Comfort when Comfort is Hard to Find
December 11, 2011 | Patrick Preheim | Isaiah 40:1-11

Handel’s Messiah is a drug, and in that respect many of us are drug addicts. Clearly we could be using a more toxic substance at Christmas time (like a Dean Martin Christmas album), but the truth of the matter is that we feel better when we hear the Christmas cycle of The Messiah. And feeling better is what many of us crave. At men’s breakfast this past Wednesday I asked the faithful if they thought there were people in our congregation who struggle at Christmastime. “More than we would like to think”, was the response. I find it true of myself. I don’t mind the cold; I don’t mind the dark; I don’t mind snow and ice. What gets me at this time of year is the intensity. I am bombarded with advertisement of things I am told Patty wants, but things I believe she does not need. I enjoy people and parties, but it all gets a bit overwhelming. I like family, or at least Patty’s family, but it is impossible to be a part of every family gathering in this season. I want to be a good husband, a good pastor, a good son but the expectations wear on me. And these are relatively minor challenges.

• There are those who are deal with serious estrangement in their families.
• There are those suffering in body, mind or spirit. Some may die this holiday season.
• The finances of some are touch and go. High rents and low end jobs make it difficult to celebrate Christmas in the consumeristic fashion we are told is normal.
• Or how about the children and youth who use programs at EGADZ, CHEP, or The Bridge on 20th during Christmas time—how does Advent look from these windows? Hostility continues in the Middle East; Civil War in the Congo is a very real possibility; Afghanistan--- well what can we say about Afghanistan? I think you see what I am saying. There is much discomfort in our world at this time.

In summary, many people simply do not understand the meaning of “comfort, comfort my people”. The overwhelming burdens of life circumvent the hope found in most of Isaiah chapter 40. I actually don’t think the prophet Isaiah gets it. There is discomfort in our world and also discomfort in the text.

Take, for example, the “voices” and speakers in chapter 40. Isaiah, for whom the book is named, doesn’t say much in chapter 40. In, fact with the exception of just a few lines the Prophet remains silent. I don’t think Isaiah comprehends the term “comfort” in chapter 40.

• 40.1-2: It is God who speaks comfort.
• 40.3-5: It is a voice which cries out—a voice many agree belongs to a heavenly chorus.
• 40.6a: This celestial voice tells the prophet to join in the cry.
• Finally in 40.6b the prophet claims his voice; he speaks in “I” terms. In a confused and exasperated tone the prophet responds: Cry out!? What shall I cry? The people have been torched like dried grass. The cities have been demolished. Good people have been exiled to Babylon. We prophets know that your word, oh Lord, does not change. You want me to continue with the judgments against your people when they have nothing?? You can’t possibly want me to cry out. The prophet simply can not imagine anything but the bleak reality which he has helped bring about. After this tirade the voice of the prophet goes quiet once more.
• In 40.9-11 Zion and Jerusalem are commissioned to be the herald of good tidings, probably because the prophet has gone silent.
• In 40.12 the Lord resumes speaking and continues until the end of the chapter. Why do we lose our voice of hope? Why has the Prophet lost his voice?

Silence from God breeds discomfort. There is, at minimum, 86 years between God’s message in Isaiah 39 and God’s word in Isaiah 40. And you think it has been a while since God spoke to you?? I get this number 86 from some basic math. The reign of King Hezekiah (mentioned in Isaiah 39) ended in 686 BCE. Cyrus, who is a key player in the restoration theme and mentioned in chapter 45, was born around the year 600 BCE. For 86 years Isaiah and those apart of his literary school had gone without a word from the Lord. It is troubling when God does not speak.

Not only has it been a while since the Lord has spoken, but the last message received was destruction and deportation. For 86 years the prophetic school has been ruminating on the displeasure of God. The word of comfort in chapter 40 stands in such disjunction from the judgement of chapter 39 Isaiah maybe even questioned the authenticity of the voice. The God of chapter 40 is not the Lord he has known. Even in our world some people have been raised with images of a punitive God devoid of mercy. Hearing and singing and praying to a judgemental God shapes how a person is able to receive restoration. For 86 years the diet of Isaiah has been righteous indignation. It is no wonder the Prophet lost his voice at this God’s new tone. It causes discomfort when God changes his tune.

Also, the situation on the ground was so different than the vision of Isaiah 40 one can understand the disconnect. For example, the levelling of hills and filling in of valleys which the voice predicts as preparation for a royal visit were not likely to happen in the back-water occupied colony of Judah. Or take the cities of Judah mentioned in 40.9—following the deportation to Babylon those cities would have been razed, allowed to rebuild in limited fashion, and anything but a herald of good tidings. The vision is so different from the reality of the prophet that it takes his voice away. Sometimes, reality does that to us. We can’t see a new vision because our burdens so weigh us down. It causes discomfort to be shown a hope so radically different from what we are experiencing.

But there is comfort in our text and comfort in our world. God does not let our pouting, or our shock, or our weak faith to stop what is the divine will. God will restore land. God will return the exiles. God will build up the broken cities. God will do this whether Isaiah gets on board or not. In due chapters, Isaiah, is able to embrace the new vision the Lord places before the people. He undergoes a type of transformation.
Isaiah undergoes a theological shift. He begins to understand that it is the righteousness of God to restore a people who have atoned for their sins. It is the justice of God to restore the broken. God says these ought to be given a new life, and Isaiah finally gets on board with this understanding of God. And it frees him.
Isaiah is transformed, in part, on account God’s mobilizing of support for him. The synapses in the prophet’s brain do not allow him to join God’s choir in Isaiah 40, but God does not abandon him. God does just the opposite. God orchestrates a collection of voices to carry the Prophet along until he can turn the corner. God himself speaks; a voice cries out; Zion and Jerusalem herald new tidings; nature testifies. These additional voices are crucial for Isaiah’s restoration.
Of this support, the voice of nature stands out in Isaiah 40. Like in the book of Job, the Lord references creation to help a human gain a bigger perspective. Our scripture text for today ended at verse 11. If we were to continue reading Isaiah 40 we would hear statements and questions about the depth of the seas, the breadth of the heavens, the enormity of the mountains, the brevity of the nations. The Lord asks: “To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal?...Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?” (v.25-26). Isaiah 40, Job 40, and other biblical texts testify that creation has the power to broaden our heal our vision.

These textual notes are good news for us when we or our loved ones are finding more discomfort than comfort in this season. They point us in a direction that may bring us restoration. In the midst of the world’s discomfort how does God bring a bit of comfort?

God offers a model of restoring justice which may easy family tensions. If forgiveness is an issue within the family let us look to the atoning gift of Jesus Christ. In some mysterious or symbolic way Jesus accepts the sins of the world. This is good news. No, it is great news. We do not need to hold the resentments caused by conflicts past—we can leave these at Calvary. We do not need to hold the impossible expectations of others—we can also leave these at Calvary. We can choose to be at peace with others, pray for those in need of peace, and become instruments of peace. Theology can make a difference in our homes. In this season let us remember that Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again for all humanity—even that prickly person who makes holidays hard.

God offers a model of restoring the bruised and broken prophets among us. Some are so overwhelmed or burdened that they lose their voice, or they are only able to voice despair. Isaiah 40 invites a collection of witnesses to surround the depressed prophets until they regain their balance. No one person supports such people alone—not God, not the celestial voices, not creation, not the cities. Let us do what we can, not more for wounded among. Christ came in ministry to those suffering in body, mind, and spirit. Let us lend our voice to his.

God offers us a time frame to be at peace with small victories. Sometimes we expect conditions to improve quite rapidly. Even after the visions of Isaiah 40, however, it takes decades before the temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt. We can settle in for the long haul. It is not our program; it is the restoration God is working and it will be accomplished in God’s time. We do what we can in our families, in our communities, in the world—but in the end it is God’s ultimate task. If you struggle with this long view take some time walking or skiing in creation this Christmas season. In nature you will find a testimony to the eternal God who makes things right over generations. God calls upon nature to testify to the likes of Isaiah and Job. We, too, benefit from these reminders of God’s eternal craft.

God offers us hope for those facing their mortality and the people who love them. The gift of the Jesus is also an opportunity to affirm that Christ becomes Lord of the living and the dead. We may die, but we are not forsaken. We are not lost to God, our families, or our faith communities. This is one of the gifts Christ offers us, and it is right to celebrate this dimension of Jesus at Christmas time.

God offers us these comforting reminders in our worship. You will not find this kind of comfort in the advertisements or the product they push. You will not find at the bottom of turkey roaster. You will not find it in trying to fulfill every expectation of every person this holiday season. Rather, you will find this kind of comfort where the people of God gather to sing, pray, and here the prophecies of old.

I have tugged the text apart in an effort to equip the saints, us, for this Christmas season. You have been patient if nothing else. Now it is time to hear the proclamation in song. In God and Christ the impossible will be accomplished. Every low spot will be raised and every rough place made smooth. It will happen because the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Amen.