Last week we looked at the Hope that is represented by the season of Advent. Hope for the presence of God in our lives now, in the acts of God throughout history, and in the Second Coming. You can check out some of the posts on Facebook.
This week in your Advent Wreath Mandala, consider symbols or images that speak to you of Prophets and Prophecy. Remember Prophecy is not ‘foretelling the future’. It is speaking God’s truth. You can use the clip art images from instructions, or you can make it much more personal by thinking about the topic and readings each day and come up with your own. If you need to refresh your memory, you can also check out the video from last week.
The Sunday reading in Isaiah points to the Coming Messiah in a beautiful metaphor. “A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” We are told “The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him…His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord….Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.” Then we get the beautiful image of the Peaceful Kingdom where, “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:1-10) If you are using the Sunday lessons throughout the week, consider sitting with your Advent wreath mandala and imagining the Peaceable Kingdom, or draw the branch coming from the root.
The Epistle reminds us that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope….so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul admonishes the readers in Rome to “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God…. [as] Isaiah says, ‘The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope.’ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:4-13) You may want to ponder what welcoming one another-for the glory of God-might look like in Advent and beyond.
In the Gospel from Matthew we hear the story of John the Baptist ‘truth telling’ in “the wilderness of Judea.? He is “proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’…Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” Not a very appealing character, perhaps. However, “the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” John doesn’t hesitate to confront the leaders, either. He tells them “Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham…but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire…’” (Matthew 3:1-12) You could do a lexio divino exercise with this scripture. Imagine you are one of the people who go out to see John the Baptist. Are you one of the leaders, or a local resident? Consider your impressions of this wild man. Or is he gentle and pleading? What is your response to John’s message?
The Collect invites us to remember the prophets and heed their warnings. Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
This week, for our Advent Wreath Mandala, we look at several of the prophecies of Messiah, and add a symbol of that aspect to our wreath. These are the suggested readings for each day this week, or you can simply re-read the Sunday lessons. More info in the downloadable instructions, which come with suggested images to cut out or create.
Monday:
Prophecy of Prince of Peace. How might this apply to family life?
Crown (Isaiah 9:1-7)
Tuesday:
Prophecy of Shoot of Jesse. How might this apply to the community?
Stump (Isaiah 11)
Wednesday:
Prophecy of Suffering servant. How might this apply to the world?
Cross (Isaiah 53)
Thursday:
Prophecy of Good Shepherd. How might this apply to nature?
Crook (Ezekiel 34)
Friday:
Prophecy of Repentance. How might this apply to yourself?
Dove (Luke 3)
Saturday: Prophecy in action now
I will be posting pictures of my evolving wreath on Facebook. I would love it if you would send pics of yours, too. Of course, you may want to use clip art one day and make your own symbol the next. This is your spiritual aid, make it personal and user friendly!
