Do verses 3 and 4 sound familiar? The Bible is full of hyperlinks to other passages, and these words are quoted by John the Baptist in all 4 Gospels. (Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:2-3, Luke 3:4-6, John 1:23)

What’s going on in Isaiah is monumental. The people, who up to this point had been taken from their land and forced to live in Babylon, were getting the good news that it was time to pack their things to head home. This desert road and rough terrain we read about would make the people think about the actual journey they were going to take from Babylon to Jerusalem through mountains and valleys.

What’s going on when we hear these words in the Gospels is also monumental. The people need a Savior. John the Baptist quotes Isaiah 40 to remind the people that the God who rescued their ancestors from exile is not done yet. Something is about to happen.

How does God show love for the people?
By making sidewalks through seas, making paths to home in deserts and sending an unusual Savior.

How does God continue to show love to us?
By the presence of the Holy Spirit made available to us every day to guide, encourage and transform us.

On this Monday in Advent, we sit in the proclamation that something monumental is about to happen. And so we wait.

Written by Pastor Lauren Miller