Word to the Wise
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 - 1st Week of Advent - Wed
[Isa 25:6-10a and Matt 15:29-37]On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, joicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces..... [Isaiah] At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.... Then he took the seven leaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satishied. [Matthew]
Many is the mom who has wiped away tears from her child and given a treat to restore injured spirits. The vision of Isaiah is majestic and the Lord's healing and feeding the crowds are easily connected when one remembers that the evangelist consistently presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophetic promises of a Messiah. But the image of mom wiping away tears stays with me. I know I'm not a mom! (Maybe, at my age now, a kind of grandpa!) But in my years of ministry, especially campus ministry, I have had to wipe away many a tear. Maybe it was only by handing the box of kleenex over the table to the tearful student, but it's the first step toward healing. The crying is important because uncried tears are harmful in the long run, but the caring response is what Isaiah and Jesus present to us today. That caring response is the first step to restoring HOPE!
"Rich, juicy food" and bread and fish are given to crowds and nations. But the same kind of healing and hope can come, in this season, from a person to person encounter. It is more than a "better tomorrow," (as helpful as that can be), it is an expression of the love of God mediated by someone who cares and helps with healing. Hope and deliverance can take many forms and tears of hurt and frustration can be wiped away in many ways. The season of Advent offers a special opportunity to "wipe away the tears" and offer food that fills and heals. AMEN