Tuesday 10 December 2024

Today is Tuesday the 10th of December in the 2nd week of Advent.

Maldwyn Davies sings Comfort Ye My People, from Handel’s Messiah.

Comfort ye
Comfort ye my people
Comfort ye
Comfort ye my people
Saith your God
Saith your God
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem
And cry unto her
That her warfare
Her warfare is accomplished
That her iniquity is pardoned
That her iniquity is pardoned

Today’s reading is from the Prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort, O comfort my people,
 says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
 and cry to her
that she has served her term,
 that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
 double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
‘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.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
 and all people shall see it together,
 for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’

In the first part of today’s reading, we hear the Lord speaking through the Prophet Isaiah to Jerusalem, bringing a message of comfort and forgiveness. Talk with the Lord about any situations in your life where you need to see or feel the tenderness of this message.

Advent may be seen as a time of new beginnings with God, so perhaps you can begin to prepare the way of the Lord in your heart. Can you invite him to come to you and make the uneven ground level, and the rough places into a smooth plain?

‘Comfort O comfort my people.’
Think for a moment about anyone you know who also needs the comfort of the Lord.
As you hear the second part of our reading, be aware of which word or phrase speaks most to your heart.
A voice says, ‘Cry out!’
 And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’
All people are grass,
 their constancy is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
 when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
 surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades;
 but the word of our God will stand for ever.
Get you up to a high mountain,
 O Zion, herald of good tidings;
lift up your voice with strength,
 O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,
 lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
 ‘Here is your God!’
See, the Lord God comes with might,
 and his arm rules for him;
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,
and carry them in his bosom,
 and gently lead the mother sheep.

Now, try staying with the word or phrase that has most touched you today, noticing the feelings it has evoked within you.

Throughout the day, you can return to your chosen word or phrase in the quieter moments, as if enjoying a gift or promise from the Lord, perhaps holding it in your hand.

O Wisdom
Lord and Ruler
Root of Jesse
Key of David
Rising Sun
King of the Nations
Emmanuel
Come, Lord Jesus.