Advent 3: Predatory Joy

This sermon explores Isaiah’s vision of a world made new: deserts blooming, the weak strengthened, the fearful reassured, and the redeemed walking home with joy. Spoken to a people worn down by judgment and exile, this passage reminds us that God does not merely rescue from afar. He comes near, restores what is broken, and turns sorrow into singing. Isaiah 35 ultimately points us to Jesus, the One who opens blind eyes, steadies trembling knees, and prepares a highway of holiness for his people. In the midst of weariness and waiting, this text calls us to lift our eyes and trust that God will finish what he has promised. (Tommy Allen, 12/14/25)