With us in the desert
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The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God
2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” 3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey
7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
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Isaiah 40:1-11
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 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.3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah “Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
‘Mark’s Gospel does not do nativity, no shepherds, no angels or wise men, no star..….’
Mark's Christmas story is Isaiah 40 1-11.
Rather than pointing us to the nativity as Matthew and Luke do Mark takes us back to the promises of ‘comfort’’ from Isaiah 40 and the promise of God with us. Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah ‘The virgin will give birth to a child and you shall call him Immanuel – God with us.’
Now in Isaiah 40 the child full grown and is sovereign, 40:10 ‘He comes with power.’
Let us look at ‘God With Us’ from three aspects – With us in the Desert, With us is Good News, With us is personal
With us in the Desert
With us is Good News
With us is Personal
With us in the Desert
If you have ever been to Bethlehem and driven out a few miles to the barren hills where the shepherds watched their flocks by night – you would find a desert place -rough rocky terrain – West Bank today.
When Christ the Lord descended to us he came to a desert place not an obvious place for a King of kings or Lord of Lords but a harsh uncompromising wilderness.
When the angels spoke to the shepherds- Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
They responded let us go and see. What those first visitors found was desert cave or a stable that was transformed gloriously by God in the flesh. This stable, the manager looks so pretty on our Christmas cards but the truth is the harshness of the stable the barrenness of the desert were transformed by this glorious gift - Jesus Christ the son of God - flesh and bones. It is a picture of what God does - he transforms hopeless barren dry places with his presence.
Isaiah 44:3 - I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground,
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants…
What a promise if you are feeling worthless or empty. If your life seems like a dry desert - where God's glory cannot be seen.
God's way is to shine his glorious light in the shadows, places where he is least expected. 40:10 ‘See the Lord comes with power and he rules with a mighty arm, see his reward is with him.’
Note the repetition of the word ‘see, see’ in Isaiah 40:10 the prophet Isaiah’s repetition emphasises the emotion and the Longing of God for us and it draws us to that glorious crescendo in Isaiah 40:9 ‘Behold your God’ – ‘See the Sovereign Lord comes with power and he rules with a mighty arm see his reward is with him and his recompense accompanies him.’ This is God with us in the desert.
This is where Mark takes us for his Christmas story. If your life seems like a desert place where his glory doesn't shine or where his with us presence is not experienced then come with Mark to the prophet Isaiah and ‘Behold your God.’ (Isaiah 40:9). He is here now even if you feel least like it, if you feel more like a dry desert. He comes like a stream in the desert. God longs to ‘Come with power, reign in your life and to make changes for good (that’s what recompense means). 12th Century Advent Hymn says:
O Come O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel
O Come bright & Morning Star & bring us comfort from afar
Dispel the shadows of the night & turn our darkness in to light
With Us is Good News
[2] Secondly ‘with us’ is good news ‘this is good news, this is good news’ Twice in Isaiah 40:9, and again in Mark 1:1 ‘The good news about Jesus the Messiah the son of God.’ Luke 2:10 Angel said ‘…Good tidings great joy.’
Mark leaves us in no doubt that he knows who Jesus is - not a prophet or a great person but the Messiah, God in flesh(1:1) ‘the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the son of God’. Mark states that Jesus is divine and takes us to Isaiah 40 for clarity, Mark claims the voice in the desert is John the Baptist preparing the way of the Lord. The Hebrew text in Isaiah says ‘prepare the way of Yahweh.’ NB Mark aligns John the Baptist with Isaiah the prophet and it follows that Jesus is Yahweh - The Lord the God of Israel. ‘God with us is good news.’ the one to whom all the prophets pointed clearly here in Mark and in Isaiah - Jesus is God with us.
Something needs to be said about it messengers here in Isaiah 40:1-11 we read ‘Comfort Ye’ - instruction to a messenger, v3 of one calling in the desert, v6 a voice says cry out, v9 ‘lift up your voice’ – quite a lot about the messengers & voices but they are never exalted. God choses to spread his message thro’ us – jars of clay -voices. Today we are in danger of exalting the messenger, Bishops in the news, key note speakers in conferences in posters, Christian authors with huge followings in X.
John Bap was asked by Pharisees in Jn 1:23 ‘who are you’ NB he did not say, I am John B, a prophet – he said ‘I am a voice (crying in the desert)’
The point is not who the messenger is but who and what is the message. John bap (& Mark) points to Jesus, Isaiah points v9 God with us and to the Word of God.
Isa 40:8 ‘grass withers..but the word of God stands for ever.’
And the message? Isa 40:1 Comfort yes… proclaim that your hard service is over, sins are paid for and pardoned. It’s a message that could only be fulfilled in Jesus [mighty God, everlasting father, peace prince] the only begotten son (Jn 3:16).
Joy to the World the Lord has come. Let Earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room….
This Advent are you doing that? Preparing him room? This is very personal – it leads to the third heading ‘With us is personal.’
Joy to the World the Lord has come. Let Earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room….
With us is Personal
Mark's prologue is both comforting and abrupt. He takes us to Isaiah 40 where we read comfort/comfort and in Mark 1:2 it says ‘prepare,’ get your life road ready for our God. Look at your own life this is personal. Prepare this advent not just for Christmas but for his return
“Are you ready to meet Jesus.
Are you where you ought to be,
Will he know you when he sees you,
Or will he say depart from me.”
©Bob Dylan
Ouch, this is getting a bit personal but it is very personal. The voice of one in the desert crying/shouting/calling out - ‘prepare.’
Then Isaiah 40:2 said speak tenderly - does it feel tender or comforting to you? For one to be shouting ‘prepare’ - no it doesn't….
But it is, and we don't just need to hear the voice shouting we need to do something … to prepare …..
you may need to come for prayer, you may need to go home and set aside time to read Isaiah 40 and Mark 1.
You may need to set aside time to repent and turn away from sinful things that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you.
NB. It is not necessary to repeat the word comfort for this command to make sense. By repeating comfort comfort there is a tenderness conveyed rather like the way you would say ‘there-there’ to a child who is distressed or ‘it's OK it's OK’ to someone in tears. The prophet Isaiah voices the words of God and these are emotional words this is God longing to connect with the people being ‘with us’ and comforting us in our pain.
Christian here today no matter how small and weak you feel, here at this service, you are held in these mighty arms - no one can snatch you away.
You are not like a rugby ball knocked out of the runner's hand. You are held secure close to his heart. Isaiah 40:11 ‘He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.’ This is personal, the ever-present God not God from a distance. He holds you fast, close, it is an embrace not a straight jacket - that is how he is with you now and ever shall be - close to his heart.
The Good News of Isaiah and the same Good News of Mark is that God would come to us and dwell with us (John 1:14). God dwelling is a message of being ‘with us.’ Isaiah 40:9 Here is your God – both strong and gentle. Think of it, the presence of the almighty, powerful, majesty of God, Isaiah40:10 ‘See the sovereign comes with power.’ Then a picture of gentleness 40:11 ‘He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those who have young.’
Ada Ruth Habershon was a prolific hymn-writer who ministered with Spurgeon. In 1905 She wrote ‘My saviour loves me so he will hold me fast’ after meeting a young man who thought he could not stay true to Jesus through his life. In 2012 modern hymn-writer Matt Merker said he was going through a dry patch spiritually, a desert place. He came across the words and he said he just had to write a new tune to express these words.
Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast,
Precious in His holy sight, He will hold me fast,
He'll not let my soul be lost, His promises shall last,
Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast.
Merker added a final verse (which fits with thge season of Advent)
Raised with Him to endless life,
He will hold me fast,
Till our faith is turned to sight,
When he comes at last!
©Matt Merker and Ada Habershon
