Opening Prayer
Lord, open our ears, that we may hear the chastisement and comfort of Your Word. Amen.
Text: Isaiah 40:1-5
“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” says your God. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Devotion
Israel, your God is great in mercy. By your sins you deserve His wrath, and He gives you – His only-begotten Son: double grace for all your sins. “Comfort, comfort My people,” He says. They are punished and beaten enough. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, speak words of comfort deep, deep into their hearts. Let them hear that for their abundant sin My grace is even more abundant, so that just as sin reigned in death, even so grace shall reign through righteousness to eternal life through Christ Jesus (Rom 5:21).
The only reason the Lord strikes you with troubles and chastens you with sharp words of the voice in the wilderness calling to repentance is so that you will receive this glorious grace. “Every valley shall be exalted,” that is: The heart sunk down in the misery of worldliness and unspiritualness, the soul humbled in ignorance and difficulty or captive to doubt and forsakenness will be lifted up and get to see what is true and eternal and bright. “Every mountain and hill shall be made low,” that is: The high and proud shall be humble, the great become small and lowly in themselves. “The crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth.” Truth and uprightness shall take away lying, hypocrisy, and self-righteousness. In other words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat 3:2; Mar 1:15). Wake up and feel your misery. Confess your sin with remorse and sorrow and humble yourself before the Lord. Whoever hears the first John, the wilderness preacher calling to repentance, will also hear the second John, the son of thunder (Mar 3:17), with the mightier message of grace, which says: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, – and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, – full of grace and truth… And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Joh 1:14-17). Blessed sermon of repentance that opens our ears to this Gospel of life! Now I can ponder these words and I will ponder them in the depths of my heart: “Your iniquity is pardoned; for you have received from the Lord’s hand double for all your sins.”
Closing Prayer
Grant us, O God, humble, simple, believing hearts. Give us grace to hear Your Word of chastisement and Your Word of comfort. Let us feel the power in what Your mouth speaks. Amen.
Hymn
Prepare the way before Him;
Prepare for Him the best.
Cast out whate’er offendeth
This great, this heavenly Guest.
Make straight, make plain the way:
The lowly valleys raising,
The heights of pride abasing,
His path all even lay.
The humble heart and lowly
God lifteth up on high;
Beneath His feet in anguish
The haughty soul shall lie.
The heart, sincere and right,
That heeds God’s invitation
And makes true preparation,
It is the Lord’s delight.
Prepare my heart, Lord Jesus,
Turn not from me aside,
And grant that I receive Thee
This blessed Advent-tide.
From stall and manger low
Come Thou to dwell within me;
Loud praises will I sing Thee
And forth Thy glory show.
Thilo: Mit Ernst, O Menschenkinder L 121:2-4 TLH 75 tr. A. T. Russell;
tune: Aus meines Herzens Grunde (ELH 105); alternate hymn: Rise, children of the kingdom ELH 105