A Light at the End of the Tunnel
Posted by Chris on December 7, 2008 under Sermons
Congregational Reading: Psalm 85:1-13
Read Isaiah 40:1-11
- A man sits alone on the bed of a hotel room that he rents by the week. His family has told him that he cannot be with them if he continues to drink and hurt himself and everyone else. He sits in his room and changes channels on a broken TV set. A blank look on his face masks the sorrow and guilt deep inside. He longs for the day that he can be with his family again.
- A family gathers around a small Christmas tree in front of a drafty window. Their living room and their dining room are the same room. The children open a gift. The parents look on with twisted smiles. They know something that the children don’t. They know how much they’ve lost and how much they will continue to lose because they squandered their fortune in a foolish deal. They know how strained their relationship has been. They long for a day when they can be free of the burdens of debt and penalty and speak words of love again.
- A church gathers to worship. Their singing is tired. There’s an odd silence and nervousness as people gather and say very little to each other. They notice who’s missing, but they ignore those who are there. The words of the sermon and the Scriptures are drowned out by the memories of angry and painful words spoken and whispered. Relationships have been hurt. Fellowship has suffered. The people long for a day when their spirits are renewed.
I love Isaiah 40. It says that God forgives. It says that God makes a way out of the sadness, the despair, the suffering, and the sorrow. It says that God is leading us out of temptation and sin. It says that that God is going to pull us out of the muck and mire of our mistakes. It says that the worst things are never the last things. It says that the word that God wants spoken to his people is “comfort.”
I love Isaiah 40 …
It’s a promise of even more than THE Day of the Lord. A day of comfort is coming. A day of “finally” when the consequences and penalty ends …
- The captives in Babylon. Their exile will not last forever, but his promises will. That day came and the glory of the Lord shone forth.
- The disciples of John waiting for a champion from God. They will not wait forever, but they will see and hear the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. That day came and the glory of the Lord shone forth.
- It says to the man in the lonely hotel room: There’s a way out. God is coming. That day is coming – not just the day of the Lord, but a day of comfort. The day to be with his family is coming – and the glory of the Lord will shine forth.
- It says to the family in the crumbling drafty house: There’s a way out. God is coming. There will be and end to your hard service, you will pay off the debts and the penalties will end and your love will increase. That day is coming – not just the day of the Lord, but a day of comfort. That day is coming – and the glory of the Lord will shine forth.
- It says to the hurting and broken church that their sins have been paid for and that the shepherd will take them up in his arms. They will be revived and sing songs of joy. They will share that joy with others who are broken and hurting. That day is coming – not just the day of the Lord, but a day of comfort. That day is coming – and the glory of the Lord will shine forth.
You might want to ask me, “Are these stories true?” Of course they are. They are true in all the thousands of circumstances that they resemble.
These stories are as true as the promise of Isaiah 40 that a day will come when the punishment and consequences of the sin will be lifted. The darkness will lift and the light will shine forth on a new day. They are as true as the glory of the Lord that is revealed every day he brings comfort.
These stories are real. God restores. We’ve seen it happen before and we will see it again. It may be dark and dreary right now, but the message of Isaiah 40 is that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
I say it is a train – and what that means is this: getting out of the tunnel isn’t a matter of us simply clawing our way out – it’s about God rushing in. In the 1960’s, the singing group The Impressions were inspired to write a song about that kind of a train coming …
You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin’
Don’t need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
People get ready for the train to Jordan
It’s picking up passengers from coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board ’em
There’s hope for all among those loved the most.
There ain’t no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there’s no hiding place against the Kingdom’s throne
So people get ready, there’s a train a comin’
You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin’
Don’t need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
The train that is coming in the song speaks to a chance for redemption. It’s a way out for those who long for an end to the sin.
But pay attention: There’s no room for the hopeless sinner who hurts others just to protect self-interest. There’s no room for hateful self-righteousness. There’s no room for those who glorify themselves.
But for those who have faith in the coming of the Lord, there’s a seat on the train. There’s comfort and way out …
I love it that this word about the train, about the light at the end of the tunnel has been preached and is being preached in all sorts of ways. Whether it is the Psalmist, John the Baptist, the Impressions, or preachers like me … The message of Isaiah 40, the word that God wants shouted is being preached.
- A day of comfort will come.
- There is forgiveness – the burden of sins, the pain of mistakes can end
- Get ready for it and make ready for it. Make ready for God because he’s making a way out.
Are you ready? If you’re longing for a day of hope then get ready for it. Prepare the way for the Lord.
It may seem like there’s no way out of the despair, the sin, the mistakes that you’ve made. But God can make a way when there seems to be no way. Prepare the way for the Lord.