DON’T GET RUN OVER BY THE REINDEER: WEARY

Merry Christmas!  We are just one Sunday away from Christmas Day!  It has passed quickly and you may be reeling from the hoof prints on your back, or you may just be tired.  In our sermon series “Don’t Get Run Over by the Reindeer,” we turn to a common problem for this time of year.  It is in the form of a question, “Weary?”  Weariness can be exhaustion, but it can also be expressed with cynicism, frustration, anger, or apathy.  We underestimate the power of weariness. But God doesn’t!  We turn to Isaiah 40:1-11, which becomes part of the Christmas celebration due to Handel’s Messiah.  The Messiah begins with the words from Isaiah 40.  We realize, though, that these words are for everyone who is weary, frustrated, exhausted, or afraid.  They are an antidote to apathy and cynicism, because things are about to change for the better!  No longer will it be business as usual!  As you come to this Christmas, let the Word of the Lord from Isaiah 40:1-11 refresh your heart that a good and powerful change is coming! 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. (NIV)