Hope

We are graced today with another familiar reading from the Book of Consolation (Is 40-66) which inspires hope.  Water will quench the thirsty, prayers will be answered, deserts turned into marshlands, trees will grow tall on the wastelands, all poetic symbols of change for the better, for the achievement of the ideal world and reasons for confidence and hope:  "Fear not, I will help you." (Is 41:13.)
We need to hear and heed this message in our time of pessimism, frustration, and despair. Yes, on one side of the coin things  look bad, almost beyond redemption, but in Isaiah's time and the years following, it was bad also.  On the other side of the coin, Jesus has come, the battle is won, there is truly reason to "fear not."  Yet we do.  Hence, the annual need for Advent, to remind us that hope is here, but it is up to us to bring about the fulfillment of these ancient prophecies and the teachings of Jesus.  We are to be the instruments of the "new order," of the Kingdom of God.  Humbly we admit our hesitation and weakness as we half-heartedly respond, "Here I am, Lord. Send me."  May our personal prayer, our families, our friends and communities and especially our reliance on Jesus all work together to strengthen us to accept the challenge to convert our desert into a fertile field.
Bro. Rene