Church of the Holy City

And the Glory of the LORD Will Be Revealed

And the Glory of the Lord Will Be Revealed
Rev. Dr. David J. Fekete
December 7, 2014

Isaiah 40:1-11 Mark 1:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

The readings for this morning treat the coming of Jesus into the world. The Isaiah reading makes clear that Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh. It prophesies that the glory of the LORD will be revealed to all flesh. It says in clear language that The Lord God will come:
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
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 (Isaiah 40:5, 10-11).
Did you notice that our reading from Mark quotes Isaiah 40? Mark does this to establish the fact that Jesus is God come to earth. After Mark uses Isaiah to establish that Jesus is Yahweh come to earth, John the Baptist also affirms Jesus’ divinity,
And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:7-8).
After John says that one mightier that he will come and baptize with the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes and is baptized by John. And to reinforce Jesus’ divinity even further, the heavens open, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus as a dove, and a voice is heard, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The Isaiah passage Mark cites established Jesus’ divinity, as do John the Baptist’s words, and the wonders that accompany Jesus’ baptism.
The Isaiah passage Mark quotes says much about the nature of Emanuel—God with us. It is a remarkably peaceful and intimate picture of the coming of the LORD. This passage is one of the many passages about the Day of Yahweh. The prophets predict that there will be a Day when Yahweh comes to earth to right a world so depraved that only God Himself can set it right. Many of the prophesies are terrifying and dreadful. One such prophesy is Isaiah 13:
Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
as destruction from the Almighty it will come!
Therefore all hands will be feeble,
and every man’s heart will melt,
and they will be dismayed.
Pangs and agony will seize them;
they will be in anguish like a woman in travail.
They will look aghast at one another;
their faces will be aflame.
Behold, the day of the LORD comes,
cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the earth a desolation
and to destroy its sinners from it (Isaiah 13:6-9).
This account of the Day of the Yahweh is terrifying as are other accounts of it in the prophets.
But the passage Mark selects typifies Jesus’ ministry. It is gentle, comforting, and intimate. It even begins with the words, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem” (40:1). God will right the fallen world, but God does so to make it more pleasant for us. Rough ground will be made level, mountains will be lowered and valleys will be lifted up.
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 40:3-5).
And in this Isaiah passage we find the image so deeply associated with Jesus: that if a shepherd tending His flocks. This Isaiah passage makes the Shepherd intimate and tender, as is Jesus,
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 (Isaiah 40:11).
This is how we think of Jesus. The Good Shepherd who seeks sheep who have wandered astray. The Shepherd whose voice the sheep recognize. The Gentle God, as Whitman calls Jesus.
And our Psalm tells us that we are to follow in Jesus’ gentle, caring way. “Righteousness will go before him,/and make his footsteps a way” (Psalm 85:13). The Psalm also tells us the nature of Jesus’ gentle way:
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
Yea, the LORD will give what is good (Psalm 85:9-12).
In this Psalm passage, we see the very Swedenborgian idea that love and faith will be joined. We are assured that salvation is at hand for those who seek God. And we have the promise that the LORD will give us what is good.
These gentle promises are what the Christmas season is all about. As we go about preparations for the season, let’s keep these messages in our mind. Peacefulness and righteousness together, love and faith together, and the glory that these will bring to the land. For when we follow in the ideals of Jesus, we will bring Jesus’ glory into the world, and all the land will be glorious.

PRAYER
Lord, ages ago your prophets foretold your coming into the world. Some expected a terrible day of wrath and destruction. But when you came, you came in a peaceful night, silently in the form of a helpless babe. And your ministry to us was just as gentle and peaceful. You healed, you taught, and you loved. You showed us the way. We can follow in your gentle footsteps. We can embrace the peaceful way you practiced. And we can show a similar love to that which you showed us when you were here. In this advent season, may we all ponder the gentle way you came to earth, and the peaceful path you walked when you were here.

And Lord, we pray for the sick. May they experience the power of your healing love. Fill them with the grace of your healing power. Comfort their family and friends. We pray for the grace of your healing power for all who are ailing in body or soul.