"Comfort Ye My People"

Isaiah 40:1-11

It is impossible to preach on this text without thinking of the great music of Handel's Messiah. After a huge number, with the whole choir and orchestra, suddenly comes a solitary voice singing, almost as if it has, itself, been lost in the wilderness and, now, as the great chorus ends, finally is allowed to step forward: "Comfort ye - comfort ye my people!" Then the melody slowly rises, from a gentle supplication to an earnest demand, and finally to a joyous proclamation of the glory of God: "Every valley shall be filled, and the crooked places made straight . . . and the glory of God shall be revealed!"

The poem describes a prophetic witness - a witness wonderfully captured by Handel. It is a message that every prophet would like to speak, that the judgement of God is complete, that the nation can look forward to a time of prosperity and peace.

That is not a message we hear very much from the prophets. The prophet says that he has been proclaiming the usual message of prophets. "A voice said: 'Proclaim!' And I said, 'What shall I proclaim? That all flesh is grass, and its constancy like the blossom of the field? The grass withers, the blossom fades when the breath of Yahweh blows on them. Surely the people withers, the blossom fades, but the Word of God shall endure forever."

That is the prophet's lot - to proclaim destruction; to proclaim that only God's Word is forever. But then an amazing thing happens! God tells Him, "No! go up to the mountaintop! Lift up your voice! Say to the cities of Judah: 'See, here is your God! See the Lord Yahweh, he comes in strength! . . . Like a shepherd who feeds his flock, who gathers the lambs with His arm, and takes them to His bosom, and leads the nursing ones to rest!'" It is a joyful message, a message full of hope for those who have been beaten down! It is a message full of love, even for the very ones that God must judge. "Even though God must judge you," Isaiah is saying, "still you are His people - His love - His sheep. If He has severely judged you, now He will enfold and lead you."

Enter John the Baptizer. Another time of suffering for God's people. The Romans have beaten them down. Herod is no better. The religious leadership have proven themselves false shepherds, dividing and scattering God's flock. Surely the judgement of God seemed to be against His people. A voice is raised in the wilderness, calling the people to prepare the way. It is a voice of judgement, but also of hope: "There is One coming after me, the thong of whose sandals I am unworthy to untie!" Hearing John, a chill must have raised up the back of his hearers; faint echoes of the "Hallelujah Chorus" could already be heard in the background. God was ready to intervene. A momentous event was about to take place.

"Like a shepherd who feeds his flock, who gathers the lambs with His arm, and takes them to His bosom, and leads the nursing ones to rest." So Jesus came among them. Quietly, unassumingly. As He is baptized by John, the heavens open - but only to Him. He hears the voice - the crowds do not. "Like a shepherd…." They do not hear the voice of their master, nor do they understand.

We have been through some trying times. We worry about what the future holds for us. There is a great sense of expectation in the air. Again, people are expecting judgment to befall us. We hear T.V. preachers calling for people to get their guns out. People are circling the wagons, fearful of attack from unknown assailants. Others will be soon rushing to the mountaintops, looking for signs in the heavens, or even the rapture. The world seems to be caught between fear and anticipation.

Where do we stand in the midst of this? What is the Word of the Lord? As prophets, do we speak a word of judgment? Certainly there is plenty to judge in this nation and in this world! A world where there is both plenty and poverty, a world full of race and class warfare, where many millions of children go to be hungry every night, and millions more die every year of starvation, disease and war. A world that has no moral compass, as pagan and life-denying as it has ever been. There is certainly plenty to judge there!

But maybe this is a time for another kind of message. That although we are unruly sheep, we are still God's sheep. And though He will judge us, He will also deliver us. Perhaps, in a world where there is so much to judge, and so much judgment, we need to hear this alternative message - that God wishes to bless us, to make us His own, to lead us to green pasture. "Like a shepherd . . . ."

While the world awaits the coming year with fear and trembling, the Gospel tells us to look forward with hope and joy. Whatever happens, our God is with us. He is preparing, in the wilderness of this world, a pathway to His kingdom. His kingdom will come. His will shall be done. Hallelujah! And Amen!