Comfort, Comfort Ye My People (v. 1)

Johann Olearius, 1611-84, tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827-78

“Comfort, comfort ye My people,

Speak ye peace,” thus saith our God.

“Comfort those who sit in darkness,

Mourning ‘neath their sorrows’ load.

Speak ye to Jerusalem                                      Jerusalem – the capital of Israel, and symbolic of all God’s people.

Of the peace that waits for them;

Tell her that her sins I cover                             her – Jerusalem, a.k.a. God’s people.

And her warfare now is over.”

               For years Isaiah’s message to God’s people was mostly sin and judgement. He warned them that God was going to send them into exile to Babylon because of their idolatry and disobedience. Now Babylon is on the doorstep. The situation is dark, but then God speaks through Isaiah, “Comfort!” The word is a command. “Comfort my people!” (See Isaiah 40.)

               We live in a time of turmoil. Anxiety and depression are at all-time highs. People are stressed out. There is so much conflict in the world, in our political systems, and (too often) even in our families. We are people who experience all the brokenness of life. Into that brokenness, however, God speaks, “Comfort!” We may be bearing a sorrowful load of life’s problems, but God speaks peace. This peace is rooted in the forgiveness of sins – sins that God covers up.

               God says that the warfare is over. What warfare is this? It is the conflict between we sinful humans and our Creator. The warfare is a result of our rebellion, and God declares that it is done. That declaration comes to us as Jesus cries out from the cross, “It is finished!” God has made peace with us through Jesus – the Savior whose birth we celebrate.

Prayer

               O God, You command that a message of comfort would be preached to Your people. You have comforted us by forgiving our sins. Long ago you promises this comfort to us, and you have kept your promise through Jesus’ death and resurrection. We praise you and ask that You would fill our hearts and minds with Your peace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Historically Advent was a time of fasting, and, in some traditions was 40 days long just like Lent. It is intended to be a time of preparation and repentance. One of the days that Christians have traditionally fasted is Friday, the day the Lord was crucified. I encourage you to consider today if it might be good for you to fast tomorrow.

I like to encourage a twenty-four hour fast, especially for those who have never fasted. In this model, you would eat dinner tonight and then forego food until tomorrow's dinner. If that seems like too much, one could simply skip breakfast or lunch. If you experience hunger in that time, let that feeling of want or need direct you to prayer and consider how deep your want of God's love and grace is. If you usually go out for lunch, or buy a coffee on the way to work, maybe forego that and donate the funds you would have spent to charity.

In any case, remember that fasting is for you. It is not something you should talk about unless it is necessary or beneficial. It is between you and God. It is very tempting, when doing something difficult, to want others to know. It is enough that the Lord knows. Be at peace in His love.

Many people think that the hard part of fasting is hunger. It is not, especially in a short fast like this. The work of fasting is in your mind, heart, and spirit, and much less in your body. Fasting forces us to confront our attitudes, our desires, our egos, and it often pulls out the worst in us. This is beneficial, because it helps us to confess our need for Jesus' salvation and the Spirit's continuous work within us as He shapes us to be more Christ-like.

I hope that you will give this a try and use this ancient tool to focus your thoughts and prayers on Jesus' coming - as we prepare for the celebration of His birth, and as we watch for Him to come again.

May the Spirit of Jesus be upon us all!