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Good morning. My name is Brian and my family and I are part of the Alameda Community Group.
Today's Old Testament lesson is a reading from the book of Isaiah.
The desert and the parched land will be glad.
The wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom.
It will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it.
The splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the glory of the Lord.
The splendor of our God.
Strengthen the feeble hands.
Steady the knees that give way.
Say to those with fearful hearts,
Be strong.
Do not fear.
Your God will come.
He will come with vengeance.
With divine retribution, he will come to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool.
The thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
Grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
And a highway will be there.
It will be called the way of holiness.
It will be for those who walk on that way.
The unclean will not journey on it.
Wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast.
They will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there.
And those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing.
Everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them.
And sorrow and sighing will flee away.
The grass withers and the flowers fade.
But the word of our God stands forever.
Good morning, Christ Church.
We hope that you've been learning so far
that there are two prophets during the Advent season.
And there's the prophet Isaiah
and the prophet John the Baptist.
You're going to hear a little bit from both today.
Both of these prophets are focused on the coming Messiah.
Their job is to prepare the way,
to get people ready for his arrival
through leading us in a searching
and fearless inventory of our lives.
To lead us in a process of repentance,
a process of spiritual transformation,
so that when God's coming King arrives,
his people will be ready to welcome him
and to receive him.
But unlike Isaiah and unlike John,
we're not preparing ourselves
for the first Advent of Jesus
when he came in humility as the Savior.
We're getting ourselves ready
for the second Advent of Jesus
when he'll come in glory
as the judge of the whole world.
And this emphasis on the second Advent,
the second coming of Jesus,
really is the chief and central focus
of the season.
And it's what we're inviting you
to meditate on a little bit more
this time of year.
And just a word about reading the prophet Isaiah.
We've given you so far in this series
bookends of Isaiah's great work.
We gave you Isaiah 64,
oh, that you would rend the heavens
and come down.
That's the end of the book.
We gave you Isaiah 2,
that the Lord would teach us his ways
so that we would beat our swords
into plowshares.
This is the great sandwich of Isaiah,
beginning and end.
So what do we put kind of in the middle
of that sandwich?
There's so many places we've taken you before.
There's Isaiah 9,
for to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
We could have gone to Isaiah 11,
a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a branch will bear fruit.
We could have gone to that great text
of Isaiah 40,
comfort, comfort my people,
proclaim to her that her warfare is ended
and that her iniquity is pardoned.
These are some of the great classic texts
of this Advent season
that are worthy of your meditation.
So if you have not yet taken the time
to sit with these passages,
let me encourage you to do that today.
But we acknowledge that the book of Isaiah
is filled with prophecies
about this future messianic age
that will be brought by this future messianic king
who will come and put all things right.
And Christians, of course,
believe that this messianic king
was Jesus himself.
And so we're focusing
not only on the one who was born
in the manger on Christmas Day,
but we're focusing on the one
who when he comes as the judge of the world,
he will renew this sad old world
and he'll make everything new.
And so that's why we've chosen
our text today, Isaiah 35.
And I want to encourage you,
if you pull out your pew Bibles,
to turn to page 582.
Page 582.
And I think it's important
to see the text there
because it's written in poetry,
not prose.
And a poet is somebody
who gives us not so much a story,
they give us pictures,
they give us images.
And Isaiah is giving us
these three images
of what is gonna happen
when God's Messiah comes
to establish the kingdom of God
on the earth as it is in heaven.
And what I want to walk us through
is how he goes from sorrow
to blossoming joy.
That's the first image
we're gonna look at.
And then he goes from fear
to whole life salvation.
That's the second image.
And then the third image is
he moves from exile
to the highway home.
Okay?
So I know like two of you
take notes on a Sunday morning,
but I'm gonna say it again
for those of you who take notes.
From sorrow to blossoming joy,
from fear to whole life salvation,
and from exile to the highway home.
And I want to start
with this movement
from sorrow to blossoming joy.
It says in verse one,
the desert and the parched land
will be glad
and the wilderness will blossom,
will rejoice and blossom
like the crocus.
It will burst into bloom.
It will rejoice greatly
and shout for joy.
The interior spiritual landscape
of the exiled people of God
who are the first people
reading this text,
their interior spiritual landscape
matches the exterior physical landscape
of this desert with no water.
This parched land,
this wilderness of burning sand
and thirsty ground,
the lives of the people of God
feel dry.
They feel arid.
They feel withered and barren.
Full of sorrow and sighing.
In a word,
their lives are joyless.
Anybody ever feel joyless?
The extreme conditions in the desert
are hostile to life, right?
There's no water.
There's no green.
There's no flowers.
There's no fragrance.
There's no beauty.
We can't enjoy any of these things.
And verses seven and verse nine
say that the desert
is actually the haunt of jackals,
that lions and ravenous beasts
live there.
And maybe you feel like that sometimes.
You feel like,
man,
I live among predators
and everywhere I turn,
there's a hard circumstance.
There's a difficult person to love.
There's a threatening situation.
And that's how the people of God felt
as they were living in exile.
Literally,
they had been exiled
from their homes in Israel
and taken off to Egypt
and Assyria
and Babylon.
And so Isaiah gives them this word,
this vision
that when God's Messiah comes,
parched and barren places
of sorrow and sighing
will become fruitful places
of joy and gladness.
Now each year,
everyone that lived
in this part of the world
knew that each year
the winter rain would come
and it would cause
a springtime of
some sparse growth
of grasses
and flowers
here and there
in the desert.
You'd have to go
and search for them
pretty hard to find them.
And what Isaiah is describing
is this supernaturally
enhanced spring
that's intensified
many folds
so that the desert,
he says,
is bursting into bloom.
So that you have
these natural scrub brushes
and acacias
and wildflowers
like the crocus
that are blooming.
But even more than that,
he says there are forests
and there are woods
that are springing up
in this barren place.
He says in verse 2,
the glory of Lebanon
will be given to it
and the splendor
of Carmel and Sharon.
That's like saying
the glory of the Muir Woods
and the splendor
of Napa Valley
and Yosemite Valley
will be given to it.
Can you imagine
a bloom in the desert
of giant redwoods
and sequoias,
of cedars and pines,
of olive trees
and grapevines
that are just
bursting into life.
Isaiah says
it's as if the landscape
will break into a smile
of joy.
Rejoice greatly,
shout for joy,
he says,
because the creator God
is going to send
his Messiah
to this barren,
hard,
cracked,
thirsty,
lifeless place.
and he's going to turn
this great Salt Lake desert
into the central valley
of fertility
and fruitfulness.
Anybody been to the Mojave Desert?
He's going to turn
the Mojave Desert
into Sonoma Valley
with wine
and feasting
and beauty
and joy.
God,
when he sends
his Messiah,
is going to turn
the whole world
into the Garden of Eden,
into a new creation
because that's what
he made us for.
We were made
to walk with God
in the cool
of the day,
in an orchard
of trees,
in a vineyard
of fine wine.
And so why does
the Lord give
his sorrowful people
a vision
in the midst
of this world
that's currently
barren and bleak?
In the midst
of a world
that for them
is bombed out
and in ruins?
A world
that's been scorched
and scarred
by human pride
and violence?
Why does he give them
a vision
for this world
being changed
into a beautiful
and life-giving garden
of rest
and of peace?
Because he wants us
to know that a day
is coming
when your heart
will be satisfied
with joy.
This vision
of a transformed world
speaks to the end
of sin and death.
It speaks to
the reversal
of the curse
that sits heavy
on this world.
It speaks to the end
of a creation
being released
from its bondage
and its groaning
and its decay.
It speaks of a day
when we will fully
enjoy the Lord.
And that's what he means
in verse 2
when he says
they will see
the glory
of the Lord
and the splendor
of our God.
The Lord is
creating this
life-giving
transformation
in the most
barren place
and in the most
unexpected way
not so that we can
experience
and enjoy
the glory
and splendor
of this beautiful
landscape.
He does not
want us to
merely enjoy
the natural
fertility of Lebanon
or the ordered
cultivation
of Carmel
or the innate
attractiveness
of Sharon
which is all
wonderful and good
but no
what he really
wants for us
is to be
awestruck
by a vision
of his own
glory
and his own
splendor.
The majesty
and the beauty
of God
from which
all other
things
derive their
loveliness
and their
attractiveness
because Isaiah
says when you
see the glory
of Yahweh
when you see
the glory
of I am
who I am
when you see
the splendor
of Elohim
when you see
the splendor
of almighty
God
your parched
and barren
heart
will burst
into bloom
and you
will begin
to blossom
with joy
and he
will vivify
you
and he
will fill
you
with the
life
of heaven
he will
put the
life
of God
in your
soul
and he
will turn
you
into a
new
creation
that's
what
Isaiah
is saying
and Isaiah
goes on
and he
says the
reason
that nothing
is blossoming
here
is because
there is
no life
giving
water
in verse
six
he says
water
will gush
forth
in the
wilderness
and streams
in the desert
the burning
sand
will become
a pool
the thirsty
ground
bubbling
springs
in the
haunts
where jackals
once lay
grass and reeds
and papyrus
will grow
when the
Messiah
comes
springs
of water
will supernaturally
well up
from deep
and hidden
places
and they
will gush
forth
and all
those places
that have been
ravaged
all those places
that have been
ruined
will begin
to grow
up into
an oasis
and into
a paradise
Isaiah
knows
that we're
not made
to live
east of
Eden
we're not
made to
live in this
world of
withering
and aging
we're not
made to
live in a
world of
disease
and death
but we're
made for
this world
where God
himself will
come and
give us
new life
and new
creation
where he
will give
us the
water
and the
green
growth
where we
least
expect it
so that
we who
were
burning
sand
spiritually
and we
who were
thirsty
ground
existentially
we will
be changed
into
bubbling
springs
and this
is why
Isaiah
the prophet
is
filling our
heads
with these
poetic
images
of
blossoming
joy
because he
can see
what's going
on in the
life of the
people
the exiled
people of
God
look at
verse 3
he says
strengthen
the feeble
hands
steady the
knees
that give
way
say to
those
fearful
hearts
be strong
do not
fear
your God
will come
he will
come
to save
you
you see
without a
vision
without a
messianic
vision
of the
future
without a
vision of
this future
messianic
king
who's
coming
the people
of God
are perishing
they have
feeble
hands
that
will not
serve
God
they have
weak
and wobbly
knees
that will
not
walk
with
God
they have
fearful
and anxious
hearts
that will
not trust
God
and so
this
prophetic
vision
of the
Messiah
this
prophetic
vision
of his
coming
is meant
to be
medicine
for the
people
of God
it's
meant
to be
like
a
cordial
that
we
drink
and
as
it
goes
down
it
gives
us
strength
and
stability
and
conviction
to the
people
of God
so that
it
steals
our
nerves
so that
it
stiffens
our
resolve
to
live
as
a
counter
cultural
people
in
this
barren
world
you see
if the
Lord
can give
his
people
a
fresh
vision
of
his
own
glory
and his
own
splendor
and the
way
in which
we will
share
in his
glory
and in
his
splendor
when his
Messiah
comes
then he
knows
that that
vision
will
strengthen
our
feeble
hands
and it
will
steady
our
weak
and
wobbly
!
knees
and it
will
put
resolve
and
courage
into
our
fearful
hearts
you guys
with me
Isaiah is
writing to
people who
are
discouraged
he's
writing to
people
whose
lives
are
collapsing
he's
writing to
people who
have their
heads
in their
hands
and they're
afraid
and they're
anxious
they're
depressed
and they're
lonely
they're
tired
and they're
despairing
they feel
barren
they feel
like their
life is
going from
fear
to fear
and they're
ready to
give up
because they
feel like
their future
is just
one of
endless
joy
and Isaiah
says to
them
the Lord
wants to
lift that
heavy burden
from your
shoulders
the Lord
wants to
replace your
fear with
confidence
he wants to
replace your
despair with
hope
he wants to
replace
your fatigue
with
energy
he wants to
replace your
sadness
and your
misery
with his
own joy
and the way
he intends
to do that
is by
revealing
himself
to you
showing you
more of his
own glory
and his
own splendor
encouraging you
that he's
coming
and that when
he comes
he will
come
to save
so how do
we apply
this to our
lives
this advent
well two
things
quickly
if you're
here today
and you're
feeling dry
your life
feels like
that parched
desert
that waterless
wilderness
your soul
feels like
that burning
sand
and that
thirsty
ground
I want to
remind you
that in the
first advent
of Jesus
he came
and he gave
us just a
glimpse
of the glory
and the splendor
of the Lord
and when
we saw him
we heard him
say this
in John 4
he said
whoever drinks
the water
I give them
will never
thirst
indeed
the water
I give
them
will become
in them
a spring
of water
welling up
to eternal
life
he says
something similar
in John
the gospel
of John
chapter 7
he says
let anyone
who is thirsty
come to me
and drink
whoever believes
in me
as scripture
has said
rivers
of living
water
will flow
from
within them
and by this
he meant
the Holy
Spirit
so friends
do not allow
yourself
to stay
dry
do not allow
yourself
to stay
parched
and thirsty
and burning
go today
go this
month
to the one
that God
sent to save
you
and he
will refresh
you
he will
satisfy you
with living
water
from a place
you know
not which
it comes
the water
of the Holy
Spirit
and he
will turn
you into
a bubbling
spring
he says
he will
turn you
into a
person
who is
not only
refreshed
and satisfied
he will
turn you
into someone
who refreshes
and satisfies
other people
the second
application
is this
that Isaiah
35
I think
is what
C.S.
Lewis
is getting
at
in his
Narnia
Chronicles
when he
talks about
living in a
world
that's
always
winter
but never
Christmas
and yet
knowing
in the midst
of that
world
that Aslan
is somehow
on the
move
he says
wrong
will be
right
when Aslan
comes in
sight
at the
sound
of his
roar
sorrows
will be
no more
when he
bears his
teeth
winter
meets
its
death
and when
he shakes
his mane
we shall
have spring
again
or
if you
had a
British
accent
again
if we
can remember
how
Aslan
came
the first
time
and how
when he
came
he kind
of shook
his mane
a little
bit
and if
we can
know in
our hearts
that he's
on the
move
even now
even though
we can't
see him
then we
can live
through the
winter of
this world
knowing that
we shall
have spring
again
we can
live even
with an
anticipatory
joy
before our
circumstances
even change
one
iota
because we
have a
sure and
a certain
hope that
when Aslan
comes again
and when
Aslan shakes
his mane
one final
and ferocious
time
all the
deserts of
this world
will spring
into bloom
they'll burst
for joy
so friends
let us put
our eyes
on
this one
who has
come
and is
coming
who says
that if we
come to
him
he'll
strengthen
our
feeble
hands
he'll
steady
our
weak
and
wobbly
knees
he'll
give
courage
to our
fearful
hearts
this is
what I
think
Isaiah
is talking
about
when he
talks
about
moving
from
sorrow
to
blossoming
joy
the second
image I
want to
walk us
through
is
from
fear
to
whole
life
salvation
from
fear
to
whole
life
salvation
again
verse 4
he says
say to
those
with
fearful
hearts
be
strong
do
not
fear
your
God
will
come
he
will
come
with
vengeance
with
divine
retribution
he
will
come
to
save
you
yikes
that's
kind
of
intense
right
we
heard
Isaiah
2
last
week
he
talked
about
the
fearful
presence
of
the
Lord
when
he
comes
with
the
splendor
of
his
majesty
and
he
rises
up
from
his
throne
he
will
shake
the
earth
and
the
humble
will
be
exalted
and
the
exalted
will
be
humbled
the
prophets
don't
mess
around
and
that
word
vengeance
is
hard
for
us
because
we
can
only
really
imagine
human
vengeance
right
a
human
kind
of
vengeance
that's
dark
that
is
full
of
self
that's
full
of
malice
vengeance
but
what
Isaiah
is
talking
about
is
divine
vengeance
and
that
word
means
justice
it's
a word
that
means
liberation
for
the
oppressed
!
And
what
he's
talking
about
is
the
divine
judge
who
in
his
justice
sees
the
wrongs
that
are
being
done
to
his
people
that
are
suffering
and
that
he
will
come
to
make
all
those
things
right
that
word
retribution
means
that
the
Lord
sees
all
the
injustices
that
are
being
done
against
his
people
and
it
assures
them
that
in
his
pure
and
perfect
justice
he
will
come
and
he
will
cause
all
of
those
things
to
be
settled
once
and
for
all
and
this
must
have
been
a
huge
relief
and
a
huge
comfort
to
these
suffering
exiles
in
Egypt
and
Assyria
and
Babylon
who
literally
had
been
torn
from
their
homes
who
had
been
alienated
who
had
been
mistreated
who
had
been
abused
right
these
broken
families
with
poor
widows
and
orphans
women
literally
pregnant
women
had
been
torn
open
literally
their
babies
had
been
dashed
against
the
rocks
their
fathers
had
been
cut
down
with
swords
and
spears
no
wonder
they
were
full
of
sorrow
and
sighing
no
wonder
their
hands
were
feeble
and
their
knees
were
weak
and
their
hearts
were
afraid
what a
relief
what a
comfort
it must
have
been
to
know
that
the
judge
of
all
justice
is
coming
to
put
an
end
to
the
darkness
and
this
is
what
Isaiah
says
Messiah
when
God's
Messiah
comes
he's
going
to
right
all
wrongs
and
he's
going
to
heal
all
wounds
and
his
redemption
and
his
rescue
will
not
merely
be
for
our
souls
they'll
be
for
our
bodies
verse
five
he says
then
will
the
eyes
of
the
blind
be
open
and
the
ears
of
the
deaf
unstopped
then
will
the
lame
leap
like
a
deer
and
the
mute
tongues
shout
for
joy
Isaiah
is
describing
a
community
of
people
that
are
disabled
and
who
are
suffering
these
are
blind
people
who
cannot
see
the
sunrise
they
can't
see
a
smiling
!
face
they
can't
see
the
glory
of
God
these
are
blind
people
who
cannot
hear
a
child
laugh
they
cannot
hear
the
voice
of
a
loved
one
they
cannot
hear
the
truth
of
God
these
are
lame
people
who
cannot
walk
they
cannot
dance
they
cannot
serve
God
these
are
mute
people
who
cannot
talk
or
sing
or
declare
the
praises
of
God
they
lost
much
of
their
humanity
how
would
you
feel
if
you
lost
these
faculties
and
these
abilities
but
Isaiah
says
when
God
himself
comes
to
save
when
he
sends
his
Messiah
and
he
arrives
he's
going
to
transform
inability
to
ability
and
lack
into
abundance
and
when
the
Messiah
shows
up
nerves
are
going
to
start
to
heal
and
grow
and
they're
going
to
send
signals
and
receive
signals
so
that
blind
eyes
will
see
this
God
who
saves
and
so
that
deaf
ears
will
hear
the
word
of
this
God
and
so
that
lame
legs
will
leap
in
the
presence
of
God
and
mute
tongues
will
begin
to sing
for joy
in the
worship
of God
all of
these
capacities
are used
to celebrate
with joy
what God
can do
and what
God
has done
these
people
when
Messiah
comes
they're
not
just
going
to
walk
and
begin
to
get
strength
back
in
their
legs
and
just
totter
around
he says
no
they're
going
to
jump
they're
going
to
leap
they're
going
to
bound
they're
going
to
dance
for
God
he says
these
are
people
who
cannot
speak
they're
not
just
going
to
be
able
to
get
the
ability
to
mumble
a few
things
no
he says
they're
not
just
going
to
talk
they're
going
to
shout
they're
going
to
praise
God
at
the
top
of
their
lungs
they're
going
to
be
human
again
when
the
Messiah
comes
friends
do you
see
what
happens
when
the
Messiah
comes
it's
a
vision
and
it's
a
promise
that
divine
justice
will
put
wrongs
right
divine
compassion
will
heal
suffering
souls
and
divine
power
will
restore
disabled
bodies
now
if
you're
exploring
the
Christian
faith
my
question
for you
this
morning
is
have
you
taken
Jesus
seriously
when
he says
that
he's
come
to be
the
fulfillment
of the
prophets
that
he's
come
to
fulfill
Israel's
scriptures
that
he's
come
to
be
the
one
God
sent
to
save
us
I'd
encourage
you
to
look
at
Matthew
chapter
11
later
today
it's
a
great
story
of
John
the
Baptist
who
was
the
last
of
the
Old
Testament
prophets
and
his
job
was
to
point
to
God's
coming
Messiah
his
job
was
to
show
everybody
that
here
comes
the
Lord
prepare
the
way
of
the
Lord
get
ready
repent
turn
to
the
Lord
but
later
on
John
finds
himself
languishing
in a
prison
cell
and
he's
there
because
of
his
commitment
to
his
message
because
of
his
commitment
to
the
authority
of
God's
word
but
in
his
prison
cell
John's
realizing
that
the
kingdom
of
God
is
not
exactly
coming
in
all
the
ways
that
he
imagined
it
would
and
so
he's
discouraged
again
he's
another
one
of
God's
people
who's
discouraged
and
he
begins
to
wonder
if
Jesus
really
is
who
John
had
claimed
him
to
be
he's
wondering
to
himself
where
is
all
the
divine
vengeance
and
retribution
that was
promised
against
our
enemies
where's
all the
thunder
and the
lightning
where
is
where's
God
when
people
are
vandalizing
shalom
and
violating
the
image
of
God
where
is
the
Lord
when
when the
people
who are
ruling
this
world
are
Pontius
Pilate
and the
oppressive
Romans
where's
the
Lord
when
those
who
are
governing
over
the
people
of
God
are
herod
and
corrupt
religious
leaders
what is
going
on
John
says
and so
he sends
his
disciples
to
Jesus
with
this
question
he says
are
you
the
one
who
was
to
come
or
should
we
expect
someone
else
and
Jesus
replied
this
in
Matthew
11
4
he
says
go back
and report
to
John
what
the
blind
receive
sight
the
lame
walk
those
who
have
leprosy
are
cleansed
the
deaf
hear
the
dead
are
raised
and
the
good
news
is
proclaimed
to
the
poor
blessed
is
anyone
who
does
not
stumble
on
account
of
me
see
John
is
steeped
in
scripture
and he
would
know
exactly
what
Jesus
is
saying
that
Jesus
is
quoting
and
paraphrasing
Isaiah
35
along
with
other
echoes
of
the
book
of
Isaiah
and
Jesus
is
basically
saying
this
John
this is
it
the
messianic
age
has
broken
in
to
this
space
time
matter
continuum
and
heaven
is
coming
down
on
the
earth
as
you
can
see
from
the
things
that
I
begun
to
do
people
are
being
healed
people
are
being
delivered
people
are
being
liberated
and
set
free
I
am
the
one
who's
come
to
save
look
John
at
all
the
grace
look
at
all
the
new
life
of
God
that's
being
poured
out
through
me
it's
obvious
that I've
come
to make
my
blessings
flow
as far
as the
curse
is
found
but
I've
just
not
come
to
do
it
in
the
timeline
that
you
expected
or in
the way
that you
would have
preferred
so
John
strengthen
your feeble
hands
steady
your weak
knees
take courage
in your
fearful
and discouraged
heart
because what
I'm partially
fulfilling
for a small
number of
blind
deaf
lame
and mute
people
now
I
plan
to
completely
fulfill
one
day
for
all
my
people
I'm
going
to
save
you
body
and
soul
John
even
though
you're
in
prison
even
though
your
head
is
going
to
be
cut
off
I'm
coming
back
to
save
you
at
every
level
spiritually
emotionally
relationally
and
physically
and in
fact
when I
come
again
I'm
going
to
take
the
whole
sad
world
and
I'm
going
to
turn
it
into
a
paradise
that's
blossoming
with
joy
but
you
gotta
wait
and
blessed
is
anyone
who's
not
tripped
up
by
me
John
blessed
is
anybody
who's
not
put
off
by
the
way
I'm
doing
things
friends
do you
see
Jesus
intentionally
yet
partially
fulfilling
this
scripture
and
do you
understand
yourself
to be
living
between
the
first
advent
of
Jesus
and
the
second
advent
of
Jesus
do you
know
that
your
life
is
bound
up
in
the
already
of
his
kingdom
that
he's
fulfilled
and
in
the
not
yet
of
his
kingdom
that
he
will
one
day
come
to
complete
and
does
his
future
coming
again
fill
you
with
a
kind
of
comfort
and
joy
that's
beyond
you
and
as
we
wait
for
that
second
advent
of
Jesus
when
he
comes
to
completely
fulfill
Isaiah
35
what
will
we
pray
I
suggest
a
great
prayer
as the
one
we
sang
earlier
come
thou
long
expected
Jesus
born
to set
thy
people
free
from
our
fears
and
our
sins
release
us
now
as
we're
waiting
for
you
let
us
find
our
rest
in
thee
the
last
picture
we've
moved
from
sorrow
to
blossoming
joy
from
fear
to
whole
life
salvation
and
I'll
end
briefly
talking
about
this
move
from
exile
to
the
highway
home
from
exile
to
the
highway
home
he
says
in
verse
8
a
highway
will
be
there
it
will
be
called
the
way
of
holiness
it
will
be
for
those
who
walk
on
that
way
the
unclean
will
not
journey
on
it
wicked
fools
will
not
go
about
on
it
no
lion
will
be
there
nor
any
ravenous
beast
they
will
not
be
found
there
but
only
the
redeemed
will
walk
there
and
those
the
Lord
has
rescued
will
return
they
will
enter
Zion
with
singing
everlasting
joy
will
crown
their
heads
gladness
and
sorrow
will
overtake
them
gladness
and joy
will
overtake
them
and sorrow
is living
very far
away
from
home
we're
spiritually
homeless
like
those
exiles
we're
living
far
from
our
true
home
in
God
but
Isaiah
says
that
God
will
provide
a
way
God
will
in fact
provide
a
highway
that
will
take
us
home
and
he
says
that
path
to
get
home
is
called
the
highway
of
holiness
he
says
not
everybody
can
travel
on
the
sacred
!
unclean
the
wicked
the
foolish
are
not
allowed
to
journey
on
it
only
those
who've
been
granted
access
only
those
who've
been
given
a
passport
and
a
visa
can
go
on
this
road
Isaiah
says
only
the
people
that
the
Lord
has
redeemed
only
the
people
the
Lord
has
rescued
can
walk
in
this
way
and
how
does
this
work
how
do
we
get
home
on
this
way
well
all
the
pages
of the
Old
Testament
are
wrestling
with
the
promise
that
one
day
the
Messiah
will
come
and
when
he
comes
he'll
take
us
home
he'll
redeem
us
he'll
rescue
us
and
he'll
enable
us
to
return
to
our
true
home
in
God
and
Jesus
having
read
every
single
one
of
those
promises
he
comes
along
and
he
makes
the
most
outrageous
claim
in
John
14
and
he
says
I
am
the
way
I
am
the
way
and
no
one
comes
to
the
father
no
one
gets
home
except
!
through
me!
Jesus
says
I'm
the
highway
of
holiness
back
to
your
true
home
and
the
amazing
thing
that we
celebrate
at
Christmas
time
is
that
Jesus
left
his
home
he
left
his
home
in
the
glory
of
heaven
he
left
his
true
home
in
the
eternal
God
head
and
he
became
an
exile
like
us
he
became
spiritually
and
cosmically
homeless
like
us
in order
to come
and get
us
home
and
Jesus
when he
grew up
he
went to
that
place
called
Gethsemane
and we're
told that
there he
was
overcome
with
sorrow
and was
sighing
to the
point
of
death
in our
place
so that
we
didn't
have
to
go
there
and
we're
told
that
on
the
next
day
he
was
thrown
out
of
Zion
with
cursing
he
was
thrown
out
of
Zion
with
a
crown
of
thorns
and
everlasting
shame
on
his
head
so that
we
could
enter
into
Zion
with
singing
so that
we
could be
crowned
with
everlasting
joy
on
our
heads
and that
on
Good
Friday
Jesus
on
that
cross
he
lost
the
very
presence
of
God
he
received
and
absorbed
and
absorbed
into
himself
that
divine
justice
that
divine
retribution
that
caused
him
to
cry
out
my
God
my
God
why
have
you
forsaken
me
and
he
did
that
to
bring
us
all
the
way
home
to
the
presence
and
the
glory
of
God
and
of
course
on
Easter
Sunday
Jesus
rose
up
from
the
grave
and
he
walked
out
of
the
tomb
he
walked
and
took
his
first
steps
into
that
new
creation
of
new
life
so
that
we
could
follow
right
behind
him
on
that
highway
of
holiness
with
gladness
and
with
joy
in
his
first
coming
Jesus
became
homeless
at
Christmas
so
that
he
could
bring
us
home
and
in
his
second
coming
he's
going
to
return
and
make
this
world
a
true
home
where
we
can
fully
blossom
with
joy
and
when
we
come
home
when
we
enter
Zion
what
does
it
say
we're
going
to
be
doing
it
says
we're
going
to
be
singing
we're
going
to
be
singing
joyous
songs
about
our
redeemer
and
our
rescuer
we're
going
to
be
singing
joyous
songs
about
the
fact
that
we're
finally
home
and
how
wonderful
this
place
is
we're
going
to
be
singing
songs
that
are
absolutely
purified
of
sorrow
and
of
sighing
we're
going
to
be
singing
all
sorts
of
songs
about
how
he's
made
everything
absolutely
everything
new
and
friends
when we
sing
those
songs
of
Zion
we're
going
to
have
no
regrets
for
every
step
of
faith
we
took
in
this
life
on
the
Lord's
highway
of
holiness
we
will
have
no
regrets
about
every
little
sacrifice
we
had
to
make
in
order
to
leave
that
old
sad
life
behind
we
will
have
no
regrets
about
all
the
ways
that
our
Holy
Father
and
his
Holy
Son
Jesus
and
his
Holy
Spirit
use
the
Holy
Scriptures
and
Holy
Baptism
and
Holy
Communion
and
his
Holy
Saints
in
the
Holy
Church
to
bring
us
on
that
highway
of
holiness
all
the
way
back
to
our
holy
home
with
God
I'll
close
with
these
final
words
from
the
last
book
in
the
Narnia
Chronicles
it says
this
the
new
Narnia
was a
deeper
country
every
rock
and
flower
and
blade
of
grass
looked
as if
it
meant
more
I
can't
describe
it
any
better
than
that
if
you
ever
get
there
you'll
know
what
I
mean
it
was
the
unicorn
who
summed
up
what
everyone
was
feeling
he
stamped
his
right
forehoof
on the
ground
and
neighed
and then
he cried
I've
come home
at last
this is
my real
country
I belong
here
this is
the land
I've been
looking for
all my
life
though
I
never
knew
it
till
now
the
reason
why
we love
the
old
Narnia
is that
it
sometimes
looked
a little
bit
like
this
so
come
further
up
and
further
in
in the
name
of the
Father
Son
and Holy
Spirit
we pray
amen
you