"Finding Comfort" Isaiah 40: 1-11; Mark 1: 1-8

Several thoughts as I listen to Isaiah and think about the arrival of John the Baptist.

1.  Isaiah 40:1 begins with God announcing to the heavenly council -- "Comfort, o comfort my people."  This is God who desires to comfort us so much that Christ will be sent to save us.  The stage for this announcement in Isaiah appears to be a heavenly council.  God giving direction about what God most desires.  God is speaking about Israel, who has betrayed and sinned again and again.

2.  the image of highway is an important one:  "Highways connect people and cultures.  Before looking at Isaiah’s call for a highway in the desert, think about the importance of highways for Israel.  Highways shape Israel’s geopolitics more than almost any other factor, as wealth and power flowed through the ancient highways and trade routes.  The King’s Road, which connected Heliopolis (modern Cairo) to Damascus, literally put Israel on the map as spices, gold, textiles and olive oil flowed through the great caravans.  Unfortunately, armies traveled the highway as well, as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and Rome all coveted the strategic dominance that came with subduing Palestine.  It was a perilous and wondrous journey that traversed the Sinai desert, wound through the ravines of Petra and across mountain ranges, fighting heat, thirst, stubborn camels and bandits along the way."  http://bloomingcactus.typepad.com/about.htmlTodd Weir

3.  Note that God calls the Israelites, indeed calls us, "My people."

4. the heavenly council does not know what to say (40:6-8) because of the infidelity of the Israelites and the expectation that they will sin again.  But, they are instructed to go up on a mountain and shout "here is your God," who "comes with might."

5.  John the Baptist links preparing the way with repentance.

6. Not sure how it fits, but the conversation about traveling the highways reminds me of the movie The Long, Long Trailer starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.  As they travel the highway together all their problems come to the surface and their relationship deteriorates.  Perhaps the climax of the drive is when they find themselves teetering on a narrow mountain pass in large part because Lucille Ball's character has been storing rocks in the cabinets in the trailer.  By the end of the trip, they have driven each other crazy, and then reconciled in a tearful scene of forgiveness.

Do any of you have any good stories about traveling along highways?

What do you think about God desiring to comfort us?

Peace,

Richard