Presence

Jesus, thank you for being my companion on life’s journey. Please accompany me on this Advent journey and during this time of prayer today.

First Reading

Isaiah 40:1-11 NRSVue

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass; their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers; the flower fades, [[when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers; the flower fades,]] but the word of our God will stand forever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms and carry them in his bosom and gently lead the mother sheep.

First Reading Reflection

Isaiah points to a whole new order in creation, with the coming of God to his people. There is an acknowledgement of the ways his people have suffered as a result of their sin, but the One who puts all things right and the One who is justice itself, is on his way. There is a sense of the new heavens and the new earth, of God’s ways which are not the ways of human beings. There is a sense of urgency, of unrestrained feeling and joy at this Good News, by the one who “crys out”. Has the Good News of God so penetrated my heart and soul, my life, that I would risk shouting out from the rooftops and hilltops, to a world in need? Can I ask God this Advent to touch me in a way that I would overflow with joy and gladness as to what the coming of Jesus means for me, and for the whole world? Can I find a way to share the Good News of Christ with others?

Gospel

Matthew 18:12-14 NRSVue

What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

Gospel Reflection

This is a wonderfully hopeful image of who God is for us. Jesus, the shepherd, cares for each and every one of us, his sheep. He knows each of us by name. Jesus’ love and care are so extravagant that he would leave the ninety-nine to go and find the one who has strayed. Jesus will pursue us at any cost. It is said that the further you stray from God, the closer you come to Jesus. That is where Jesus is, with the lost, in the dark, in the lowest place. His shepherd’s crook is to lift the lost one out of the briars where it might have become trapped. Jesus our shepherd not only leads us home, but carries us on his back, especially the sick, weak, lost or wounded one. What a God of tenderness we have! This brings to mind another expression of Isaiah where he says that the Lord will carry our burdens. (Isaiah 46:4). The happiness of God is complete when the lost are found. The coming of Jesus is for everyone. There is no one who is too far gone, who is too lost for Jesus to find. We might give up, but the Lord will never give up on us.

Closing Prayer

Dear Jesus, I am sorry for the times I have strayed, or worse, despaired and given up on myself, or given up on you. Thank you that you never give up on me. Please lift me up on your shoulders once again in your tenderness and mercy, and fill me with the joy of your Good News. Amen.