“Leaves of Grass” Isaiah 30:15; 40:1-11; 27-31  12/4/11

Possibly no Bible chapter has exerted a greater influence on the world’s leaders.  Handel begins his “Messiah” with “Comfort ye.”  Luther poured over these words in the castle in Salzburg.  Oliver Cromwell looked to it in his tough times. Daniel Webster went to these words again and again in his times of despair. Tennyson called it one of the great classics of the Old Testament. 

¹ Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. ² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. ³ A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in he desert a highway for our God. ⁴ Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” ⁶ A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. ⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. ⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” ⁹ You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” ¹⁰ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. ¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Is. 40:1-11)

Last Thursday night Kay and I were running full tilt trying to get to the LMPC Adult Christmas gathering.  Kay had fixed someone who had surgery a dish and we waited for it to finish (did you know that a watched pot never boils?). Then we ran it over there- and we were later than we wanted to be.  We got on the interstate at the Peak exit and at the stop sign we headed on the on ramp- but in the wrong direction.  We were supposed to head northwest toward Prosperity, but we were headed toward Harbisson and Columbia.  I would like to think that the car has an automatic pilot headed toward the Harbisson shops in December, but I’m afraid I can’t blame it on the car.  I can’t blame It on Kay because I didn’t even notice anything was wrong . We added another 17 minutes to our being behind.  In reality it didn’t matter too much.  We got there in time to sing some carols and read the Christmas story and have the blessing- it was great.  But boy for about 30 minutes we sure thought we were in the dog house because we were so late.  In our passage in Isaiah- it speaks of comfort, peace and joy- tidings of comfort and joy- really.  In this busy, exciting, stressful season, I wanted to remind us of where is the stuff you can count on, where our comfort lies, and what kind of comfort Jesus offers.
Millions- billions are looking for comfort.  We are looking for comfort physically.  We are in the days where we turn the heat on in the morning and the air conditioning on in the afternoon and then the heat back on at night.  In some ways, we have more comfort than any other people in the history of the world, but many are still not satisfied.  Mentally- educationally we are looking for comfort.  So we look to the “experts.”  With the internet, we have more knowledge readily available to more people than ever before.  But for people who are so smart, we are one of the saddest-most depressed people ever.  We are looking for comfort spiritually.  Many who have left the faith are turning to some kind of faith- there is a spiritual unrest. Many are going from one cause to another in an effort to spiritually find peace.  But to find real comfort- to find real peace- real hope we must go in the right direction.  The right direction is not running away from Christ.  The prodigal son thought comfort was found in wine, women, and song but it was only found when he came back.  Some people need to quit going the wrong way and make a u turn back to God and His comfort.

       The great thing about the kind of comfort God offers is that it is reliable, available, and durable.  There are lots of comforts that are temporary fixes- almost like a drug we are addicted to. The praise of men is temporary.  Look at the political race and every presidential candidate has been up or down- their glory is like the flowers of the field- here today- gone tomorrow.  Fifteen years from now people will say, “who was that guy who ran for president who quit?”  Do not invest yourself in being popular- or the praise of people- it is a fickle comfort.  Some live for beauty.  I heard someone talking about the Victoria Secret Show that came on this week.  They said, just imagine what each of those models will look like 50 years from now.  Zsa Zsa Gabore used to be truly stunning on the outside, but if you look at pictures of her now, her beauty has sadly faded- like a flower.  Outside beauty will fade, but work for the inner beauty that will last- be beautiful on the inside- there is comfort and hope in that kind of lasting beauty.  God comforts us through His word- which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.  Psalm 119:52 says “I remember your ancient laws and find comfort in them.”  Isaiah says in another place: “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass?”  God longs to comfort us.  Jesus said “blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.”  God is concerned about our comfort and His offer of comfort is always there- available, reliable and durable.  God’s tidings of comfort and joy and be had in the best and worst times. But too many refuse to be comforted by God- and they turn away.
     What kind of comfort does Jesus offer?  It is not the kind of comfort that leaves you with a hangover.  It is not the kind of comfort that just numbs you to reality- like drugs or drinking.  There are a lot of people pursuing that kind of comfort.   We have become professionals in our culture of seeking comfort, but it is found in a deeper place.  People will travel all over the world to find peace and comfort.  People will go to Cancun or take a cruise, or go to the mountains or beach.  But comfort is not found in a location.  You can be at a great location and still lack great peace.  Comfort is not found simply in being physically comfortable- though that helps, God is concerned about our physical comfort too.  But there is a deep inner comfort we are called to pursue.  The word “comfort” comes from Latin word “comfortis” which means “with strength.”  What God is promising here is strength.  Our strength is found in God.  Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  It is not that Paul had a great, easy life- but that Paul had the strength to face whatever he had to face.  The grief of death may still be there- but God comforts us- gives us strength.  The problems of your failures may still have to be faced, but we face them with God’s forgiveness, grace, and comfort.  In Christ life is not meaningless- but full of meaning and hope. 
     Our responsibility is to rest in God’s strength and comfort, like a bird in a nest underneath the wings of its mother.  Like a child cuddled up in its mother’s lap.  He also says, “as a mother comforts her child so will I comfort you and you will be comforted.”   The word “comfort” is an imperative- it is a command.           
     The world might say that we can find comfort in God without any change in direction toward God.  But I can’t get to the place of comfort if I am going 70 mph in the other direction!  Isaiah says several times that there is no peace for the wicked.  If you want the comfort God offers, then you must go God’s way.  There is real comfort in God’s company, but you can’t be dabbling in evil and still deeply seeking the holy loving God.  We need to prepare our hearts- that is the way- the highway to God.   The Essenes thought the way to prepare for the Messiah’s coming was to go out into the desert.  The zealots thought the way to prepare for the Messiah’s coming was to attack their physical enemies- the Romans.   But Isaiah (and John the Baptist) speak about preparing the way for the Lord by preparing our hearts in repentance.  In repentance and rest is your salvation.

      God gives us many little comforts in this life as blessings.   Work is a comfort.  Sports may bring us joy.  Reading, shopping, even helping or human love- are comforts from God- that we should not turn into idols.  The Heidelberg Catechism asks, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”  It is a good question.  What is it?  Here is the answer that has been handed down for 5 centuries now.
     It is that I belong body and soul, in life and in death, not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

    At the Christmas party people shared their Christmas memories.  There is a dark and a light family memory that I want to tell. I want to tell it this Christmas because I think of Ashley Shealy- the little boy who died in a tragic accident and Justin Pepper-the 11 year old who died foru years ago.  We had his breakfast yesterday and gave toys to Thornwell in his memory.  Many years ago I was going to a funeral behind the Lutheran church in Walhalla, SC and I was shocked  to see a gravestone with my name on it: John B. Sloan!  That was a little scarey.  My father and mother told me the story.  My uncle had a baby 12 years  before I was born.  My uncle had graduated from Clemson and he married a girl with a lot of money, and he got a great executive job with Western Electric in Philadelphia.  But the baby got pneumonia and died- back before antiobiotics were really good. He died the week before Christmas.   My uncle and aunt went crazy.  They both drank heavily.  Both lost their jobs.  They went from living in a mansion to living on the streets.  But when they were on the streets, someone shared the gospel with them- they had a dramatic conversion and they came back to faith- about twelve years on Christmas day after John B. Sloan had died.  I never got to ask if that was why I was named John B. Sloan.  But I do know that Christmas tragedy, turned 12 years later into a Christmas miracle.  I also know that my aunt and uncle were greatly comforted by the hope of seeing their son again.  They are all three dead now.  They are living out the Christmas miracle- “Blessed are the y who mourn for they shall be comforted.”  There is a lot of sadness at Christmas- some think there is no comfort.  But there is.
    Communion is a reminder of our comfort. It is a reminder at advent that the one waited on for ages has come because He loves us.  Communion is a reminder that He sustains us in life- even more than food and drink.  Communion is a reminder that He came to give us eternal comfort- eternal hope- eternal life.