Mark's Blog

Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Good Cheer and Good Tidings of Great Joy are part of the Advent greeting. That is what makes family losses this time of year especially painful. Do you remember the Mash episode where Hawkeye turned back the clock so he would not have to write December 25 on the death certificate of the son of some mother and father?  How can The Coming change this?

What powerful images Isaiah uses to talk about The Coming: And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations.” There will be no moments when the casket is closed to separate the living from the dead.

And it is not just a trick of turning back the clock, so we can pretend that the moment is not real! No, the Coming completely obliterates Death into nothingness; no more tears, no more disgrace, no more empty chairs, no more broken circles—and no more waiting!

With The Coming our confession rolls across the New Creation: This is the Lord for whom we have waited!

No wonder the angels could not keep their joy pent up in heaven; their song of gladness and good tidings bursts out of heaven—surprising us perhaps, but completely fulfilling our Hope!