Tidings of comfort and joy in these modern times of turmoil
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Charles Dickens begins his novel, “A Tale of Two Cities” with this paradox as he contrasted life in London and Paris in 1775, an era charged with the turmoil of the soon-to-be American and French revolutions.
In many ways his observation can be said of our times as well.
Wages have been rising and there are plenty of job openings, but high inflation and gas prices shrink the weekly paycheck.
Vaccines have been developed to fight the spread of COVID-19, while new strains of the disease emerge, which are even more contagious.
And we in Ashland live in relative peace and safety, unless of course Russia’s terrible invasion of Ukraine turns even more deadly with nuclear weapons flying all about.
The best of times? Hardly.
Nor can we limit to our own time the tension between the way things are and how we long for them to be.
The people of Israel longed to return home from their Babylonian captivity. In Isaiah 35:5-8 NRSV the prophet speaks of this promised return as a joyous procession back to Zion. God will save them, and “… the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.”
In 70 years this prophesy was fulfilled.
Centuries later Jesus would quote this same passage to show that God’s kingdom was coming thru Him and His ministry.
In Matthew 11:2-5 we read, “When John [the Baptist] heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”
If you are struggling this year, I urge you to seek the Lord through worship, prayer, scripture, and the fellowship of Christian friends to comfort, encourage and guide you.
And let us raise our voices in song, perhaps using this old English carol: “God rest ye merry, gentlemen. Let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day to save us all from Satan's pow'r when we were gone astray. Oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy! Oh, tidings of comfort and joy!”
Ron Marenchin is the coordinator of music ministries at Trinity Lutheran Church.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Tidings of comfort and joy in these modern times of turmoil
