It is Christmas again and my favorite song this Christmas is “Comfort and Peace” by Johannes G. Olearius (translated by Catherine Winkworth) with music by Lloyd Larson, who masterfully incorporates Handel’s “For unto us a child is born.”
The Opening – A Gentle Promise
The song is drawn from Isaiah 40:1-5 and Isaiah 9:6-7. It begins with the first two measures sung lightly and steadily in unison: “Comfort, comfort now my people, speak of peace!” These words were first spoken to Israelites facing severe hardship while in exile in Babylon. They felt abandoned and hopeless. This divine message signaled a crucial shift from judgment to consolation, announcing God’s impending deliverance, the end of their punishment, and His enduring love. It promised restoration and strength through His very presence, not merely through empty words.
The next measures, sung by male voices still in unison, declare:
“Hear the voice of one who cries out in the desert far and near, calling all to full repentance for the kingdom now is near.”
To prepare our hearts to receive Christ at Christmas, we are called to make things right with God. To repent, for the kingdom of God has come. To straighten our crooked ways and to remain faithful to Him.
Prophetic Declaration
Perhaps my favorite part of the song, the very reason I am writing this reflection proclaims: “To God’s people now proclaim that peace and comfort wait for them! For the glory of the Lord shall come to reign for evermore.”
This was the sacred calling of Isaiah and his fellow prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel: to deliver a profound message of hope amid warnings of judgment and exile, emphasizing God’s unwavering faithfulness and His promises of restoration. They proclaimed that despite human rebellion and suffering, God would intervene to redeem Israel, address the root of sin, and establish a future of peace, prosperity, and divine presence. Their visions consistently pointed toward a coming Messiah who would bring comfort, justice, and eternal blessings.
The Fulfillment – Handel’s Glorious Declaration
Lloyd Larson brilliantly incorporates Handel’s “For unto us a child is born,” drawing from Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” The words spoken by the prophets centuries ago were gloriously fulfilled in Christ Jesus, whose birth we commemorate at Christmas. They still hold true today.
Our Present Hope
We all have endured hardships this year; hopelessness, loss, heartbreak, and countless other challenges. Yet we can find genuine comfort and peace in Jesus Christ, who is our Wonderful Counselor in confusion, our Mighty God in weakness, our Everlasting Father in abandonment, and our Prince of Peace in chaos. He is not a distant god offering platitudes, but Emmanuel—God with us—who entered into our suffering and offers His presence as our ultimate comfort.
Full Circle to Comfort
The song concludes by returning to the comfort motif, a musical reminder that God’s comfort is not a linear journey with a definitive end, but a cyclical grace we can return to again and again. Just as the Israelites needed repeated assurance of God’s faithfulness, so do we. This gentle ending invites us to rest in the truth that has anchored God’s people through every generation: our God is a God of comfort, and His peace endures forever.
Conclusion
In the mashup of Olearius’s ancient hymn text, Handel’s majestic celebration, and Larson’s contemporary arrangement, we find a timeless truth: the God who spoke comfort to exiled Israel speaks that same comfort to us today. The voice crying out in the desert still calls us to prepare our hearts, to straighten what is crooked, to repent and receive the kingdom. And most beautifully, the child born in Bethlehem fulfills every prophetic promise. He is the glory of the Lord come to reign forevermore, the ultimate answer to humanity’s deepest longing for peace.
This Christmas, may we hear afresh that opening call: “Comfort, comfort now my people, speak of peace!” May we recognize that the hardships we’ve faced this year, like Babylon’s exile, are not evidence of God’s absence but the very context in which His comfort shines brightest. And may we find our rest in the One whose names encompass everything we need: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. For unto us a child is born, and in Him, comfort and peace are not merely waiting, they are here, reigning in our hearts, now and forevermore.
Merry Christmas, and may the peace of Christ, which transcends all understanding, guard your heart and mind in the year ahead.
