Saint Luke Ev. Lutheran Church of Watertown

Sermon delivered by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

Advent 2, December 8, 2002

Isaiah 40:1-5

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 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.

A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Dear people of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in Hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

There is a new Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook for the Holidays. It has important information—like what are you supposed to do if you are attacked by a reindeer! Do you know what to do if a reindeer tries to skewer you with his antlers? The first thing the experts say is—stand your ground. Most reindeer are supposed to be docile—kind of like cows. They are supposed to run around you—rather than over you—even if it’s a stampede of reindeer. Boy and girl reindeer have antlers—but daddy reindeer are much bigger—maybe 400 pounds and built solid—low to the ground. Reindeer that are upset may rear up and kick with their front legs. If they do that—the experts say you should try and stand to the side—or better yet behind them. That makes sense! Daddy reindeer—before they actually try to make you into antler shish kabob—will usually wiggle their antlers from side to side. That’s a bad sign. Don’t go by a reindeer that’s doing that. You are supposed to talk to reindeer in a soft—soothing voice. And whatever you do—don’t put your hands above your head. They will most likely think you are showing off your antlers—and then they will really get upset. You are supposed to back away—very slowly—while very gently saying to the people around you—“Help! I think this reindeer is trying to hurt me!” If they do charge you—head down—you’re supposed to try and catch their antlers—push them aside—then let go real fast! The real danger is not from reindeer. The real danger this time of year is far far more horrible. The danger is from Satan himself. The danger is this sin infected world. The danger is our own sinful weak and nasty flesh. We are in danger from all around. And make no mistake the danger to our soul is exceedingly real. Our only hope is the Christ-child—our only Savior and forever King!

This second Sunday in the repentant season of Advent God’s Word encourages us:

Comfort! Comfort!

1. Our sins are paid for

2. Our hearts are repaired

The Scroll of the prophet Isaiah begins with a painful preaching of the law. The LORD himself calls heaven and earth as witnesses against his people. Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand! How sad is that? The LORD disciplined them—with a fierce and painful discipline—and still they didn’t get it. Again Isaiah wrote, “Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil. How sad is that? The LORD was not talking about a slip—a lapse—a moment of weakness when God’s people did something stupid—because they weren’t thinking—weren’t paying attention! These were people that were stubborn, willful, spiteful and nasty. The LORD spanked them and they sneered back—“Didn’t hurt!” If the LORD had not been merciful—they would have all been lost. Unless the LORD Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah! People thought we can buy God off. We will bring offerings—lots and lots of offerings—and then God will owe us! How sad and tragic and wrong. The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?” says the LORD. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats…Stop bringing meaningless offerings!” The LORD wanted his people to repent of their sins—to return to their Heavenly Father in repentance and humility. The Holy Spirit would give them new hearts—hearts of faith—to bear appropriate fruits of faith. Isaiah wrote, Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Have we done that? Or have we put a dollar or five or ten or a hundred or a thousand in our envelope—and said—God should be grateful and satisfied with that? Jesus wants our hearts! Jesus wants our lives! Jesus works in our hearts real repentance—real sadness for my sins—my mistakes—my failures. Then Jesus makes me strong—to seek justice. Not just when I think I’m the one being cheated—or justice for my friends—the powdered and perfumed and the popular—but justice for the sweaty and smelly and unpopular. Encourage the oppressed. It would be wonderful sometimes if we would encourage anyone! It is a no brainer—to criticize—to find fault and tear down and complain. It takes no skill what-so-ever to find fault. Can you imagine Jesus correcting someone’s grammar—publicly saying—excuse me! How are you? Not—I am good—but I am well—the adverbial—how, when, where? Can you imagine Jesus pointing out a mistake—when it’s too late for anyone except the Son of God to fix it? What is the point of exposing a mistake that cannot be changed? It only makes someone embarrassed and sad! To encourage is to build up—to put the best construction on everything—to take every word and action in the kindest possible light. It means to help people—not hurt them! Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Reflect Jesus’ love in how you treat the fatherless and the widow. My grandmothers—both of them were widowed—when they had a house full of small children—when their husbands were only 42 years old. My Grandpa Lamke went home to Heaven just a few days before Christmas. It’s easy to pick on children who are fatherless. What are they going to do about it? Tell your dad? Oh, that’s right—you don’t have a dad—do you? Can children be that cruel? Sure they can—when Jesus’ love is not their heart light! If we pick on people who can’t defend them self—then how are we any different from an unbeliever? How are we any different from chickens—who peck away at a little chick who is less than perfect. We are not chickens—we are redeemed children of God. Only Jesus’ love can make us strong so we act like it!

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for… After 39 chapters of blistering law—that tolerates no excuses—chapter 40 in broad strokes—brings warm and gentle comfort. Comfort, comfort my people says your God. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God. And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 Comfort my people. Hold them. Hug them. Calm them. Squeeze their hands and hold their hand in both of yours. Assure them—reassure them—we are forgiven. We are forgiven for the sake of the Son of God—nailed to a blood and sweat stained tree—to take away all our sins. Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem—speak tenderly to her. Literally speak to her heart. 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.

Every valley shall be raised up; every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. There are valleys and there are mountains and hills in my heart and yours. There are valleys of depression—worry, doubt and fear. You don’t help someone beat depression by telling them, “Hey—cheer up! Don’t worry! Everything is going to be ok!” You don’t help someone beat depression by looking deep inside. Deep inside ourselves we find painful weakness, failures, shortcomings. Look around and you find people with their own troubles. Look around and you find people who mean well—but can fail us again and again. The Psalmist tells us—where to look. I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of Heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:1-4 Look up! Look up to the great I AM—the Holy One of Israel. Look to the one who made everything. The one who made the round little Chickadees—who are warm and safe no matter how cold—how deep the snow. Look up! Look to the one who made so many stars you can’t count them all—on a clear cloudless winter night. Look up—to the LORD who made you. Who made your nose—so you can smell the pine needles from your Christmas tree when you come home—tired from shopping. Look up to the one who came down to this sin-fouled world—in the person of a little newborn baby—born into this world to take away all our sins. The one who invented and mass produces snowflakes will take our sins—dark crimson—and wash them whiter than new fallen snow.

Every valley shall be raised up; every mountain and hill made low… Every mountain and hill of pride and self-righteousness bulldozed down! There is a man in the state of Texas who was sentenced to life in prison on Friday. His crime? Murder! He murdered his best friend because his best friend drank his last can of beer! How drunk—how angry—how out of control would you have to be—to take the life of your best friend—because he drank the last beer in your house? I—for one—would never ever do anything as evil as that! Would you? The moment we think that way—we are the Pharisee who prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like all other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector…” Luke 18:11 We are in horrible danger if we think—I could never commit actual adultery—deny my sin—and commit contract murder to cover it up—like the shepherd King David did. I would never betray Jesus like Judas Iscariot did. I could never deny Jesus again and again the way Simon Peter did. Only the Holy Spirit—working through the Gospel can give me a heart of faith like the tax collector—“He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’” Luke 18:13b

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Do you know what you are supposed to do if you are putting up decorations and you start to fall from a ladder? Experts say—don’t grab for a light fixture or decorations or wires—they won’t hold you. Instead brace for impact. You will only have about one second—so try to twist your body so you land with your back to the ground—leaning forward—so you land on the most padded part—so you won’t hurt your head or back or arms or legs. You could still have a terrible injury—but you would have done the best—by yourself to minimize the harm. What is the best—I think—is to have somebody by you—so if you start to fall they can catch you. When we fell into sin—Jesus was there. He caught us and held us in his nail marked hands. He absorbed the punishment we deserved. He died and rose again to save us. His forgiveness is our forever comfort. Our sins are paid for and our hearts are healed for Jesus’ sake. Amen!

To God alone all glory!