Advent 3
Isaiah 35: 1-10; James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11 It must be a sign of middle age and relative security that I find the hardest question for me to be asked lately is “what do you want for Christmas?”. It is also a sign of getting older that my honest answer to “what do you want for Christmas?” is “sleep”. So this third Sunday in Advent is a gift for me… and anyone else who is feeling just a little bit harassed. Here is Isaiah’s gift to us, from chapter 35: Strength for the weak hands, Firmness for the feeble knees. The Lord says to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. The greatest gift of Christmas is God’s presence in our world and in our lives. And it is a gift that we receive without even lifting a finger. More than that, it is a gift which promises us new strength, new grace, new and deeper reserves of love and joy and peace. Or as Isaiah puts it: “everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; the...