"Words of Comfort" - Isaiah 40:1-11 - December 8, 2002

For someone to say to you, "I forgive you," can be the most comforting words a person can hear. When we are forgiven, the walls of tension, the barriers that separate people come tumbling down. Hard feelings cease. Anxiety is replaced with harmony.

God forgave the Israelites who were disobedient and rebelled against God. They were led to the promised land but then starting worshipping other Gods. Their journey consisted of constant events of unfaith but each episode was followed by the intervening power of God. But they continued to turn away from God, neglecting their neighbors. Eventually their blessed kingdom came tumbling down. God, however did not give up on them and here the prophet Isaiah consoles them with these words. "Comfort, comfort my people," said the prophet. "God will pardon you for all your sins."

What better time for us to hear comforting words of forgiveness than during the season of Advent. We are approaching that time of year when we send out Christmas cards, invite relatives and friends to Christmas dinners and parties, and purchase gifts for those we care about. To do these things with a spirit of forgiveness in our hearts will prevent us from ignoring some and banishing others. What a comfort it is, knowing you have wronged someone this year, only to be forgiven during the month of December.

Notice that Isaiah says that God not only forgives, but that God forgives twice. "double for all our sins," it reads. For me, that does away with the idea that I can forgive someone, but no forget. When God says God will forgive sins twice I believe that means that not only are their sins canceled, they are erased. What a real comfort to know our sins are "doubly" forgiven.

A second comforting word from the prophet is in the image of God as a shepherd. "He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young." A tenderhearted and loving God will embrace us and console us.

I have a student who is seven months pregnant. Occasionally she has to leave the classroom to go to the restroom. She is more emotional than the other students and cries under pressure. This past week we had exams and she was feeling overwhelmed and losing confidence in herself. So far she has gotten all A’s. I took some time after class last week to give her a little assurance and empathy. She needed a little shepherding to see her through the week. She expressed what a comfort it was to have a teacher take the time and listen to her.

God is like a shepherd who comforts us all. We live in the protective care of God’s outstretched arms, but we don’t always realize it. The fact that we are conditioned to be self-sufficient prevents us from allowing God to comfort us. I believe we actually resist God’s attempt to console or nurture us. We don’t like to give the impression that we are vulnerable or in need of God’s love. We even reject God’s forgiveness because we really don’t believe God forgives us for our sins.

God will comfort us and like a shepherd and God will protect us. Nevertheless, we can best receive that comfort by preparing the way. It is a two-way street. God comforts and forgives, but God can do much more when we are willing to build a road that God can travel. I believe our lives are stressful because we aren’t willing to remove the obstacles and straighten out the pathways. We cling to old habits and we aren’t willing to take time to "fill in the valleys and lower the mountains."

Recently the southbound lane of interstate 75 between Troy and Dayton has been totally completed and traffic is now using all three lanes. It is wonderful, as there is now an extra lane for all the heavy truck traffic. Finally, there are no more orange barrels and reduced speed limits impeding your journey. Also, the highway is safer. The curves have been made smoother and the exits are wider and longer. The pressure of driving between cement barriers is finally gone. Our trips to Dayton will now be far less stressful.

When the roadways are clear and safe it makes for better traveling. The same is true for our lives. When we remove the obstacles that obstruct our pathways, fill in the low spots and lower the high places, life is simpler and more comfortable. The prophet Isaiah tells his listeners to "prepare the way of the Lord, by making straight in the desert a highway. The valleys shall be lifted up and the mountains and hills made lows." In other words, Isaiah is telling us that we can open ourselves up to the power and grace of God by laying out the red carpet and building pathways which will make God more accessible to us.

Unfortunately, the northbound lane of interstate 75 between Troy and Dayton is not yet opened. There are still orange barrels, concrete barriers and reduced speed limits. The road won’t open until the remaining work is completed. Traveling north is still very frustrating and stressful. The same is true for us when we keep using the same paths. God can’t get through to us because the pathway is blocked.

Even Jesus had someone to pave the way for him. John the Baptist quoted the words of the prophet when he said, "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth." (Luke 3:4-5) In other words in order to receive Jesus, they had to rearrange their lives, open themselves to the coming savior.

Instead of changing we keep traveling the same roads. The hills and curves in our lives are so familiar we resist making new roads. We are so accustomed to familiar paths that we fail to give God a chance to work. When we come upon construction zones we moan and complain, "Those #*!/ barrels again?" That means we have to slow down, be patient and give those who are doing the construction a chance to do their work. It means shifting our short term agendas to the long term agenda of having a wider and safety highway in the future.

Trint was a long distance trucker who frequently traveled I-40 through Tennessee. One night he was on his way to Memphis and a winter storm was making the roadway hazardous. Tired of listening to "On the Road Again," by Willie Nelson, Trint ejected the tape and focused on the snowy road in front of him. Instead of slowing down for orange barrels, Trint had to pull over because of bad weather. He spotted a truck stop and decided to grab a bite to eat and wait and see if the weather would get worse or pass by. He eased his orange rig into an empty parking spot and shut it down.

When Trint reached for his jacket he discovered there was a box on the passenger seat. His mother was worried about Trint spending Christmas all alone on the road. Trint was 25 years old, but his mother still treated him like a kid. It was nearly midnight so he opened the box and found a flannel shirt, heavy socks and heavy gloves, just what he needed in the adverse weather. There were also homemade cookies, fudge and a red stocking with a Santa Claus on it. Inside the stocking was a toy truck, exactly like the one he was driving. His mother must have looked high and low to find such a close match.

Trint went inside the all-nite café. There were about ten other truckers who had also stopped to escape the bad storm. There was also a man, woman and small boy sitting in a booth. They looked tired and forlorn. They were drinking a lot of coffee, apparently trying to stay awake due to a long journey, probably to visit relatives for Christmas.

Trint went to the counter where he was greeted by a cute waitress. "I’ll have biscuits and gray," he said. She responded by saying, "And iced tea with lemon?" She remembered him from other trips. He stood out because he didn’t drink coffee. "I’m surprised you remembered me," Trint said with a smile. "How could I forget those beautiful brown eyes and your country accent?’ she responded. "And you want to be a schoolteacher," Trint replied. "You’re putting yourself through college by working here as a waitress and your name is Melinda." Trint and Melinda were connecting on a really warm level and Melinda offered Trint her telephone number. Trint no longer felt the loneliness of being separated from his family on Christmas eve. This trip on the interstate was becoming one to remember.

The weather was easing and it was time for Trint to get back on the road. With Melinda’s phone number in hand, a hot meal and a warm conversation, he was ready to head out. On his way out of the restaurant he glanced at the little boy sitting with his parents. He knew what he had to do. He went to his truck and grabbed the stocking out of the cab and came back to the café. He walked over to the booth where the family was sitting and said, "I think Santa Claus left this for you." After a nod of approval from his mother, the boy eagerly accepted the gift. "Wow, a big rig just like the one outside!" His smile lit up the room. "Tell Santa, thanks," said the boy’s father.

Trint then returned to the counter and gave the waitress a twenty dollar tip. "He told her to use it to buy some text books. Trint left, feeling really good about himself. A quiet peace filled his heart. Tomorrow he would call home and tell his mother that he had given the toy truck to a little boy on interstate 40. His mother always taught her children to give. He knew she would approve. Trint started up his rig and headed for Memphis. The storm had stopped and the road was like a silver ribbon, reaching into the night. (from Chicken Soup for the Soul, Christmas Treasury)

When we are willing to use the highways of life, giving to others without thinking of ourselves, we have prepared the way for God to work and bless us. That Christmas eve, Trint made a path to a total stranger and what started as a stormy journey was transformed to a trip like heaven on earth.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio