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Today’s Scripture comes from the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah is a towering figure in the Bible. After the Psalms, it is the longest book in Scripture, and its influence is immense.
Isaiah shaped Jewish faith after the exile in Babylon, and he profoundly shaped the faith of the early Christians. His fingerprints are everywhere in Christian theology.
At the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, Isaiah is the text Jesus chose to explain who he was and what he had come to do.
Luke tells us:
When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him… (Luke 4:16–17)
After reading Isaiah’s words about good news for the poor, freedom for captives, and sight for the blind, Jesus sat down and said,
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)
Later, when the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus if he truly was the Messiah, Jesus answered them like this:
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” (Luke 7:22)
That language—those images—come straight from Isaiah.
As the early Christians tried to understand the meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, they found their key in Isaiah.
His vision of the suffering servant shaped their understanding of who Jesus was. Because of that, Isaiah is sometimes called “the fifth gospel.”
During his lifetime, Isaiah had a pretty successful ministry. For about forty years, he served in the royal court in Jerusalem. He was part of the elite.
He spoke boldly against corruption and injustice. He made powerful leaders – many who were his peers – deeply uncomfortable. Yet he was respected for his moral integrity.
But if that had been the end of his story, Isaiah would have been forgotten.
His greatest influence came much later, at a pivotal and devastating moment in Israel’s history—when the people were sent into exile in Babylon.
They had lost everything. They were disoriented, broken, and afraid. They no longer understood who they were or why this had happened.
And in that darkest moment, Isaiah gave Israel the greatest gift they could receive: the gift of hope.
His words stirred dormant hearts. They revived broken spirits. They gave the people a new vision of the future.
In today’s passage, Isaiah says:
“Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God… He will come and save you.’” (Isaiah 35:4)
Isaiah tells the people to speak these words—but this is exactly what he himself did.
His words strengthened the weak. They comforted the fearful. They reshaped Israel’s faith for a completely new situation and reality.
The greatest gift Isaiah gave the people was hope.
Isaiah is famous for his soaring, poetic imagery, and today’s passage begins with one of the most beautiful images in Scripture:
“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom….” (Isaiah 35:1–2)
He reaches for the richest language he can find to describe new life rising out of devastation—what was dead and dry bursting into life again. His words ignited the imagination of a broken people.
And when things were at their bleakest, Isaiah’s words had their greatest effect. They were exactly what the people needed.
This passage is given to us by the lectionary for today, the third Sunday of Advent, as we draw closer to Christmas. At first, I wondered why.
When we think of Christmas, we think of joy and celebration. It’s the one time of year I actually listen to the radio in my car—98.1.
We see lights everywhere. We’re buying gifts, attending parties, playing gift-exchange games.
So why, at this time of year, are we given a message about finding hope in the wilderness?
As I reflected on that, I realized something: beneath the surface, much of life is in shambles. We work hard to keep things together. We work hard to appear put together. But underneath, many of us are walking on a knife’s edge.
Most people are one crisis away from falling apart. Beneath the smiles and festivities, many carry heavy worries in their hearts:
Concerns about their health, or the health of someone they love. The struggle to find work. Or jobs that feel fragile or uncertain. Relationships that are strained or painful. Finances that never quite stretch far enough. A future that feels unclear or frightening.
Henry David Thoreau once said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation“. Underneath the appearance of “it’s all good”, many people live with this quiet desperation in their hearts.
For many people, Christmas becomes a way to escape those worries for a while—to forget them temporarily. That may be why January and February can feel so dark and heavy, when reality settles back in.
It is good to celebrate during Christmas. It is good to enjoy the season. It is good to give gifts and share joy—and we will do that today during the concert.
But what is the greatest gift you can give someone?
It is the gift of hope.
Isaiah puts it this way:
“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.” (Isaiah 35:3)
He commands the people to speak courage to those who are afraid—to tell them, “Do not fear. Here is your God. He will come and save you.”
When your words help someone know that God is present… that God hears their fears… that God has not abandoned them—that is the greatest gift you can give.
Is this gift reserved only for pastors or spiritual leaders?
I don’t believe so. This is something all of us are called to do.
So how do we cultivate this gift of giving hope?
Through prayer.
It all begins with prayer. Before you say a word to anyone, you should begin with prayer.
When you pray for someone, you bring them into God’s orbit—and you bring yourself there as well. Prayer aligns your heart with God’s heart for that person.
You begin to sense God’s love for them, God’s concern for them, God’s desire for their healing and wholeness. As God’s desire shapes your heart, your words and actions are shaped too.
Through prayer, you gain God’s perspective and God’s wisdom. And that wisdom guides you—what to say, when to speak, when to act, and when simply to be present.
Today, we are ordaining and inducting elders.
John, Helen, and Peter: more than any leadership role you will ever play, your greatest task is this—to pray for your people. To absorb God’s heart for them.
By doing so, you will offer them the greatest gift they can receive.
Learning this and experiencing this has been one of the great blessings of my own ministry—and it is something every one of us can do.
This Christmas season, turn to prayer. Lift your loved ones before God. Ask God to show you who is on God’s heart. Names will come to your mind. Pray for them. God may be leading you to give them the gift of hope right when they need it.
James reminds us:
“The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
May this be a season of prayer—and a season of giving hope.
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