A Reflection for Monday, December 9, 2024 by Rev. Jennifer Andersson
Lectionary reading for 12/9/2024: Psalm 126; Isaiah 40:1-11; Romans 8:22-25
Selected passage for reflection: Isaiah 40:1-11
Read
Isaiah 40:1-11 MSG
Prepare for God’s Arrival
“Comfort, oh comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem, but also make it very clear that she has served her sentence, that her sin is taken care of - forgiven! She’s been punished enough and more than enough, and now it’s over and done with.”
Thunder in the desert! “Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God. Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks. Then God’s bright glory will shine and everyone will see it. Yes. Just as God has said.”
A voice says, “Shout!” I said, “What shall I shout?” “These people are nothing but grass, their love fragile as wildflowers. The grass withers, the wildflowers fade, if God so much as puffs on them. Aren’t these people just so much grass? True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade, but our God’s Word stands firm and forever.”
Climb a high mountain, Zion. You’re the preacher of good news. Raise you voice. Make it good and loud, Jerusalem. You’re the preacher of good news.
Reflect
I love the season of Advent and all that it can hold in the waiting and seeking of the anticipated Light. Isaiah 40 may be a familiar passage to you. It is often referred to during this season as an indication of how far in advance Jesus’ arrival was foretold as the Word Made Flesh. It also gives us encouragement of how we can prepare the way for the birth of Love and Hope. Perhaps you have sat with these words before as a way to prepare your heart to celebrate the arrival of Good News with Great Joy in your life and heart?
For me, this year, full disclosure…I am weary, worn out, burnt out on religion (Matthew 11:28). As the collective “us” of humanity, there is reason to feel such things. Look around and within. You can find Lament. Anger. Negativity. Divisiveness. War. Pain. Vitriol. Grief. Fear. Apathy. Numbness. As I read these verses this year, in this season, in the current climate of my heart and the world around me, I am especially drawn to the very first words Isaiah offers, “Comfort, oh comfort my people. Speak softly and tenderly.” We can often rush ourselves past that, believing we need to hurry to the Shout! Make straight and smooth! Fill in! Level off! Shout! This year, I hear an invitation to stay with Comfort and Speak softly and tenderly for as long as I need. I will most certainly encounter the Spirit there. It is from that place that my weary heart can learn what it is for me this year to shout, make smooth, and fill in, in the Spirit’s time, for me.
Respond
Take a long inhale through your nose. Exhale with equal care through your mouth. Repeat as many times as you need until you sense your own spirit acknowledging the Spirit of the Word Made Flesh.
Now ask your spirit, “How do you come today?” Be honest.
Next, read the passage again. Slowly. Stay in the spirit in which you come. Pause when prompted and ask yourself –
What in me needs comfort? Who in my life also needs comfort?
Who/what within me needs to hear, Your sins are forgiven. You’ve been punished enough.
What in me needs the care and attention of the Spirit?
What needs to be smoothed? Cleared out? Leveled off? Filled in? And how?
Who/What within and around me needs to be allowed to wither and fade because it does not give life? What is the Word Made Flesh offering to heal?
And what is the Good News you need right now?
Rest
Gracious and present Word, thank you that you have arrived in the flesh in new ways to me today, right where I am, however I am. Comfort. Guide. Help me to hear your words for me this day. May I sense our presence with one another in a way that offers healing. With your help, I will prepare a way for you to be welcomed, and find a renewed home in me, this day. Amen.
About the Author
In her work life, Jennifer finds expression as a spiritual director, retreat leader, pastor, clinical social worker, advocate, and most especially, beloved child of God. In April of 2023, Jennifer opened the “doors” of Journey Center of Michigan to make space for meeting people where they are on their spiritual journey, especially for those who don’t or can’t find expression in traditional settings. Through it all, she loves to discover and expand her understanding and experience of God through
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