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Proclaim the good news

Presenter: The Rev Ernie Rea

Isaiah 40:6-11

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A voice says, ‘Cry out!’ÌýAnd I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ All people are grass, Ìýtheir constancy is like the flower of the field. ÌýThe grass withers, the flower fades,Ìýwhen the breath of the Lord blows upon it;Ìýsurely the people are grass.ÌýThe grass withers, the flower fades;Ìýbut the word of our God will stand for ever.ÌýGet you up to a high mountain,ÌýO Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength,ÌýO Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,Ìýlift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ÌýSee, the Lord God comes with might,Ìýand his arm rules for him; his reward is with him,Ìýand his recompense before him.ÌýHe will feed is flock like a shepherd;Ìýhe will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom,Ìýand gently lead the mother sheep.

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Although the landscape is far from promising and much has to be done before God’s highway is complete, the prophet Isaiah’s message here is of great joy.Ìý The people are given comfort and consolation because turning towards God and away from sin has put them in a right relationship with their creator.Ìý All their hard work will now be positive: they will be working with God instead of against him.Ìý And this is the spirit in which we’re urged to prepare for the coming of our Lord.Ìý Having faced up to our faults and failures and resolving to make amends, we can get excited about the highway we’re building and the dazzling glory of our God that will be revealed when it is finished.