“Comfort,

comfort my people,”

says your God.

“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.

Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned.

Yes,

the LORD has punished her twice over for all her sins.”

Listen!

It’s the voice of someone shouting,

“Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD!

Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!

Fill in the valleys,

and level the mountains and hills.

Straighten the curves,

and smooth out the rough places.

Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,

and all people will see it together.

The LORD has spoken!”

Isaiah 40:1-5

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;

the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.

The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,

and a little child will lead them all.

The cow will graze near the bear.

The cub and the calf will lie down together.

The lion will eat hay like a cow.

The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.

Yes, 

a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes

without harm.

Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,

for as the waters fill the sea,

so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD.

In that day the heir to David’s throne

will be a banner of salvation to all the world.

The nations will rally to him,

and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.

Isaiah 11:6-10

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—

yes,

a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.

and the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

He will delight in obeying the LORD.

He will not judge by appearance

nor make a decision based on hearsay.

He will give justice to the poor

and make fair decisions for the exploited.

The earth will shake at the force of his word,

and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.

He will wear righteousness like a belt

and truth like an undergarment.

Isaiah 11:1-5

All right then,

the Lord himself will give you the sign.

Look!

The virgin will conceive a child.

She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel

(which means ‘God is with us’).

For a child is born to us,

a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.

And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

His government and its peace will never end.

He will rule with fairness and justice

from the throne of his ancestor David

for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies

will make this happen!

Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7

…this is the kind of fasting I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;

lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free,

and remove the chains that bind people.

Share your food with the hungry,

and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them,

and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Isaiah 58:6-7

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

    Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

    Don’t let them control me.

Then I will be free of guilt

    and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

    and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:12-14

May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.

May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.

May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

In the last days,

the mountain of the LORD’s house will be the highest of all—

the most important place on earth.

It will be raised above the other hills,

and people from all over the world 

will stream there to worship.

“In that coming day,”

says the LORD…

“I,

the LORD,

will rule from Jerusalem as their king forever.”

Micah 4:1, 6-7

“Praise the Lord,

the God of Israel,

because he has visited and redeemed his people.

He has sent us a mighty Savior

from the royal line of his servant David,

just as he promised

through his holy prophets long ago.

Because of God’s tender mercy,

the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

to give light to those who sit in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

and to guide us to the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-70, 78-79

“You are blessed because you believed

that the Lord would do what he said.”

Luke 1:45