December 4, 2025
The Road Home
"The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall
blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty
of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the
Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak
hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those
who have an anxious heart, 'Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the
recompense of God. He will come and save you.' Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of
the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like
a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For
waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in
the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and
the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become
reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it
shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall
not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on
the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast
come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the
redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the
Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall
flee away."
I S A I A H 3 5 : 1 - 1 0
Sin and rebellion have cut off the Israelites - and all nations
- from God, yet there is still hope; there is still a way home.
Martin Luther argued that these verses lay out both grand and
hidden promises for the church; for the church is truly home
for all of God’s people. Despite the surrounding deserts of the
world, the church is where we find joy and singing. It’s where
God’s glory is revealed to us through the preaching of the cross
and where springs of forgiveness and righteousness burst forth
from the sacraments.
Week after week, God’s people gather in the wilderness to
be fetched home via God’s Way of Holiness. We have access to
this road not through our own merits or accomplishments, but
only through God’s word which cleans us, renews us and keeps
us from going astray – even if (and when) we are fools (v. 8).
Perhaps this Advent season you feel like the distance home
is too far, too dangerous, too costly. You aren’t prepared for the
journey. Despite the holiday cheer, you have a fearful heart (v. 4)
and worry that the highway is not for you. You fret that the front
door into God’s presence is locked. Yet Isaiah proclaims, “Be
strong; fear not!” God has not only laid out the highway for you,
he has also promised to come and save you.
In other words,
God hasn’t just made a way home, he is the way.
Christ has
come. And he will come again so that the ransomed of the Lord
- God’s church - shall walk, free from all obstacles and enemies,
straight into his embrace.
DEAR GOD, THROUGH THE WEEKLY GATHERING OF YOUR
PEOPLE AND THE MINISTRY OF YOUR WORD, PLEASE
STRENGTHEN MY WEAK HANDS AND MAKE FIRM MY
KNEES TO WALK HOME TO YOU. AMEN.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be
translated in whole or in part into any other language.
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Coming Home for Christmas: Advent in Isaiah © 2025 1517
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