Tag Archives: Isaiah

Isaiah 40:3

I love Christmas. Being a teacher, I usually get three weeks off work, so it’s a great opportunity to relax, unwind – and catch up on all the things I should have done during the busy Christmas term! It’s also a really good opportunity to see family and friends, who I don’t see often enough during the year. Round about the beginning of November, though, I start to get a little grouchy. It seems that all the retailers want us to start thinking about Christmas, but too me it just seems far too early. On 1st November this year, I was trying to enjoy a coffee at Costa – but getting rather worked up as Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas” blared over the sound system. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Elton, but November 1st is too early for Christmas songs. In my opinion, November 30th is too early for Christmas songs!

In today’s verse, we hear the prophet telling people to prepare a way for God in the desert, and to get a road ready in the wilderness. The prophet warns that it is not enough merely to welcome God; it is necessary to make advance preparations. Just as you might tidy the house before relatives come to stay, it is necessary to ensure that all is ready when God arrives.

As we saw in our recent Mark Marathon, John the Baptist quoted this verse when he was heralding the arrival of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. But as we prepare to celebrate his birth, in just a few weeks time, maybe it’s a good opportunity to prepare ourselves for his arrival. Are we living our lives in a way that honours and glorifies him? Do we try and lead and sinful and blameless life? Do we treat our friends – and enemies – in a way that would would approve? Do we spend our money and use our talents in a way that pleases him?

Why not reflect on this in the coming days. Rather than getting bogged down in buying presents and ordering turkeys, just reflect on the idea that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” and ensure that you are ready to celebrate his birth on December 25th.

Isaiah 40:1

Sometimes we all have those patches in our lives when we just feel miserable and unhappy. It might be because a friend or relative has died. It might be because of personal illness. It could be because we’re not happy at work. It might be something as basic as the weather. I know from personal experience it is easy to question our faith, and to wonder where God is in all of this. When I was in my late teens, I went through a period where, although if you had asked me if I was a Christian I would have replied in the affirmative, I really wondered where God was. I now realise that God was there all along, watching over me, caring for me, and hoping desperately that I would talk to him, to tell him how I feel, and to share my burdens with him.

As we approach Christmas and begin to think about the birth of Jesus, it is easy to get caught up in the romance of it all – the birth of a baby in a stable, the visits of the shepherds and the wise men, the star and the donkey. As we’ve recently seen in our Mark Marathon, however, Jesus was much more than just the baby we think about at this time of year. He holds a vital place in the Trinity of God. He was there at creation, he died and rose again to save us from our sin, and he will judge us on judgement day.

One of the reasons why Jesus came to be with his people, though, is to offer them comfort. He came to offer comfort to nations, but he also came to offer comfort to individuals. The gospels are riddled with examples of individual people whom Jesus came alongside and offered them comfort, whether it was healing, forgiveness, or even just friendship. So too he offers us comfort when we are tired and stressed, lonely or upset. He offers us comfort in the here and now, but also in the promise of future hope, that one day we will be with him in a new creation.

So when you do feel in need of comfort, don’t push Jesus away. Tell him how you feel. Tell him your worries and concerns. He does listen. He does love you. And he will offer you comfort.

Isaiah 53:3

I’ve been very fortunate in my life. I’ve always been, for the most part, a happy kind of guy. Yes, there have been the inevitable moments of sadness, such as when my grandparents died, but I’ve always managed to bounce back from these brief periods. I’ve also been very fortunate to have had a wonderful group of friends around me. I have two close friends who I have known forever, and a group of old school friends who I am still very close to, plus the usual work colleagues and people I’ve met through various activities I’ve been involved with. It’s been a pretty good thirty years!

In our current Mark Marathon passage, Jesus challenges Peter to say who he thinks he is. Peter replies that Jesus is the Christ, and he is of course correct in this. He has the wrong understanding of what the Christ is, however. Yesterday, we saw that it is possible to get a picture of an all-powerful messiah from the Old Testament prophecies. What we have today, though, is radically different. Far from the picture of the all-powerful conquering hero, we have a vision of a “man of sorrows,” a man, who unlike me, is all too familiar with sadness. We have the image of a man who was “despised and rejected,” who had few friends he could call upon who were loyal and trustworthy. This prophecy tells us that the messiah was familiar with suffering, was despised, and not held with the esteem he deserved. This is far from the vision of the messiah we saw yesterday, and far from Peter’s view of the messiah.

Both are true, of course. Jesus is all-powerful. He is God. Yet he chose to become like the lowliest of men, and to experience loss, pain and suffering like most of us have never, nor will ever experience.

Why did he do this? He did this for you and me. He did this so that we can be reconciled to his father, to our heavenly father, despite our sin. Never has anyone done as much for me as Jesus has. He died for me on the cross, dying in the most painful way imaginable.

He also experienced the very worst of life here on earth. When we complain to God, he knows how we’re feeling, because he has experienced it – and even more than we have.

Love like that demands a response. We should seek to honour God in all that we do. We should seek to live according to his rules, and to shine as a beacon of God’s love for everyone to all around us.

Isaiah 35:5-6

Buskers on the London Underground have been in the news recently.  All the busking pitches on the Tube are sponsored, and a new deal has just been done with Coca-Cola.  As part of the deal, they’re offering to pay buskers to play their “Holidays are Coming” song.  Some have agreed, recognizing it’s a good way to get some cash, but lots have refused.  Personally, although I don’t like the way that Coke has carved out its own spot in the popular idea of Christmas, I do find myself singing along to their song when the advert with the big, red Coke trucks driving through the winter landscape comes on the television.  It’s a sure fire way of knowing that Christmas is not far off.  “Holidays are Coming” has almost become a signpost for me that Christmas is on its way!

If you were waiting for the Messiah, what would you be waiting for?  Many Jewish people in first century Palestine were waiting for the triumphal arrival of a king, who would liberate his people from the Romans, and restore them to their rightful land.  Today’s Daily Reading provides a signpost as to what people should be expecting from the Messiah.  Most relevantly to our current Mark Marathon passage, this prophecy in Isaiah tells us that “the ears of the deaf [will be] unstopped,” and “the mute tongue [will] shout for joy.”  We get the picture here of a miracle worker, not so much a triumphant leader, but a caring, pastor-like figure, who cares for all his people.

Interestingly, in our Mark Marathon passage, it could well be this passage that comes to mind for the people who witness Jesus curing the deaf, mute man.  Mark tells us that the people were “overwhelmed with amazement” at what Jesus did.  Could it be that they are now starting to wonder if Jesus just night be the promised Messiah?  Could this man who has made such an impression in the region actually be Christ himself?

Isaiah 29:13

I am the proud owner of an iPhone.  It really is an amazing device, and I use it very regularly throughout the day.  When I’m overseas, though, I always turn the data off to prevent huge roaming charges.  The iPhone, though, does, of course, have wifi, which means that if I can find free wifi I can still check my emails, my Facebook account and update my Twitter feed.  My girlfriend got a bit bored of me constantly checking my phone to see if there was wifi, though, so she bought me a fantastic t-shirt which displays if there are wifi networks about.  I have since discovered that it is advisable not to wear it to parties, however, since it seems to attract the party bore over.  I know it’s uncharitable of me to talk that way, but there always seems to be at least one person at most parties with the ability to bore me to tears.  Of course, being the polite kind of guy that I am, I always try to listen diligently and engage them in conversation – even if my heart is not in it, and I’d rather be chatting to an old friend who I’ve just noticed has walked into the room.

Sometimes we can adopt a very similar attitude towards God; we can play the role of the diligent Christian, going to church regularly, socializing with good Christians, doing lots of good deeds, but our heart really isn’t in it.  Now, periods of doubt are not uncommon, and sometimes can even be helpful, but if we find that our faith becomes no more than an outward show for the benefit of those around us, then we risk running into problems.  God, of course, can see what it really on our hearts.  He knows if our ‘faith’ is just talk, and not something that we feel in our hearts.  If we get into that position, then we run the risk of being no better than the hypocrites Jesus encounters in Mark 7, and he has harsh words for them.

Think about your faith today.  Is it a genuine, heartfelt faith?  Or has it become little more than an outward appearance, perhaps because all your friends are Christians.  If you’re struggling, don’t worry because it happens to us all from time to time, but do talk to someone about it.  Why not participate in our discussion forums?  As a community we want to support one another, and we want to help you too.  Don’t forget either that you can always pray.  Even if you don’t feel like God is listening, he is; keep praying, and telling him what you’re feeling.