We all have certain things in life that provide us with a sense of comfort when we feel stressed out or feel we need a bit of solace.  Food is one thing that probably provides a kind of comfort for all of us in one way or another. There are some comfort foods I simply love – like the brie and lobster grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread at River House in Williamston. I could relish eating that sandwich every single day. As I savor the flavors of the soft, warm brie and the tender pieces of delicious lobster meat, each luscious bite provides a feeling of wellbeing and comfort. Sitting downstairs in our family room with a fire burning in the fireplace on a cold snowy evening, while at the same time reading a book and having a glass of wine, is another experience that provides a stress relieving sense of comfort for me.

We are presently experiencing some very stress-filled, grief laden, anxiety producing days. And, as we look at Isaiah’s words to us on this day, they provide us with an experience of comfort that is truly gift as we hear, “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.”  When I initially read these words, I felt them in a deep, even guttural way, as they touched my very soul.  They are words I needed to hear. It was truly soothing to receive this word and experience a feeling of comfort that deeply touched my spirit, even to the point that I began to breath more deeply. Reading these words also made me very aware of the depth of my own discomfort and dis-ease and, quite likely, these words may also make you aware of the depth of your discomfort and dis-ease in this present time.

This first reading comes from second Isaiah when the prophet was speaking and writing to people who were living in exile in Babylon.  In 586 BCE, the Jerusalem Temple had been destroyed, the people had been taken captive, then led away to exile in Babylon.  Isaiah is speaking to people who have been living in exile. And, I have no doubt that part of their exile experience included living with abusive, harsh, weaponized, hurtful, and critical language. So, Isaiah’s tender words must have been like a healing balm for the people.  You see, words really do matter.  Words shape us and mold us, for better or worse!  Words can be hurtful, damaging, and injurious, or they can be healing, life-giving and comforting.

This whole passage is a kind of embrace. It begins with words of comfort and ends with the image of a “mighty God.”  However, the “mighty God” image is not that of a mighty warrior, not one of a returning hero, but rather the image of a caring, tender shepherd.  Isaiah speaks of a shepherd feeding and leading his flock, gathering lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and gently leading the mother sheep.

I ask you, as we are honest about the dis-comfort and dis-ease we have been experiencing, what better image is there than that of a God who embraces you, takes you up and holds you close in God’s very arms, whispers in your ear that you are loved, and says, “It’s going to be ok!”  This is an image of the very arms of God pulling her children close, pulling each one of you close! Yes, there is so much discomfort in our hearts these days, both individually and collectively.  There is discomfort because of the abusive, harsh, hateful, weaponized rhetoric that has been hitting us like bullets for the past few years; discomfort because of this pandemic; discomfort, distress and grief because so many people are dying; discomfort and hardship because millions of people are out of work; discomfort and anguish because millions will likely be losing their homes; and, discomfort and suffering because millions of people are food insecure and that number is growing on a daily basis.  So many voices, so many needs, so much pain, so much death, so much sickness – and sometimes you just need to be hugged!  You don’t need too many words, just a presence, a touch.  At a time when we are unable to be such a physical presence to one another because of this pandemic, these words today seem to provide that needed touch. They are a healing, life-giving hug from a loving God as God holds us and says, “Everything will be all right.”  For each one of you who might need an embrace because everything seems just so challenging right now, I encourage you to take a moment and picture yourself being taken into God’s loving arms and held close to God’s bosom as God offers you words of comfort saying, “It’s going to be ok!” This God in whom we trust truly does comfort the afflicted.

As we look again at our reading from Isaiah, we discover there is more, something else that is very important for us to understand.  In the middle of the passage between words of comfort and the tender image of being carried in the bosom of God, we are given things to do and things to be about. Yes, right in the middle of this passage we receive words that truly speak to my heart and my passions.  Right in the middle of this lovely reading come words that, to me, are thrilling when we hear:

A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  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.  Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.

Friends, you see, we are comforted and spoken tenderly to so that we can be about the business of comforting others!  We are comforted so that we can be about the business of leveling the playing field and creating access for every beloved child of God who yearns to be safe, who yearns to make a living, who yearns to be educated, who yearns for a job, who yearns to provide food on the family table, who yearns and struggles with the dis-ease of economic blight, who yearns to just have enough but instead wakes up every day with the discomfort of poverty and dead ends and mountains too high to climb.

Inspiring, motivational speakers are always telling our young people, “Anything you want to become you can become, if you work hard enough.” Now, I am all for individual responsibility and hard work, and there are stories of remarkable triumphs out of the depth of despair and depravity – but, we have to be realistic and understand that, generally speaking, this kind of encouragement is patently false.  It is false because, for far too many people in our culture and our world, the decks are stacked against them, the valleys are far too deep, the mountains are far too high, the ghettos are far too rough, and the playing field is so unevenly tipped towards those who have money, influence, connections, power, the right gender and race. This is true and the exceptions only prove the rule.

So, today, we hear Isaiah’s voice come to us resounding through the ages saying, “YOU – the so-called beloved community – you prepare the way of the Lord!” And it is of profound importance that you understand the arrangement of these verses. For only after the highway is made straight, and the valleys are lifted up, and the mountains are made low, and the uneven ground is leveled and the rough places are made a plain… only after the way is prepared will the glory of the Lord be revealed, and then the people will see!  You see, when we have joined God in building the beloved community – the presence of the Lord will be self-evident to everyone!

Friends, as we wait for God’s coming, for the birth of the Christ child, we do not wait passively!  We wait while actively participating in God’s living, creative, redeeming Word. Too often we passively wait instead of actively participate in God’s call to work for change in people’s lives and in our culture. Advent is a time to face our discomfort, to turn around and turn back to God and, as we wait, participate in the coming of God’s living, creative Word to the world. Friends, God works through us to change peoples’ lives, to change culture, and to make all things new. As we actively bear God’s creative and redeeming Word, we go to the places where people languish, we do the work of leveling the playing fields, sharing the abundance, and occupying the rough places with words and acts of hope, of equity, of fairness, of love, and of justice.  And, as we prepare the way for the coming of our Lord, we point to not just the Christ child, but the universal risen Christ as we lift our voices, proclaiming good tidings of hope and comfort, saying, “Here is your God!”