What possibly could be more needed this Christmas season than the voice of comfort?
Needed. Can all of us admit this year that we are needy? There is no exception. We are not strong. We are not wise. We are broken. We are weak. We cannot fix ourselves, let alone our neighbors, family, friends, country, or world.
God speaks: “Comfort, O comfort My people. Speak kindly to Jerusalem” (Isaiah 40:1). How do we hear this? What does it mean to us and for us? “A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness….”
If you remember the great oratorio by G. F. Handel, entitled Messiah, your memory may bring to you the majestic sound of these words ringing through your head: “Comfort Ye….” “Ye” is the archaic plural pronoun for “you all,” you plural. You are not you singular, but you plural. We are not alone.
It has been hard for me to figure out what to write about that would be of any good to you this December. Personally, I’ve been very sick and haven’t been able to think and hear clearly. Then when I hear the news of violence, death, destruction, and demonic forces, I feel inwardly paralyzed. I cry out to God with the psalmist, “How Long, O Lord?”
And we wait. Isaiah 40 begins with God’s call for us to comfort others and the chapter ends with the encouragement that the Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary, as we do. Instead, He gives strength to the weary. Isaiah 41 expands God’s comfort. II Corinthians 1:3-5 tells us that God is a comforting God who wants us to comfort others in their sorrows with the comfort God gives to us in our troubles. Pass it on.
I want to pass on to you two comforts. The first one is one I wrote years ago. The second one is from a source I want to recommend to you for your long-term encouragement which you then can pass on to others.
Check out the following:
- First is the story of the Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas day in 1863. How would he “hear” Christmas in the middle of the Civil War?
- Second, I connect you to the excellent Bible teacher, Colin Smith of “Open the Bible.” Listen to today’s 20 minute teaching, and then go back and listen to more of his December lessons. He just finished a two part series on weariness. So good. And before that, he tells the story of the first Christmas through the voices of Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Herod! Listen to these on your own. Share them with others. Listen to them together with a gathering of friends or family.
May we hear God’s voice. Jesus, the reason for the season, is our comfort, for He became sin for us (absorbing our sin on the cross), and giving us His own perfections, thus rescuing us from ourselves and giving us new life and hope. The gospel is the comfort of God.
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Always, just what I needed to hear. Your blog is a great comfort to me. Thank you dear friend.
Thank you for your encouragement! I’m so glad that we can support each other all year long. Merry Christmas.
I hope you are feeling better and that you will continue to hear God’s voice. And yes, “Jesus, the reason for the season, is our comfort, . . . ” Merry Christmas!