December 07, 2014
2nd Sunday of Advent
At times we are called upon to comfort as pastors, teachers, nurses, parents and children! Moms and dads are recipients of a child’s hug at times of sadness or worry. Comfort is a continuum of listening, acknowledging the hurt, offering encouragement, hope for healing or resolution, and (in the hug) the assurance of “being there.†Isaiah is embolden and directed by the Lord to give comfort to the people of God despondent in exile. He does this by admitting the responsibility of the Israelites in breaking the covenant and promising the Lord will come as a good shepherd to care, to carry and to lead them back home to Jerusalem. In the 2nd Letter of Peter, the author comforts third generation Christians who are dismayed that Jesus has not returned in glory as the Son of Man. He explains the relativity of time with God e.g. a thousand years are like a day. He then refers to the patience of God waiting so no one will perish, all will come to repentance and be at peace when the Lord comes. John the Baptist does not appear to be a prophet of comfort as he challenges listeners at the Jordan River to step forward for a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But he promise that one is coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist is Elijah heralding the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is a form of comfort that combines honesty and healing. During Advent we welcome “the Comforter†when we repent of our sins and desire to be at peace with God, with our neighbor and with ourselves when the Lord comes.
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1st Sunday of Advent
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3rd Sunday of Advent
