in prison at Harper’s Ferry; Oliver Cromwell went to it for help in time of storm; Daniel Webster read it again and again when he was crushed and broken in spirit; Tennyson called it one of the five great classics in the Old Testament record. —J. H. Bomberger The words of this verse are “Comfort, Comfort you my people. What makes these words more amazing is that God himself is speaking, and God is speaking to all of his angels and to all of us. God is saying that the people have suffered long enough, and it is time for them to know that things will get better. The scholars note that God does not say comfort once, but he says comfort twice. That means that God has spoken comfort for the people, but that God is also saying that anyone who speaks thus forth on God’s behalf must repeat God’s message of comfort. There must be absolute peace from all of the madness, this is a time of comfort. God guarantees comfort through his presence, his word, his people, and as we will see unfold – though his appointed leader with the power to bring this comfort to the people. Now what I find interesting, God’s word is timeless and applies to all situations. The Hebrew word used in Isaiah for comfort is nahum. Nahum also means to repent. But the underlying meaning of nahum is to take a deep breath. What happens when you have been tense for so long – you tend to tense up your muscles and you hold your breath. When you are finally comforted and feel as if things are okay – you take a deep breath. You let the air in. so God could be saying take a deep breath and think about what has been going on, and how you can repent and make things different. Or he is saying make a point to go to someone who is tense, and tell them that it is okay to breathe now – because your pain and suffering will be relieved. Ironically, what has become the slogan of our latest protest sweeping the nation – I can’t breathe. Eric Gardner’s last words as he was choked to death by the New York Police – I cant breathe. There was no relief for him. He never got the chance to live in the promise of God – comfort. And thus we march and protest all over the nation and in many other places in the world. There are those who are protesting even today in church to say that black lives matter. That the justice system does not serve and protect our black men, and the lesser knows stories of our black women. I celebrate that this is a new generation that has gotten involved in the protest. One of my biggest fights with my son growing up was around racism. I would point out how racism was still a part of life in America, and he would argue that we live in a different age, where everyone is treated equal. He and other youth that I would talk to would say that the protest of the 60’s were no longer relevant because the world has changed. And now that they are coming of age and seeing the world as it is, they too realize that the world has not changed. Racism is alive and well. And that we still have reason to protest and demonstrate. Every week, it seems that the plot thickens, and we are reminded of just how insidious injustice for black people really is in America. And as the story unfolds – I have more and more questions. Where is the comfort in this situation? What will it take to bring comfort to the hearts and souls of our people? I cant help but to think about the example that Isaiah brings to this situation. We have lived in a world where there is pain, and discomfort for generations. The hearts and souls of the people even in Isaiah’s time was uneasy. So uneasy that God himself spoke up and said give them comfort. As I said, God promises comfort in several different ways. God’s presence, his word, his people. But the whole point of Isaiah is that God’s promises that a leader will rise up with the power to fix the situation. That God has sent comfort in the form of a leader. God says comfort twice, because he knows that not only will his presence make a difference, but that all those who speak on God’s behalf will do God’s work. As I look at the protest, that is my question, where is our leader – who is speaking and doing the work of God. and I wonder, who will take responsibility for the change? Who will repent? I think that in time we have become weary of leadership, and putting our trust in people. Isaiah says that people are like grass, in time we fade away. God is hesed – constant – steadfast- but people are not. But the good news, the comfort for is that God, God’s word, God’s promise can never be taken away. God’s promise is that there will be comfort – in God’s presence, God’s word and the faith of God’s people. A colleague – Rev. Larry Hilkeman would always remind us that God is here, God’s is always present in our pain and suffering. Often it is God who sheds the first tear, before we are even fully aware of what is going on. God is there at the beginning of the situation, and God will be present in the end. As we approach this advent season, we are in the dark. We are not for sure of what the future holds. But we know who holds the future. We are getting our homes, and our community and our church ready to welcome the King of Glory. Last week we said that the best way to prepare was to acknowledge the awesomeness of God. This week we focus on one of God’s primary characteristics. In today’s world it is also God’s most overlooked characteristic. That is God’s righteousness. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com In our protest, in our lifting up the lives of black people, in those who stand in solidarity – the people of the world are not asking for change, they are announcing that a change has come, they have loosed change in the world, and with that loosing – we will all have to change with it. Justice will prevail, because justice is a basic trait of an unchangeable God. When we see the face of God – the only response there is to be like God, and to live in justice. In shalom. When there is justice, there will be peace, and when there is peace for the people, there will be justice amongst the people, and when I live in a world of justice, I have no choice but to have peace. Comfort. I can breathe easy again. Justice starts with the presence of God. God's Treasure Tom Long asks the question in his book Shepherds and Bathrobes: "Have you ever noticed where God placed his treasure on this earth?" The treasure is not gold, but gospel. Not silver, but good news. Not hard, cold cash, but grace, love, and peace. He points out that God could have left it with the politicians, those who are responsible for collecting taxes, building schools, and passing laws, but God didn't. God could have left this treasure with Zechariah, the high priest, but his unbelief took him out of the picture. Tom Long states that God left the treasure in the least likely of places: in the love, care, and nurture of a first century peasant woman chosen as the "handmaiden of the Lord." God's treasure was left with the most powerless figure in the ancient world. Doesn't that tell you something about God's grace in today's world? John A. Stroman, God's Downward Mobility, CSS Publishing Company. This advent we are reminded that God’s appointed leader has already come. Christ is the messiah who comes to change the world. Christ is coming to bring comfort. And as we wait in the world, we have a mission – not to bring comfort – but to speak God’s words of comfort to the people as they move forward. God command us to speak compassionately to the pain. To cry out in the streets, to raise your voice and to shout. Here is the Lord God, coming with strength, with a triumphant art, bringing his reward with him and his payment before him! As the people continue to cry out I cant breathe – God says take a deep breath – you will receive comfort. Let us pray……… God's Special Mission for You Passage: Isaiah 40:1-31 • Lectionary: Advent 2 Item 1 of 2 | Back to Results "... for [God] has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden." (Luke 1:48) You've all heard us speak of Mary in church this Christmas season: do you know what is really so amazing about Mary? (Let them answer) It's not just that she was the mother of Jesus, which is pretty amazing in itself. No, I think the most amazing thing about Mary is that she was such an ordinary person. Mary was just a young teenager when God chose her to be Jesus' mother; in fact, she wasn't much older than some of you. She lived in a small town in a small house with her parents and the rest of her family. Everything about her life was ordinary. The Bible doesn't give any particular reason to explain why Mary was chosen by God. It doesn't say she was especially smart or unusually pretty. It doesn't say she was the bestknown or most popular girl in town. We know she wasn't from a rich or important family; in fact, Mary came from a rather poor and simple family. In other words, Mary was just an average, everyday child ... the kind you play with or go to school with ... a lot like any of us ... a lot like any one of you. Sometimes, we get the wrong idea about the Bible stories we learn in Sunday school. We learn about people like Moses, Samson, Ruth, or Deborah. We hear exciting stories like Daniel in the lion's den or David and Goliath and we think that everyone who does something special for God must be exceptionally strong or brave or bright, and then we think that God couldn't possibly have any use for us since we are all quite ordinary people. Well, the truth is that most of the people in the Bible are not superheroes; most of them are average people like us, with their own strengths and weaknesses. But, it's also true that God had a special mission for every one of them just the same. God's special mission for Mary was to give birth to His only Son, Jesus. He picked an ordinary girl for the job, but Mary had one quality that was very important. She had a spirit which said "yes" when God asked her to do something. What do you think God's special mission is for you? If you imagine that you are God's secret agent, what might your assignment be?