December 9: Isaiah

Isaiah 40

Isaiah the Prophet had an impossible task. He was instructed to bring a message brimming with life and possibility amid deep despair. He is told by God, “Cry out!” and his answer echoes hopelessness, wondering what he can possibly say to a people destined for the grave- “The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people is grass.” In the face of societal and individual decline, the prophet must not fill his people’s ears with platitudes and empty promises. The words which poured out of Isaiah’s pen, undergirded by the power of the Spirit, have spoken life into every subsequent generation.

Isaiah declared, “the Word of our God will stand forever”. The One whose coming was foretold by the prophet is the living Word of God. This Word conquers death. This Word shines in darkness. This Word rescues us from despair. This Word enables the weak to be strong, the weary to shake off their malaise, the fearful to stand tall, the oppressed to walk free. Jesus came to lift people destined for the grave into life eternal. May we walk this advent season, as Isaiah of old, buoyed by the Hope found in the One who was, and is, and is to come: The Living Word, Jesus. Amen


Pastor Dawn E. Volpe
Ephraim Moravian



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