The Promise: Comfort, Comfort (Isaiah 40:1-11)

Second Sunday in Advent, Sunday, December 6, 2020

Readings:

First Lesson and Sermon Text: Isaiah 40:1-11. The message of God’s messengers has not changed. It is a message that prepare us for his coming both at Christmas and on the Last Day. He comes to give life; his Word of grace and pardon that lasts forever.

Psalm 63: In this intimate prayer, we address God as a loved one, not as a stranger, and with an eagerness to be near him.

Second Lesson:  2 Peter 3:8-14. The messenger assures us that the promise of Jesus’ final coming also will be kept, just as surely as the promise of his first coming at Christmastime was kept.

Gospel: Luke 3:4,6. The message is powerful for it is one of forgiveness; a message that washes away sin and guilt in the Word and in the water, so that those who receive it will be fit for the only one who is great: our coming Savior King.

Sermon: Isaiah 40:1-11: God still loves us. We are still his people. We will be for eternity. I pray that this promise of comfort from the Lord encourages you and allows you to endure life’s challenges, as it did for God’s people long ago, when Isaiah first gave it to them. Amen.

Pastor Ron Koehler