How To Map Quest Comfort

REFLECTIONS
December 7, 2008

Isaiah 40:1-11 begins with the words “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...” Here the prophet as a mouthpiece for God is sending a word of comfort and hope to those who had been sore oppressed by God for their misdeeds. Prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures came in two varieties. The ones who were House shills, paid by those in authority to say what people wanted to hear, and the likes of Isaiah and others, elected by God to tell the truth in the name of love no matter what. Little wonder that neither variety of Prophet was very popular. Isaiah served for God to guide, and goad the people into a life of faithfulness. Though this meant, at times, conflict in that he had to warn them of their sins and the impending punishment from God, it also was to remind them over and over again that God loved them, deeply, fully and completely. The acceptance of this fact was not immediate by the people, for it took Israel nearly one thousand years to cease idol worship. So comfort comes but at times not as quickly as we would like.

We live in a world of immediacy. With e-mail, text messaging, the Internet and cell phones, we are never far away from information or communication. All of these items and all of that technology in our homes and cars are meant to bring us convenience and comfort. This became especially clear to me a little more than a year ago when driving across the very large state of Texas. My son, Aaron, and I were headed home after a work team effort in Mississippi. Having put in a very long day behind the wheel, we were hungry and did not know whether to get off the road and take our chances at the next town or not. Aaron suggested we use the Global Positioning Satellite our rental car had. To my amazement we were able to locate a perfect choice in San Antonio which the G.P.S. guided us to with those gentle tones of “in sixteen point eight miles exit the freeway. I didn’t have to think, only drive carefully, a great comfort. A greater comfort still was finding good parking adjacent to the restaurant, then enjoying a great meal with my son before we journeyed on. I don’t think it is too much of an exaggeration to say that Texas seems twice as long as California. I will say this; long after that grueling drive, the comfort of that time spent with my Son in San Antonio lingers.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601