Tuesday, 2nd Week of Advent
December 6, 2022
Isaiah 40:1-11; Matthew 18:12-14
Comfort…Tenderly proclaim…Fear not…Leading with care. These are amazingly beautiful words today from the prophet Isaiah, words of God spoken thousands of years ago to his chosen people. What was spoken to the many back then is now spoken to each of us today.
Will we spend some time taking all this in? What comfort will God offer you this Advent? What is he saying, tenderly, to you in your heart? Are we quiet enough to hear him? What fears does he want to remove from our lives?
Where is he leading you? Will you follow?
I am reminded of my favorite pope, John Paul I, and his assertion that God is not so much surprised by our faith because he has left so many signs of his presence that it is foolish not to believe; that God is not so surprised by our love, for he has given us hearts of flesh, not stone, so we are naturally made to love; but God is amazed by our hope! Yes, we are a people of hope, especially in Advent!
We hope to experience God’s promised peace even though we are surrounded by turmoil. We hope in those subtle, almost silent, ways that God is tenderly speaking to us. We hope that he will welcome that one lost sheep — you and me — when it returns. Most of all, we hope for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, into the world this year in powerful ways.
It is because of this hope in the promised Messiah — Jesus — that we carry on, and see in every circumstance of our lives the unfolding of God’s will. God does will every moment of our lives. Nothing escapes him. He makes all things new. He redeems every moment. He is always present.
There is the reason for our hope! God has been with us, is now with us, and will always be with us. Our hope is in God and in his Son, Jesus Christ.
O God, who speaks words of comfort, tenderness, peace, and presence, send us your Son. Speak now your words of comfort. Proclaim tenderly to our wounded souls your words of truth. Give us the peace we so much desire. Lead us carefully and welcome us now as we wait in hope. Amen!
