Isaiah 66:10–14
Laetare, Fourth Sunday in Lent
Isaiah 66:10–14
10 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her! Rejoice with her, all you who mourn over her.
11 For now you may suckle and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; for now you may drink deeply and rejoice at her abundant mother's breasts.
12 For thus says the LORD: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like an overflowing stream. There you shall suckle, you shall be carried on the arm and fondled on the knee.
13 I will comfort you as a mother comforts her child; yes, you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 You shall see it and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like grass. Then the hand of the LORD will be known to his servants, and his wrath to his enemies.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.
Dear congregation,
At the end of the Book of Isaiah, we find a similarly encouraging message as at the end of the New Testament. In the end, everything will be fine! That is the common thread running through these lines.
In the end, joy will prevail, cheerfulness will set the tone, and people will be comforted – safe and secure like children with a loving mother.
It is wonderful that this Sunday, Laetare, falls in the middle of Lent. In the midst of suffering, when people carry such heavy burdens and think dark thoughts, God shines forth: as a source of strength, as a source of comfort.
I will comfort you as a mother comforts her child. This sentence shines brightly! And I think it is worth pausing for a moment and asking how a mother comforts her child.
A mother comforts by giving herself. She is there. She is very close: the infant and the mother are physically connected – not only before birth, but also afterwards.
The mother nurses her child. The child receives from her everything it needs to live.
As close as only a mother can be – that is how close God is. Isaiah understood this.
A mother comforts by fulfilling the basic needs for security, nourishment, closeness and comfort. People who have the good fortune and privilege of growing up with such parents, mothers and fathers, are blessed for the rest of their lives.
Isaiah certainly did not know much about developmental psychology and attachment theory, which are so important for children, and yet Isaiah hits the nail on the head with his image:
God is as connected to us, his creatures, as a mother is to her child.
But we cannot simply ignore our contrary experiences at this point. What about the comfort Isaiah speaks of?
Are these empty claims?
Even back then, it was difficult for his contemporaries to imagine a joyful, peaceful Jerusalem. Life was characterised by the opposite: devastation and displacement, injustice, a gap between rich and poor.
And at present, it is really difficult to imagine how peace can come to Jerusalem. Looking at the Middle East, looking at Jerusalem, makes me feel more desolate than ever. More and more people are expressing disappointment and disillusionment with a bleak world.
Many people see this bleak world as the ‘real world’. The world in which peace is impossible; the world in which humanity has been lost; the world that is full of danger, war and violence. This reflects the experiences of an overwhelming majority of the world's population.
Anyone who truly wants to offer comfort cannot ignore this part of the real world. Much in this world can cause people to despair and become despondent. Our minds cannot cope with many things. There are no complete explanations for the cruelty that humans inflict on other humans and their environment.
All of this leads to bitter questions and doubtful thoughts.
And that is why it is important to remember that well-intentioned consolation often does not take suffering seriously enough. Much well-intentioned consolation is appeasement, an expression of great helplessness and also, at least unconsciously, a way of keeping suffering at bay.
The image of the mother who comforts is so different – her comfort nourishes the child. She draws it close to her. She gives herself.
The child's deep need is acknowledged. Its despair is appeased. This is possible. And Isaiah is convinced: it is possible that God comforts in this way. In a world where an infant would never be able to cope on its own, it is given a mother – and because this mother exists, the world becomes a wonderful place to live.
The bond between mother and child is the description of perfect closeness in an imperfect world.
The connection between God and his people opens up a place to live – an experience of security and perfection in a desolate world.
And this makes it clear: the world is not either good or bad: the world always remains both: a beautiful world and a cruel world.
Neither of these is the world in itself – rather, the world is what we humans make of it.
Comfort is credible solidarity and a reliable relationship.
Comfort does not overcome suffering itself, but it alleviates the suffering of suffering – comfort creates acceptance and is a source of strength to cope with what could rob us of our sanity.
Above all, comfort is the certainty and confidence that the world we despair of can become a world in which people support and strengthen each other.
Like a mother comforts a child.
When I was little, like almost all small children, I was sometimes inconsolable. Something had upset or hurt me. Something had thrown my little world into disarray.
And I was told that when something like that happened, I would happily announce: ‘My mummy will make me better!’
God comforts us as a mother comforts her child: God makes the world good again – the people in it – us: each and every one of us. God makes us good again: enables us to preserve and rediscover our humanity.
If that is true, then it will be easier for us to imagine living together happily in Jerusalem.
If it is true that God makes us whole again, then I can well imagine that justice will spread like a river and peace will grow.
Our congregation is a training ground for this – every congregation, every church: it is our calling to live side by side with people and overcome suffering together.
Let us celebrate what we have experienced today in baptism: God makes us whole again. God comforts us as a mother comforts her child.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.