Wiping Away Tears

Advent Day 4

First Wednesday in Advent

November 30, 2011

Reading: Isaiah 25:7-8 (NRSV)

⁷ And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; ⁸ he will swallow up death forever. 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.

Theme: Wiping away tears.

Reflection:

For many people Advent is a bittersweet season. Advent calls for time to meditate and reflect on God’s promises. God’s promise in this text from Isaiah is to “swallow up death” and “wipe away tears from all faces.” In the Advent season, losses of loved ones are often particularly felt. Amid the hope, joy and anticipation of Advent, there is often an undercurrent of pain. This promise to swallow up death and wipe away tears is a powerful antidote to any sense of loss in this season.

I have read these words at many funerals in my time as a pastor. I felt, more than heard these words, as my brother-in-law read them at my mother’s funeral this past fall. In the promise of these words, I could feel my tears being dried, and I could feel God’s promise that death would be no more.

In this Advent season of watching and waiting for Jesus’ return, we have the assurance that God has made good on the promise and has indeed swallowed up death in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Advent is a season of HOPE. Because of Jesus, we have the sure and certain HOPE that our tears will indeed be wiped away.

Prayer: Good and gracious God, in this Advent season we pray for all people who feel the pain of loss. May you wipe away tears of all of us and comfort us with the promise that death will indeed be swallowed up. Amen