Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

           Text: Isaiah 66:12-14

For this is what the Lord says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus:

           I call them – “Just one of those days.” I’ve had them. You have, too. They are days when good old Murphy’s Law moves from principle to reality. Murphy’s Law, you’ll recall, says – “If something can go wrong, it usually will.” Some days Murphy’s wisdom seems to rank right up there with that of Solomon’s.

           I’ve had those days when I thought that everything that could go wrong has, that things couldn’t get any worse – only to find out that I was mistaken. And I am sure that I’m not alone. Today I can laugh about days like these. Murphy’s Law, however, runs a lot deeper. Give me a few days like that and add to them a global picture of doom and tragedy, and it’s no longer something to laugh about.

           The other day I ran across a statistic that brought a feeling of hopelessness and despair over me very quickly. I read that each year in America, 200,000 children are physically abused. No less than 15 to 20 per cent of American families abuse their children. And two-thirds of all abuse occurs with children under four years of age. Child abuse is the number one killer of children under five years of age. And four thousand children die annually due to child abuse – and those are just the cases that are reported.

           It makes me sick and ashamed and angry. So does crazy, vicious crime and violence in the streets and needless death on the highway and the killing of unborn children by abortion and the 10,000 people starving to death every day and the poor education too many of our kids are receiving.

           So there! I’m glad I got that off my mind. But the truth is that I don’t get it off my mind – and you probably don’t either. I get a call from a friend, go on the internet, or watch the news – and it all comes back. It just doesn’t go away. Whether you call it despair or pessimism, it hits even Christians. And what are the results? I’ll list them for you. 1) We look sad. 2) We have little or no good news to share. 3) We can bring a shadow of darkness and doom even to the most promising of settings. 4) We stop trying to make things better. And 5) We’re bad company. We often find ourselves standing alone. And people are saying things to us like – “I’m sorry you feel that way,” or “Are you feeling all right?”

           Without hope and an optimism for the future, Christianity shrivels up. Its appeal is lost, and at best our faith becomes a kind of escapism – certainly not a witness and certainly not filled with joy! Now our preoccupation with pessimism has not gone unnoticed.  In every bookstore you can find a printed resource for overcoming despair. It usually promises you such things as – “You can now begin to live again,” or “Finally, a way for you to make a difference in the world.” It all sounds great! The problem comes when you find that many of these writers are only leading you down the garden path. Counterfeit is passed. Phony optimism is promised – the kind that won’t wash under careful scrutiny. Beware of false optimism. Examples?

           Beware of believing that all you need to do is grit your teeth and forge ahead. You’ve heard the saying – “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Unfortunately, the going may get tougher than you ever imagined. It may be tougher than you. Beware also of believing that you can have an optimistic attitude by just avoiding bad news or bad situations. It may work for a while – but your life isn’t a Disney World. Sooner or later, you’ll run up against it again. You’ll have to cope with evil. And by all means, beware of believing that the answer to your desire for more optimism is you. Perhaps you’ve discovered that you can’t always depend on yourself. Sometimes, you are your own best friend. At other times, you are your own worst enemy.

           Today, we look at Isaiah, the prophet of God to the kingdom of Judah in the last half of the eighth century B.C. Though Isaiah was a son of Amoz – his last name could very well have been Murphy. Isaiah had a good reason for pessimism. As a young man, he had watched the nation of Assyria take the people of Isaiah, the kingdom to the north, into exile. A few years later he watched its capital, Samaria, fall. Then the Assyrians struck at his nation. Many cities were destroyed. Thousands of captives were taken. For most of his days, Isaiah faced war and defeat.

           The prophet Isaiah though had the Word of God to share with his people – but no one wanted to hear it. He looked at his world – and he saw gluttony, idolatry, profaning the Sabbath, and gross injustice. It wasn’t, exactly a prophet’s delight!  But what Isaiah offers us in the face of world crisis and impending doom is no counterfeit optimism. He holds out hope for anyone who will hear his message. I hope that we’re willing to listen to him today – because what he offers us is realistic optimism. No tricks. No escapism. No shaky reliance on self. He faces the problems of life straight on – and remains optimistic.

           The prophet Isaiah gives us four good reasons to have hope – even when the situation looks otherwise. His writing reflects an enduring mood of optimism. And if we look at the words of the text, we’ll find his reasons for hope. First, notice that these words aren’t addressed to an individual – but to a group. We have reason to hope – because we’re not alone. We’re part of a people – the people of God. Others feel the same way we do about things. Righteous anger over needless death and injustice abounds. We’re not alone in wanting to hear less bad news.

           One of the best moves you can make if your perspective is turning pessimistic is this – find a friend, especially one who shares your faith. Solitary pessimism is a dangerous thing. It breeds bitterness and self-pity. Oh, I know – “Misery loves company.” So, getting together with others could turn into a society of pessimists. On the other hand, look at it this way – we’re talking here about a pessimism that springs from a genuine love for the good, hatred of evil, and a desire for goodness to prevail. Put God’s people who have that sort of commitment together – however much it’s been disappointed – and you have some solid support for hope.

           I’d like to think that our congregation is an example of this principle at work. You may be here today because you’ve run up against it. You know you can’t handle it alone. And you know that there are people here who have faced what you’re facing. So, you’ve come – and being here with all of us gives you strength as we share the message of the Gospel with one another.

           Isaiah offers us a reason for hope that is rooted in God. He speaks God’s own message – “This is what the Lord says”. What follows is a series of promises God has made. We have reason to hope – because God has invested Himself for us. The Holy Scriptures are filled with the promises of God to us. They’re made to you – for your good. I’m convinced that we’re often so prone to be pessimistic – because we’re too far from God and His Word to hear His promises. Read that Word with one thought in mind – all of this God did for me.

           Throughout the Scriptures, you see God investing all of His time and energy for you. You read the Gospel not just as His story – but as your story as well. Isaiah’s words are part of that whole stream of Scriptural promise, offering a comforting word of peace. No matter what was going on in the world around them, the people could be sure that the Lord cared about them, that He loved them. And if we look at His Word in this way – as the Lord’s promises and actions on our behalf – we’ll always have reason to hope. For we mean that much to God!

           Isaiah’s words present a God who cares for us with the tender compassion of a mother for her child. It’s a beautiful picture of God as our Comforter. When we feel uneasy and threatened, we can go to the Lord. We expect Him to be there – and He is! You see, God is our reason for confidence.

           And finally, Isaiah promises – “When you see this, your heart will rejoice.” The prophet Isaiah never lost sight of the final outcome of history.  We have reason to hope – because we too have seen the story’s end. Isaiah saw the bounty of God’s kingdom. He even looked beyond the horizon of history – to glory never-ending. You also know how history ends. It ends with God triumphant, with Christ returning in glory, and with you crowned with eternal life that is already yours through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a great ending – a tremendous final scene as the curtain comes down on the drama of the ages.

           Knowing how it ends make those Murphy Days not only bearable, but actually filled with joy. Each day, deadlines and all, is a getting ready for the glorious ending. For Isaiah, there was always time in “one of those days” for celebration – because he kept the whole story in perspective. May it always go that way for you. Come to think about it, who was this Murphy guy anyway? Maybe he should have become acquainted with the prophet Isaiah. He would have pointed him to the Messiah, the Christ, who in all things works for the good of those who love Him. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.