https://app.dropwave.io/episode/d44dd79b-c6fb-41fd-a8a1-f879fab027ec/gaudete-advent-3-ad-2025.mp3

Comfort, yes, comfort my people! Your warfare is over! Your iniquities are pardoned! This prophetic Word through the prophet Isaiah is a beautiful text to consider this morning. It is a prophetic word that overflows with Christ and His saving work on our behalf. As we continue on our Advent journey, this is an important landmark. The color for the day is rose instead of purple. Today Christ proclaims comfort to His children. He also assures us that our shepherds, walking with us and guiding us along the way, are not following their own paths. They are stewards of the mysteries of God. They don’t invent their own doctrines, but faithfully proclaim what God has already declared.

As with any journey, things don’t always go as planned. We can all think of our own travels. Things rarely go exactly as planned. You may plan to leave at a certain time, but frequently something comes up. That cup of coffee hits at just the wrong moment. You realize that you forgot to grab your glasses or the one thing you wanted to be sure to remember. Sometimes you get out to the car and realize the keys are still on the kitchen table. Perhaps you realize that it would have been better to stop for gas the night before; because, now you are nearly empty and the line at the gas station is really long. In Hampton Roads, there may be an unexpected bridge opening. In DC you never know when traffic is going to be terrible.

Sometimes you even find yourself questioning yourself. Am I on the best route? Am I even going the right direction? Can I even get there from here? I have even had the experience of missing a ceremony because they printed the wrong time on the official event ticket. I had to learn the hard way to check, double check, and verify again that I had all the right details of an event. In military ceremonies even the smallest details are important. At one official ceremony we were all supposed to wear white gloves. I was the first one to enter the event. Once everyone was in position for the ceremony to start, I noticed that no one else had gloves. They decided backstage to not wear gloves after I was already out front. I had to discreetly remove my gloves without anybody noticing. Even when I had all the right details, I had to remain vigilant for the unexpected changes.

In our Gospel lesson today, John sends his disciples to verify. Are you the Christ or should we sit for another? St John the baptizer is either asking on his own behalf or on behalf of his disciples. At this point he is sitting in jail. He probably has a pretty good sense of what is about to happen. It is not unreasonable to assume that he is filled with doubt. If nothing else, he needs reassurance. He may just be concerned about his disciples. What would happen to them one he was gone? He did not have the benefit of seeing or hearing about all the miracles of Jesus. He did not have the benefit of seeing the resurrection. At the same time, we know that John leapt for joy even in the womb. He boldly confessed his faith in Jesus. He publicly declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Yet, even John needed the reassurance.

The same is true for us as we travel along our journey of faith. There are times of great demonstrations of faith. There are times when we stand alongside St John the baptizer and declare: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” We stand beside St John the baptizer and declare that we are unworthy to stoop down and untie the straps of Jesus’ sandals. We stand beside St John the baptizer and ask: “Are you the Christ or should we wait for another?”

That old unholy trinity of the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature all sow the seeds of doubt within us. Many times it is hard to feel blessed by God. We get laid off or fired from the job we love. We don’t get the promotion we have been working for. The situation we have been praying about doesn’t turn out as we had hoped. The medical procedure doesn’t quite work the way we hoped. The relationship you prayed for turns sour. This time of year, the so called “experts” sow the seeds of doubt about the virgin birth. They cast doubt on many Christmas traditions and practices. They claim that we hijacked pagan holidays and symbols to use as our own. Simply put, God created the days and he created every living thing. We can celebrate any day we choose and use any symbol we choose. God created them all!

Doubting is part of our fallen human nature. Advertisers have convinced us all that heir product will solve all of our problems. But once we get that product it isn’t all that we hoped it would be. The friendships that we expected to last forever are now just a distant memory. We have been disappointed by the people closest to us. All have fallen short of the glory of God. Even at their best, all of our relationships are flawed. Not to mention about abusive relationships that happen in even the most unexpected families. Relationships are scary, because we have all been hurt before.

We learn to doubt from an early age. We learn that there are those who take advantage of us. We learn that there are those who are trying to trick us, to steal from us, to gain the upper hand over us. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. If an offer is too good to be true, it probably is.

The seeds of doubt are everywhere. Even when we try to comfort one another, it seems to miss the mark. When we try to comfort one another we point to all the things we have done. We say: Look at how far you have come. Look at all that you are doing. Look at where you were before. The only problem is that in our heart of hearts, we know that we could do more. Even when it is not humanly possible to do more, something inside us says that we should have done better. We compare ourselves to others and question ourselves. They seem so much better than us.

We even question if we are on the right journey altogether. At some point, every college student, every military member, every parent, every newlywed, every unmarried person, every working person says “What have I gotten myself into? This isn’t what I signed up for.”

Notice what Jesus does not say to St John the Baptizer. He does not comfort John by saying: “Look at all you have accomplished. Look at all the people you have baptized. Look at all the people who came out to hear you preach. Look at all the people who repented.” He does not tell John, “Look in your heart. What does your heart tell you? Remember the feeling you had when you baptized me.”

No, Jesus directs John to the prophets of old. He directs him to prophecy fulfilled. The dead rise. The lame leap like deer. The deaf hear. The mute speak. The poor have the Gospel preached to them. Jesus gives John the comfort he needs. He gives the disciples of John the comfort they need. It is no longer the time to follow the one who prepares the way. It is time to follow the Christ Himself.

Christ comforts you in the same way. We all have doubts. We all have difficulties along our journey. Christ does not turn us inward. He does not point us to our feelings. He does not ask us to look in our hearts to know that He is the Christ. He directs you to the fulfilled prophecies in Jesus. Jesus healed the sick. Jesus made the lame leap like deer. Jesus made the deaf speak. Jesus raised the dead. He himself rose from the grave after three days. He himself ascended into heaven after over 500 people witnessed the resurrected Christ.

We do not know the details of every aspect of our journey, but we know the Way. We know Christ. That’s what makes to journey bearable and even beautiful. For all things work together for good for those who love the Lord. It may feel like we are going nowhere. It may even feel like we are going backwards. We may not see any progress at all. But that is not what Christ asks you to do. He calls you to be faithful. He calls you to put your hope and trust in Him. Rather than looking deep inside yourself, He tells you to look to Him. He has accomplished everything in your stead. He lives without sin for you. He suffers the punishment for sin in your stead. He died and rose again for you. He doesn’t just show you how to do it, He accomplishes everything in your place. He doesn’t motivate you to try harder, He accomplishes it all. It is finished.

Comfort, yes, comfort my people! Your warfare is over! Your iniquities are pardoned! Sitting in jail, I’m sure John had many questions. Did he do everything he could have done? Did he preach enough? Did he offend the wrong people? Was he too harsh at times? Was he too soft at times? Did he even have the right guy? Is Jesus the Christ? If John looked within himself the answer would definitely leave him wanting. There would be room for doubt. Christ directs him to the one thing that will provide comfort: Himself.

John’s warfare is now over. His time is short. Leaving the field of battle is a weird experience. It is a weird jumble of emotions. On the one hand, you are glad it is finally over. You are excited to return home, to return to safety. On the other hand you don’t want to hand everything over to your replacements. You have poured everything you have into the fight. You have lost friends along the way. Part of you wants to see everything through to completion. Part of you doesn’t want others to suffer the same way you have suffered. John’s time is over. He will soon be in paradise.

John needs comfort. We need that same comfort. Throughout our life of faith we experience times of doubt. There are times when we feel like we could conquer the world. We rightfully walk back from the Lord’s Supper feeling like we could breathe fire against the devil! We cling to the Word of God and the Sacraments tighter than any life jacket in a storm. We stand defiant against the assaults of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. At other times we cower and we tremble. We are filled with questions and doubts. We feel as if the enemy has the upper hand.

Comfort, yes, comfort my people! Your warfare is over! Your iniquities are pardoned! In times of doubt, don’t look inward. Don’t look to the things you have accomplished. Don’t look at your good works or your sins. In stead, look to the words of Christ in our text today. “Go tell John what you hear and see: the bind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” We see and hear the works of Christ all around us. We see and hear the works of Christ in our neighbor. We see and hear the works of Christ even in nature itself. We cry out together: “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!”

He does just that. Christ hears your prayer. He hears and answers your prayers by giving you His Word and Sacrament. He feeds you with His flesh and Blood. He forgives your sins and cleanses you from all unrighteousness. He strengthens your faith and enables you to face whatever tomorrow brings with confidence and courage; Knowing that Christ conquer all. Your warfare is over. Your iniquities are pardoned. Amen.