Introduction
This Advent is a new beginning for the postings here. I
hope readers will enter the scriptures for the week and find that the Sacred
Story from the Bible speaks to each of our personal sacred stories. The
intersection of God with our daily lives is fascinating when we pause to
consider that we are part of the long and ongoing Sacred Story of God’s work in
the world.
There are many ways to enter scripture. One of the better
known is lectio divina. This method invites the Seeker to read,
meditate, pray, and contemplate. The Scripture is read (usually a couple of
times) then you think about what it is saying to you at this moment in
time—what words or phrase stand out. Then you offer this word or phrase to God
in prayer, closing with contemplation of the Love of God found in the time with
God and the Sacred Story.
Another method is Ignatian study which invites the Seeker to
use Imagination and enter the story. The four steps are to Scan the passage and
consider the background (history, author, purpose) and then Praying for
guidance. You then read the passage and Imagine you are present in the scene—what
are you drawn to; what do you see, hear, feel; where are you in the story (bystander,
character, speaker). And then you re-read the scripture with the intent of
hearing what God is saying to you in it.
In studying these Advent lessons taken from the Revised
Common Lectionary for the Sundays of Advent, I invite you to use one of these
methods or another that works for you to immerse in the words of scripture. You
may want to take more than one day to work through the three citations. Or read
them all through and find a common thread among them, which is what I will
offer in my reflection.
What God bring to your heart may be entirely different than what
I discover, and that is wonderful. Feel free to share in the comments.
Readings for Advent 1
Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem. 2In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be
established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the
hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3Many peoples shall come
and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house
of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his
paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of
the Lord from Jerusalem. 4He shall judge between the nations, and
shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5O house of
Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
Romans 13:11-14
11Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the
moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now
than when we became believers; 12the night is far gone, the day is near.
Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13let
us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in
debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14Instead,
put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify
its desires.
Matthew 24:36-44
6“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the
angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37For as the days
of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38For as in those
days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39and they knew nothing until
the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of
Man. 40Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be
left. 41Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and
one will be left. 42Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on
what day your Lord is coming. 43But understand this: if the owner of the
house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have
stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.44Therefore you
also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
Summary Reflection
All three lessons speak to me of a new beginning. This is
appropriate for the beginning of the Church year. For me this is a sense of
anticipation.
Isaiah speaks the oft-quoted words about beating swords into
plowshares. Before that, however, we are summoned to go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach
us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. Until we meet God, we cannot imagine the dream
of love held out to us. Knowing God’s dream makes it possible for us to turn
our “swords” into “plowshares” which turn over soil to make it ready for growth.
(A plowshare, by the way, is the part of a plow that actually cuts into the
soil.) Our personal, modern-day swords likely aren’t actual weapons. Instead,
they are the words and actions that harm each other. Our swords are the overt
and the even more destructive, hidden biases, disagreements, actions and
inaction that diminish any part of God’s creation. When we are able to see,
acknowledge, and change our response to love we are forming plowshares and cutting
a new path for growth.
The Letter to Romans talks of waking up and putting on
the armor of light. Paul urges his audience to live honorably and not
to gratify the desires of the flesh as manifestation of the armor of light.
This contrasts to the glitter of Christmas lights around us. We are urged to
find the right gift because the perfect present will make everything happy and
bright. God invites us to be Light and Hope to the world instead of being
caught up in following the crowd to the best and most as defined by media and
commercials.
In the reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns his
followers to keep awake…and be ready for the Son of Man. This follows several other warnings about how
hard it will be to know the true Messiah. We are just entering Advent when we
prepare for the coming Holy Child. Rather than coming in glory and triumph, we
welcome an Infant in a manger. God comes in unexpected ways and places. We think
we are trudging along and getting nothing done for God, when in reality we are
the Light in the dark that is needed, we are the Plowshare turning over soil,
and we are walking with God.
The Advent clarion call to ‘wake sleeper’ is also found in Ephesians 5:8-14: Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’
These early Advent readings call a response of
anticipation and of action. We might ask, What is the Path of God in my
life? How can I prepare my heart and life to be changed in these weeks? Is
there a difference these words of God may make in my Christmas plans and
preparation? How does God whisper Love to you in Advent and every day? What is
your light that you can add to the season and beyond? Is there some part of my
life that is sleeping and needs to awaken to God?
