Advent Day 14

Reading from the commemoration of Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. -- John 1:9-13

Wintertime is a season of short days and long, cold nights. The evergreens show spots of color against the snow and the bare brown-black trunks and bare branches of the trees that not long ago were covered in gloriously colored leaves. Those days are gone, and it will be some time before the days grow longer, the sun warmer and the first bright green buds begin to show that the trees and bushes have come to life once again. But until then, we huddle inside as our ancestors did, around a fire in the fireplace or stove, if we happen to have one, but with electric lights forming an artificial daylight inside the houses.


We don't do well with darkness. It has always been a time of unease and even fear. Bad things seem to happen more often at night, and even as adults, some of us still look for the nightlights we had as children. Even with a tiny bit of light, the fear seemed to go away or at least become more manageable.

John's gospel describes a light coming into the world, enlightening it and all who are in it. Yet people didn't recognize the light, even though it had been present since before the world was made. The light had the power of a billion suns yet was contained in a small, newborn child just like every other newborn child, helpless and dependent on the care of others.

We look around us and surely, night by night, more white and colored lights appear, decorating eaves and roofs, doors and windows, even trees and fences. The night-world becomes a bit brighter in the midst of winter, and even one small candle in a window can be a beacon of hope. Somehow, they make the darkness and the cold more bearable.

What we need to remember is the light whose birth we spend Advent planning and waiting for. What we sometimes don't realize is that we ourselves can be candles, small ones, perhaps, but still potential lights in a window that will bring peace, hope and love to someone who struggles in the dark. We can't be The Light of which John spoke, but we can be pinpoints of light for a world in dire need.

Where can we shine our light today? It doesn't have to be a bonfire -- even a tea light or votive candle will push back the darkness.

Originally published at Speaking to the Soul on Episcopal Café Saturday, December 13,2014, under the title "True light was coming into the world."

Advent Day 13

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. – John 1:1-8

“There was a man…whose name was John.” His name really wouldn’t have been John but rather Yochanan, “YHWH is gracious,” a name given to his father, Zechariah, by an angel but which would have been a perfect name for the long-desired child of a childless couple who had all but lost hope. John grew up to be what we would call a prophet but who called himself a messenger, one who would announce the impending arrival of an adult Jesus as the one coming to bring light to the world.

How odd that John would be the one to testify to a light that was coming yet had existed before the creation of light itself. The gospel writer, himself called John, was one whose chronicle was filled with signs and wonders rather than miracles and more mystical understandings rather than just facts or stories. John (the writer) didn’t provide a nativity story or even a genealogy – but in essence, his was the ultimate genealogy. His was the only genealogy who traced Jesus back to God and the world before light and time.

We frequently use the image of light and the light of the world when we refer to Jesus. Later in John’s gospel Jesus said, “…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. “ (8:12b-c). We hear it often in sermons and devotions but how often do we think of it in terms of what it could mean in our own lives?

We need light to see where to put our feet, particularly at night. But how often do we look for a light inside when the soul feels dark and clueless. We could use a man like John (the prophet) to remind us that there is light. The light of which he spoke was coming and could shine through any darkness. What a message of comfort and hope that can be to someone whose world seems impenetrable and featureless.

Ever seen the face of someone in love or who is totally involved in work or art that they are passionate about? There’s a light that shows in their face that is really hard to hide. That is the light of love, the kind that brightens the world not only for the beloved or those who are benefitting from the passion but those who witness it. Can you imagine the brightness of the love God has for us? How bright the love of Jesus has been and is? Wouldn’t the vision of light that bright and that strong attract us to the light itself?

There is one more verse to consider. “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16b-c). When the light of Christ shines through you, it shows. Be a beacon for someone today who sorely needs a bit of light.

Advent Day 12

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”  -  Mark 1:1-3

Every story has a beginning. Usually it sets the scene for what is to follow and, if the writer is adept, it hooks us and makes us want to read on. That’s one of the major things taught when someone begins writing classes or programs. Mark may not have had formal training as an author, but he had a story to tell and his opening certainly sets the stage for what is to follow.

Unlike Matthew and Luke and in common with John, Mark does not have a birth narrative. The stage is set, however, by introducing a prophecy from Isaiah that introduces a messenger and the main character whom he introduces to the world. John certainly was a voice crying in the wilderness; his clothes were rough and simple, and his diet was the product of living off the land. Undoubtedly he had been taught scripture and was open to being given a job that would daunt most people.

We have messengers today, people who see and understand what is going on around us, especially what is going wrong and needs to be corrected. Sometimes we listen to them, but most often we don’t, dismissing them as cranks and nay-sayers. Sometimes, like Martin Luther King Jr, they are killed because of their message and yet the message has been heard and the response to it grows stronger. At other times, though, the message is overtaken by a tidal wave of public opinion, denying that there is a problem or that those who are perceived to be or have the problem simply need to buck up, shut up and get on with life.

Who is a messenger in our world today? Look around; who is speaking out on a problem that many others wish or want to just be ignored or simply go away? What message are they trying to convey? Who will be helped if enough pay attention? Who will be hurt? We have many voices who seem to be crying in the wilderness.

During Advent we are invited to not only listen to the messages but to be messengers ourselves. The kingdom of God is the goal, a kingdom where there is no poverty, no marginalization, no oppression, no rank, power or privilege except being a child of God and carrying the message that all God’s children are loved and to be cared for. To believe in Jesus, we need to believe in the message he brought, one of peace, patience, and love of God. It does us no good to say we believe in Jesus if we don’t act to carry out his teachings and, in fact, become his messengers.

By taking a name from an Angel Tree, putting a dollar in a red kettle, bringing a toy or warm coat to a collection point is a good beginning. But how else can we carry the message, even without words? We must look for opportunities to be messengers to a world desperately hungry and needing the warmth we can bring. That is the gift we can bring to the manger and to the world.

Advent Day 11

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. – Malachi 3:1-6

 

As Christmas approaches, it is hard not to turn the pages of a newspaper or hear an advertisement on TV or radio for performances of Handel’s wonderful oratorio Messiah. Originally written in 1742 for performance around Easter, it has come to be an Advent standby, heard in large and small churches and concert halls. The first part is particularly suited to this time of year, and often scripture readings we read or hear in Advent start our minds hearing the performance of the particular piece which incorporates the phrase, verse or passage we are reading.

One of my particular favorites is the chorus “And he shall purify” which follows an aria usually sung by a bass that speaks of the messenger of God coming and acting like a refiner’s fire. Ores usually require great heat to melt them and separate the valuable metal from the impurities that become enmeshed with them. Malachi calls out the sons of the tribe of Levi for purification so that they can offer perfect sacrifices, but we can see a place for ourselves in that purification.

The passage lists four particular types of people who will be judged most particularly. These include those who are prevaricators who bear false witness, adulterers (which can be seen biblically as a property crime rather than merely a sexual one), those who do not respect, honor and obey God, and those who treat those who oppress the powerless: widows, orphans, workers paid substandard wages, and the aliens who live and work in the land. The privileges we take for granted mark us especially for the heat of those fires since our privilege often comes at someone else’s expense.

Repentance is one of the things we are encouraged to focus on during Advent. Where have we been oppressors, even unwittingly? Do we really believe in the refiner’s fire that Malachi brings to our attention or is it just part of a dynamic aria and chorus that we will hear once and then ignore again until this time next year?

Luckily for us, God is constant in God's love for us, even if that means we must undergo a bit of refining.

Advent Day 10

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. – Jeremiah 31:31-34

Covenants were important things. Again and again there are mentions of covenants in the Hebrew Scriptures, usually the covenants between God and individuals or groups where God promised certain things in return for obedience and reverence from those individuals or groups. God made a covenant with Abraham about making him a father of nations even though he had no legal heir. God again made a covenant with the Israelites in Egypt to lead them to the Promised Land in return for their obedience to the law. Again and again, though, God kept God’s part of the bargain while the people proved faithless. But God kept trying.

We make promises all the time, to ourselves, our loved ones, employers and coworkers, church and even to God. How many times have we been in trouble and promised God we’d never miss church again or pray more every day or even do more work for the poor and underprivileged but when the prayers are answered affirmatively, we tend to forget our promises.

During Advent we look at the promises that are fulfilled in the birth and ministry of Jesus. We see Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises for our redemption, a gift from God to us that we can accept or reject. The readings we do and hear, the hymns we sing, and the candles on the Advent wreath all are reminders that that God has made a covenant with us. It is then our job to live into that covenant as a sign of gratitude and obedience.

Advent can be a time to think back over promises we have made that perhaps we have not kept or have forgotten, whether by accident or by choice. Perhaps this is a good time to remember those promises, whether made personally or corporately, and find a way to at least in some way keep the promise or make some restitution for the breaking of it. Restitution doesn’t require fancy wrapping paper or big glittery bows, just a sincere heart and an acknowledgement

Advent Day 9

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David:
‘I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah  -- Psalm 89:1-4

We have been taught that the poems and laments we call the Psalms were written by David; some of them carry his name, but many do not. Some seem to have been designed to sing in worship while others are, quite frankly, individual petitions that we sometimes find hard to stomach. David did not originate the form; it was common in worship around the Mediterranean and Ancient Near East. Many of the Psalms may have been written at various times such as during or following the Babylonian Exile and were to remind the people of just why they were where they were and encourage the hope and trust that they would be redeemed to return home one day.

The Psalmist of this particular poem incorporates praise with thanksgiving. The praise is for God’s faithfulness and love that do not change while the thanksgiving is for the trust that God would hold to the covenant made with David and his descendants. Even though many of David’s descendants were not good or righteous kings, they were still David’s heirs and so those who carried their bloodline onward were considered heirs of that covenant.

Imagine that you are in a strange land, and you aren’t sure you will ever see your home again. Think what comfort it might bring you to hear someone remind you that God is still present, that the promises God has made will still be upheld and that this will never change. It might make you feel somewhat better, wouldn’t it?

Many don’t have to imagine being in a strange land, even if they are in their home country. Many are homeless and do not have a home to return to, or who are trapped by poverty in a place they really do not want to be but cannot escape. There are some in the strange land of hunger or illness, or locked in a place where violence is an everyday occurrence and fear is a constant companion. What are promises that don’t produce action? What of the promises made to our armed forces, promises that we will support and take care of them yet how many homeless, damaged veterans are there on our street corners? How about promises made to the Native Americans? How many other promises have we made and broken?

Advent reminds us that God keeps promises but also expects that we will do the same. That’s one reason there is so much emphasis in the Bible about caring for the widows and orphans, the marginalized and the alien resident in the land. How can we begin to right these broken promises?

The one who was born in a stable is counting on us.

Advent Day 8

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. -- Isaiah 11:10-11

In the genealogy of Jesus, the name of Jesse appears as the grandson of Ruth and Boaz as well as the descendant of a man named Perez who lived in Bethlehem. It is here that the prophecy ties to Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. Jesse had a number of sons, including David, a young man out tending sheep when Samuel summoned him to be anointed king, a job he finally inherited about fifteen years later upon the death of Saul. No other king of Israel has been as lauded or honored. Only David’s son Solomon, comes close to the respect and adulation of his father.

Just as David was said to unify the nations (tribes), Jesus is seen to gather in the wider world to the furthest corners that David and his descendants knew nothing about. Isaiah spoke of the remnant, the people who had been scattered in the Diaspora after the Babylonian Exile. It seems to us that Jesus looked beyond the Jewish people to those outside but who still could be considered God’s children, even if they weren’t Jewish.

During Advent, many churches and families mark the days by making a Jesse Tree, a series of scriptures and illustrations from creation to the birth of Jesus, one for each day. The term Jesse Tree alludes to the scriptures that foretell a branch coming from the root of Jesse which will be the messiah, a prophecy Christians see fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.

Among our Advent preparations, maybe it might be a good thing to consider making a Jesse tree, a tree that traces our salvation history. It is an activity families can do together in a time when there are so many activities claiming time away from the family. It is also a way to remember some of the less remarked figures in the story, like Jesse, father of David and the root from which the family tree grew.

Advent Day 7

Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’

He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures; and the oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat silage, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. On every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water—on a day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, on the day when the Lord binds up the injuries of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. - Isaiah 30:19-21,23-26

The season of Advent often brings the image of a journey or a path to be followed as it wends its way to Christmas. Advent is a mini-mirror for the journeys we all experience through life, the rough places and the smooth ones, the hills and mountains as well as the valleys and chasms. At the end, though, all will be well -- we hope.

In his words to the Babylonian exiles, Isaiah gave words of hope mixed with a reminder as to why they were there in the first place. They had set God aside in favor of idols and unrighteous living. For that, they had to eat the bread of adversity and drink the water of affliction. But, Isaiah reminds them, it would not be forever and that God will still be with them. God had punished them for their unfaithfulness, but the time would come when the wounds would be bound and healed, all because God was always faithful, even if the people weren't.

Most of us have what could be a little bit of God in us in the form of our consciences, telling us whether we should go left or right, do or not do something, say or not say something. Conscience should be informed by a direct connection with God, Yet all too often, we sweep conscience aside unless it agrees with what we ourselves want to do and not necessarily what is good or right. We listen to the world far more than we listen to God, but then it seems God speaks in so many different ways to different people. Who do we listen to? What one group deems imperative, another labels the same thing blasphemous or heretical. What some insist the Bible says about this topic or that one, others see it exactly the opposite. Who is right?

During Advent it might be a good time to stop and listen for God to tell us which way to go -- right or left, toward this need or away from that desire, to gather in or to give away. It could be part of our Advent journey that will be with us long after Christmas has passed.


Originally published at Speaking to the Soul on Episcopal Café Saturday, December 6, under the title "Mirrors."

Advent Day 6

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.  – Deuteronomy 18:15-19

Prophets make frequent appearances in the Bible. The job of a prophet was to serve as God’s mouthpiece, in a manner of speaking, warning the people when they stray from the righteous path. Moses fulfilled the job description as a prophet as well as that of a leader who guided the Israelites out of Egypt and to the very gates of the Promised Land.

Prophets had a tough job. Many times they were totally ignored, even when they were commanded to do totally outrageous things like walking around town stark naked or eating scrolls. The prophet that we know as Jesus had a tough time as well, trying to get the people to see the error of their ways and change. The words of the prophets were not all gloom and doom; remember the promises from Isaiah that we hear all through Advent about hills shouting for joy and rough places smoothed out.

We have prophets with us today, people raised from among us who speak to us in both warning and hope, people who see the wrongs of this world and are given the job of trying to get people to listen to them and make changes that will be for the benefit of all. Look around. Who among us speak of what they see and what is needed to correct the wrongs?

Advent is a good time to look for prophets among us and truly listen to their words. Maybe some of them have never been inside a church door in their lives but God can still use them to get the word out. They are Christians and non-Christians, peacemakers and peacekeepers, teachers and preachers, mystics and magi. Some of them people will decline to hear because the prophet does not speak in Bible verses or preach on street corners. Others will hear but feel they, as one individual, cannot do anything to change the many ills of the world. A few will take the words to heart and, like a beacon set on a hill, strike a fire that will be seen by another on another mountain top.

As we light the Advent candles, remember to look for a signal fire from a friendly neighborhood prophet – maybe even someone who simply passes on a word of hope or warning. Maybe that prophet is one of us.

Advent Day 5

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. - Genesis 15:1-6

Abram is one of the key figures in the Hebrew Bible. A righteous man, he listened to God and did what God told him to do. As a result, he was blessed with almost everything a person could want but with one exception: he and Sarah were childless and growing old. God had promised them a child, but it wasn’t forthcoming and Abram was starting to get worried. God again promised him a great reward but Abram dared to question it. God responded and Abram believed. Abram’s name was later changed to Abraham.

During Advent we usually consider the events from the annunciation to the nativity but here we see an event that provides a contrast. On the one hand we have the story of what would be an elderly couple desperately wanting a child and on the other a young girl who had no thought of one until an angel appeared to her with some rather unsettling news. In both cases, pregnancy and childbirth would seem to be impossible, the married couple due to age and the girl due to her youth and virginity.

As we journey through Advent we are given the opportunity to see some of the traditional stories in slightly different ways than we may have seen previously. Each of us has a history and some of that history might require revisiting. In addition to a journey of preparation and reflection, it may require us to see where we have perhaps doubted God’s promises to us or not lived up to the promises we have made to God.

Advent gives us an opportunity to do some soul-searching and rededication. It is just another way to prepare for the coming of the Christ Child.