Preparing the way of the Lord: Comfort, comfort my people

 Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11  • Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13  • 2 Peter 3:8-15a   • Mark 1:1-8

After last week's apocalyptic passage from Mark, we have the first verse, or introduction, to Mark in this week's gospel. Mark starts with "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God," seizes on the writings of the prophet Isaiah, and introduces us to John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness, making straight the path, preparing the way for the Lord, proclaiming a baptism of repentance by water, for the forgiveness of sins. We await the coming of the Lord, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Just as Mark speaks of preparation for the Lord's coming, the author of 2 Peter urges patience and endurance as we wait. Contrasted with last week's cry from Isaiah of "O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, " the prophet says, "Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God," and he says that the Lord will feed his flock like a shepherd, gathering the lambs, carrying them gently in his bosom, and gently leading the mother sheep.

In violent and unsettled times, considering John the Baptist's ministry of repentance for the forgiveness of sin, Kathleen Norris, in "Mercy, Me," asks "Can it be that mercy really is at the heart of God?  In "I Want to Be Ready, " Steve Goodier suggests ways to prepare for the future we are called to. In "Leftovers," Melissa Bane Servier suggests that in the re-imagining, re-emergence of our faith tradition, is a coming anew of God, creating anew, "taking those beautiful flavors of the ancient past and delivering them to us in ever-new ways," - sort of like living anew that glorious feast of Thanksgiving, and the leftovers of all of the wonderful memories, people, stories, aromas and blessings of our lives.

In "Comfort My People," Debie Thomas asks where do we look for comfort? She says the context of the Scripture finds us in a hard place. What an eye and heart opener to know God is with us in hard places.