When he was at table with them, he took the bread. He blessed the bread, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him!(Luke 24:13-35)

Monday, December 6, 2021

Comfort, give comfort

As I was reading Isaiah today, the words were more welcoming for me than I had anticipated: “Comfort, give comfort...”  I was swept up by their beauty and the images they form in my heart—valleys filled in and mountains lowered, all preparing the way for the savior (Isaiah 40:1-11).

“Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God, who rules by his strong arm ...”  All this preparation of the Advent season moves toward a single goal—making way for the Lord, who comes in power.  But how will He come?  What will His power be like as it becomes manifest?  “Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs ...”  The power of God becomes manifest in the tender scene of gathering the lambs.

And this truth “takes on flesh” in Jesus.  Like a shepherd in search of a lost sheep, Jesus comes to reveal the One who sent Him: “…it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost."  (Matthew 18:12-14).  None will be lost; each particular individual remains the focus of His search.

What a great reflection for Advent!  Who, among those we know and love, is lost?  Where do we seem most lost today?   What part of our hearts, of our lives, appears weakest?  The Lord seeks out with great particularity those individuals and those parts of us which are most in need.   “Here is your God!” in this person, in this place.  “Here comes with power the Lord God.”

Several years ago, my mother-in-law was cleaning out some closets and came across a couple of WWII vintage army blankets that belonged to my father-in-law.  One was in excellent shape and the other had a slight tear on one edge.  We decided to keep the good one as a memento, but we put the other in a bag, hoping to drop it off at a homeless shelter, because they can always use blankets.  I put it in the trunk of my car and forgot about it.

About a month later, I was sitting in my office looking out the window as the wind blew and the rain was getting heavy from a cloudburst, and I saw him.  We’ve all seen him—he’s pushing a shopping cart or carrying a black trash bag and rummaging through trash bins and landscaping looking for recyclables that he can turn into cash.  He’s in every city in the country.  That day he poked his head into my office.  "Do you have any cans or bottles I can take off of your hands today?", he asked rather pleasantly.  I replied "Sorry, not today!" hoping (I'm sorry to admit) he would beat a hasty retreat back outside where he could "bother" someone else.

He started out the door then turned back toward me and said, "Do you mind if I wait out the storm in here?  It's kind of cold and wet out there and I don't have a coat."  I suddenly remembered the blanket that had been sitting in my trunk.  "Come with me", I said.  I took him out to my car and opened the trunk.  I handed him the army blanket and said, "I've been waiting for you".  He said "Wow!  This is great!  I don't have a blanket.  It's awfully cold some nights."  I also had in my trunk a coat that I didn’t wear very often because of some slight tears in the fabric.  I handed that to him as well and said, "God bless you, I think this will fit you."

With that, he started walking off (I think) with his head held a little higher than when I first met him ten minutes earlier.

What a loving God we have that guides His sheep to those who can supply just what they need when they need it!  

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