Dec. 10-Is 40,marks a shift in the book of Isaiah. solvang That the LORD's coming is comfort, not withering judgment, is clear in the transformation of the wilderness and desert: "Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain" (verse 4).
God is creating a new future. Just as the conclusion of a prison term does not, by itself, result in a better tomorrow, the end of the Babylonian period does not ensure that what lies ahead will be any different for the exiles. But for their sake, God chooses to be involved in that future. The deepest comfort and greatest joy is the power of God at work in their midst, providing, protecting and guiding them with gentleness (verses 10-11).
Ps 85,Tanner-The image is of a world transformed by God's forgiveness. What if for just one Sunday, we could see and believe the power of God's forgiveness? Could we imagine the world as it should be when God sets it back in place? What if as we hear the words of assurance, the heavens open and we see the glory of God? Would we listen the warning and change our world? See Clinton McCann iron fist or velvet glove to arrange this vision? Science fiction? Instead of imagining utopia of late, we imagine dystopias of things falling apart, of chaos, of evil ascendant.
Return (repent) restore, redeem, revive
In the psalm's closing verses, God's attributes of steadfast love and faithfulness, righteousness and peace are anthropomorphized as tangible forces that act at God's behest and on the people's behalf. The poem portrays these rather abstract qualities of God as concrete realities that embody "God's benefits" for the people. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet. Righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground like the first flower of spring. Righteousness looks down like the sun from the heavens. The psalm poetically promises that these abstract qualities of the Creator are, in fact, as real as the more obviously tangible material creations that surround us. Within creation, God's love is really present and incarnate for us in God's faithfulness, steadfast love, righteousness, and peace.Jacobsen It is a good practice to notice and mark progress.
2 Peter 3:8-are we there yet?Life during the time of waiting for the end is to be lived in light of the good future. Since what is coming is a creation cleansed of sin--"new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwell" (3:13)--now is a time for believers to live what will be. Earlier in the letter, Peter gives a prescription for how to live for the future: "make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with sisterly and brotherly kindness, and such kindness with love." (1:5-7).Peter sees an inextricable connection between expectation of the advent of Christ and purity of life.Jervis
- Mark 1-Pres. Outlook What does repentance mean in our current context? Is it too churchy a word to have meaning for contemporary people? How would you define repentance?
Have you spent time in the wilderness literally? Metaphorically? Was it a place of transformation or fear or something else?What do you need to do to prepare a way for the Lord? What about in your church? Community? I bet some here have done a good bit of christmas shopping already. I wonder how many of us have done one act, spent just a few seconds, in spiritual discipline and preparation for this season?
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