Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
[Isaiah 40:1-11 and Matthew 18:12-14]A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley........
I am an unabashed fan of Handel's oratorio, THE MESSIAH! And the part I love the most contains the words of Isaiah in today's first scripture! Of course Handel had the King James Version of those words, which make them seem even more majestic, especially when matched with the incredible music and vocal parts. In listening to this glorious music I think I somehow experience the comfort that Isaiah sought to give to the exiles returning from Babylon. In fact, this part of Isaiah (Ch. 40-55) is often called "the book of comfort." What can one say to someone who is returning to a place or situation that was once home and is now completely gone? What comfort can be offered that will help a life "rebuild" or at least have hope for the future? The average peasant in Israel at the time of Jesus was subject to terrible taxation and to the tactics of an occupying military. Most of them were on a day to day survival basis. Such conditions gave rise to any number of "Messiah wannabe's" who got people riled up and then got crushed by the Roman army. There was also the Messiah of faith but scripture scholars tell us that this faith was not united around a single expectation. Different groups had different hopes. Yet, Isaiah seems to transcend time and speak to us all. We long for a time when we can put aside all conflict and enmity. Preparing the way of the Lord is part of the task of Advent. Any hope we can give to someone helps to get that path straightened! AMEN
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