Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Isaiah 40:1-2 "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" says your God. "Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins..."
THE PREACHER'S ADVENT MESSAGE: PROCLAIMS THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT
True peace and comfort is embodied in God's free gift wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in Bethlehem's lowly manger. In that Christmas gospel is forgiveness for the sorrowful, encouragement for the fearful, superhuman strength for earth-bound mortals. A certain kind of comfort can be found in secular counseling services, in offices and methods of human psychiatry and psychology. But no comfort can match that which poor sinners receive from hearing that Jesus came into this "world of misery" that He might give Himself a ransom, a sin-payment, for our sins.
The forgiveness He won need not be--cannot be--bought or sold. No gift money can buy on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or any other day of the year, can afford sinners true comfort. Think of it: whatever sinners experience as a consequence of their sin is replaced "double"--two-fold--from the unfailing storehouse of God's rich grace and mercy in His Son, Jesus, the true Friend of sinners.
As writes the apostle Paul: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God..." (2 Corinthians 1:3f).
The same apostle Paul writes to the Roman Christians, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things..." (10:11f).
And so we sing:
How beauteous are their feet Who stand on Zion's hill;
Who bring salvation on their tongues And words of peace reveal!
How charming is their voice! How sweet their tidings are!
"Zion, behold thy Savior-King; He reigns and triumphs here."
How happy are the ears That hear this joyful sound,
Which kings and prophets waited for, And sought, but never found.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 487:1-3)
