Scripture Reading
Isaiah 40:1-2
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
Reflection
Isaiah opens this great passage not with a command but with a double tender word: comfort, comfort. God is not indifferent to human suffering — he is moved by it. The coming of Christ is the ultimate comfort: sin paid for, hard service complete, the long exile over. Wherever you carry pain this Advent, hear the tender voice that speaks directly to you.
Prayer for Today
Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world,
we pray for your servant N.,
and commend him/her to your mercy.
For his/her sake you came down from heaven;
receive him/her now into the joy of your kingdom.
For though he/she has sinned,
he/she has not denied the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
but has believed in God
and has worshipped his/her Creator.
Amen.
we pray for your servant N.,
and commend him/her to your mercy.
For his/her sake you came down from heaven;
receive him/her now into the joy of your kingdom.
For though he/she has sinned,
he/she has not denied the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
but has believed in God
and has worshipped his/her Creator.
Amen.
Amen.