2014 - Advent Reflection: Isaiah

“Give comfort to my people, says your God.”

When I think about the prophet Isaiah’s Advent words, my memory often conjures up powerful proclamations: calls for conversion and stunning descriptions of the end times.

But, in praying with Isaiah’s words at the start of this Advent, I realized that, mixed in with these striking and sometimes arresting images, are Isaiah’s deeply comforting Advent images of God: the shepherd who gathers lambs; the potter who shapes us, the clay; a God who makes justice spring up in every land and every nation;a God who gives us an only son, Emmanuel, so that God may be with us always.

These images must have offered great peace to the Israelites in exile who initially heard them; indeed, they bring me comfort and peace in the midst of a weary world today.

As we go about our Advent preparations, may we take Isaiah’s comforting words to heart, and may we find abundant ways to share this comfort with our community: Who are the people in my life in greatest need of a message of peace and hope in these days?

How can I reveal God’s comfort, joy, and love with my actions and words this Advent?

Prayer

God, our Comforter, fill us with the light of your love: a love that called the world out of darkness, a love from which nothing can separate us. May we never fear to reach out to others in need of your love all around us. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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