The First Week of Advent: November 27-December 3
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The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In 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.
Many 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.
He 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.
O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!
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If you worshiped with us, you might notice that this is a different Scripture than was preached. The lectionary provides multiple readings for each Sunday, so rather than repeat the readings from Matthew that we are using in worship, we will use the corresponding readings from Isaiah for this devotion.
Advent, from the Latin adventus (arrival), is a season of anticipation. It is a time in which we remember the coming of Jesus, but it is more than a historical celebration. In Advent, we pray for eyes to see the myriad of ways that Christ continues to arrive in our world, and we anticipate the Kingdom that God will ultimately bring about. Advent is a season of remembrance of the past, attention to the present, and anticipation of the future.
Isaiah provides a vision of this anticipated future to which God is building. Zion, the central place of worship for the Hebrew people–people set apart and chosen by God–is opened up to all the nations who stream to it. The Hebrew word nahar which is here translated as “stream” refers poetically to the motion of water and may also be translated as “flow” or “shine/shimmer” as a flowing stream reflecting the sun might appear. In Isaiah’s vision, we see all people coming to God as naturally as a flowing stream and reflecting God’s radiance.
They learn God’s ways and how to live them out or “walk in his paths.” This is a radical transformation. The law of God–to love the Lord and to love one’s neighbor–becomes the law of the land, and all disputes are settled under its guidance. Weapons are beaten into gardening tools, as there is no longer a need for tools of destruction. Instead, there is an immediate need for tools of creation and cultivation. Where once men’s minds were consumed with tribalism and competition, they are now turned toward the work of mutual care and flourishing in obedience to the will of God. There is a return of sorts to the Garden of Eden.
This is the arrival that we are anticipating in this season of Advent. This is the work of the One whose humble birth we will soon remember and celebrate. This is the work to which that very One is calling us.
O Marietta First UMC, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
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This week, as a family, reflect on the HOPE of Advent. In Spanish, the word for hope is “esperar.” Esperar also means to wait. In Advent, we are waiting and hoping for the Savior of the World, Jesus, to arrive!
What does it feel like to wait? Are you particularly good at waiting? How does it feel to hope?
Activity: Draw a picture of the things you hope for.
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We do not love war,
We yearn for peace,
but we have lost much will for peace
even while we dream of order.
And you, in your hope, sound your mantra,
“Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Deliver us from excessive certitude about ourselves.
Hold us in the deep ambiguity where we find ourselves,
Show us yet again the gaping space
between your will and our feeble imagination.
Sound your mantra with more authority,
with more indignation,
through sadness,
in hope… “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Only peacemakers are blessed.
We find ourselves well short of blessed.
Give us freedom for your deep otherwise,
finally to be blessed,
in the name of the Peacemaker
who gave and did not take. Amen.
-Walter Brueggemann
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God of justice and peace,
from the heavens you rain down mercy and kindness,
that all on earth may stand in awe and wonder
before your marvelous deeds.
Raise our heads in expectation,
that we may yearn for the coming day of the Lord
and stand without blame before your Son, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
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Unexpected God,
your advent alarms us.
Wake us from drowsy worship,
from the sleep that neglects love,
and the sedative of misdirected frenzy.
Awaken us now to your coming,
and bend our angers into your peace. Amen.
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Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen
-St. Francis of Assisi
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Father,
I am seeking
I am hesitant and uncertain,
But will you, O God,
Watch over each step of mine
And guide me.
Amen
-St. Augustine
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Remember your word to your servant,
In which you have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my distress,
That your promise gives me life.
-Psalm 119:49-50
The Second Week of Advent: December 4-10
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A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see
or decide by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor
and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed 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.
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Isaiah’s image of a future ruler, “the root of Jesse,” contains a very strange phrase. This ruler “shall not judge by what his eye see, or decide by what his ears hear.” I didn’t retain much from my high school English reading of 1984, but I do remember one of its more famous lines, “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” What sets Isaiah’s utopia apart from Orwell’s dystopia? Isaiah’s promised leader judges not with sight nor sound because they can be fooled. “A honey tongue, a heart of gall,” goes an old proverb–that which is wrong can be made to appear right. In fact, the prophets often criticize people for observing religious ceremonies while lacking love for anyone but themselves. God speaks in the first chapter of Isaiah, “When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more! Bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me…” Instead, what God wants is for the people to, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.” The prophet Micah echoes this, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”
The root of Jesse will not be fooled by religiosity but will judge instead by righteousness, compassion, and equity. So just are his actions that the very ways of life upon which the wicked depend–greed, deceit, hatred, predation–are ended with such finality that it feels like death.
This new way of life is so powerful that all of creation is transformed. Enmity within the created order is foregone. We are given images of predators and prey living together–wolves and lambs, leopards and goats, lions and cows and bears, oh my! What is even more striking than these animals not eating one another is that they are being shepherded by a little child. In almost all the world, but particularly in the Ancient Near East, fierce animals like lions, leopards, wolves, and bears were hunted as trophies and used as symbols of royal power. If you’ve visited history museums with artifacts from these cultures, odds are you’ve seen depictions of Assyrian kings or pharaohs hunting lions, Rajput royalty hunting tigers, or perhaps busts of Alexander the Great wearing the head of a lion as a helmet. Rather than hunt predators as a sign of royal power, the Root of Jesse remakes them entirely.
This is the message of Advent. We are not just preparing our hearts for a savior, we are being remade. We are being prepared for an entirely new kind of existence. Part of the magic of this season is that is invites us to imagine ways that our world could be different–kinder, more joyful, more loving–and all of those changes, all of that newness starts within our own hearts. How do you need to be remade this Advent?
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This week, as a family, reflect on the PEACE of Advent. Peace is the absence of conflict and fighting. It is a sense of unity, calm, and togetherness. In Advent, we look to Jesus to be our peace no matter what is going on in our lives. Jesus brings calm and peace to the chaos and conflict in our lives.
How does peace within your own heart help to create peace in the whole world? What does peace feel like to you?
Activity: Write a letter to someone you think is a peacemaker and thank them for their work.
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God of herons and heartbreak,
teach us to love the world again.
Teach us to love extravagantly
knowing it may
(it will) break our hearts
and teach us that it is worth it.
God of downed planes and suffering ones,
teach us to love the world again.
God of loneliness and longing,
of bushfires and wilderness,
of soup kitchens and border towns,
of snow fall and children,
teach us to love the world again.
Amen.
-Sarah Bessey
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O God, in whom nothing can live but as it lives in love, grant us the spirit of love which does not want to be rewarded, honoured or esteemed, but only to become the blessing and happiness of everything that wants it; love which is the very joy of life, and thine own goodness and truth within the soul; who thyself art Love, and by love our Redeemer, from eternity to eternity. Amen.
-William Law
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Christ Jesus, we thank You that at last the nations begin to see that every unfortunate one is a neighbor. We see it, Lord; help us to do it. Save us from self-firstness - and begin in me. Amen.
-Frank Laubach
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Fill us, we pray, with Your light and life, that we may show forth your wondrous glory. Grant that Your love may so fill our lives that we may count nothing too small to do for You, nothing too much to give and nothing too hard to bear.
-Ignatius of Loyola
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Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!'
Amen.
-Henri Nouwen
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O come, thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of thy people be;
Before thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on thy mercy call.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
-9th century latin hymn
The Third Week of Advent December 10 - 17
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The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and shouting.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp; the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
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This week’s scripture continues last week’s vision of a reordering of creation. Now, instead of dismantling the food chain and uniting predators and prey, God is calling forth blooming plant life and pools of water in the desert.
Likely written between the Assyrian and Babylon conquests of Israel and Judah, where a large number of Hebrew people were deported into captivity, this is a hopeful vision of return and a lifeline for people in exile. Both the kingdom of Assyria and that of Babylon, which followed it, were ruled from modern-day Iraq, a fertile valley surrounded by desert. Though Baghdad and Jerusalem are less than 1,000km apart, a direct route meant crossing a vast desert–an almost certain death. To get from the heart of these empires to Jerusalem safely was a journey of around 2,000km following the Euphrates northeast to Syria before turning south down the coast to Jerusalem. This longer route meant access to water and food along the way, but it also meant that the likelihood of encountering bandits and hungry animals was high.
The prophet imagines a different way. Perhaps if the people set out in faith across the desert, God would make the ground bloom as they went. Perhaps their act of faith would render the barren desert as green and fertile as the Mediterranean coastal regions of Lebanon, Mt. Carmel, and the Sharon Plain. The burning sand would turn to pools of clear, cool water to refresh them. There would be no bandits lying in wait to dirty their hands with violence. Perhaps even the jackals would be driven out before them. Do not worry that your hands are weak, your knees feeble, and your heart afraid–God will strengthen, steady, and steel you!
Unlike when God brought them out of Egypt by turning a sea into dry ground, this way shall not close up behind them. It shall be a highway known by all as the Holy Way–all those wishing to be redeemed will walk its verdant miles to worship God on Mt. Zion.
This is the message of Advent. We are called to witness to the power of resurrection to bring new life where once there was only death. We are called to see new possibilities where once we had assumed there were none. We are to be pilgrims of the Holy Way–inviting others to follow us, singing songs of redemption, and trading sorrow for joy.
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This week, as a family, reflect on the JOY of Advent. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” is one of the most well-known Christmas hymns. Joy is something that is not dependent on our circumstances and is felt deep within our hearts. The hymn reminds us that even though we won’t always be happy all of the time, we can have joy knowing that Jesus is with us through all of our emotions.
Do you think there is a difference between happiness and joy? How would you describe it? What brings you joy?
Activity: Spend some time together as a family and share in joy together: bake cookies, play a game, look at Christmas lights, or read a story.
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May none of God's wonderful works keep silence
night or morning.
Bright stars, high mountains, the depths of the seas,
sources of rushing rivers:
may all these break into song as we sing
to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
May all the angels in the heavens reply: Amen! Amen! Amen!
Power, praise, honour, eternal glory to God, the only Giver of grace.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
–Third Century Hymn
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High and Holy God, give me this day a word of truth to silence the lies that would devour my soul and kind encouragements to strengthen me when I fall.
Gracious One, I come quietly to your door needing to receive from your hands the nourishment that gives life.
-Bernard of Clairvaux
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Dear Lord, it seems that you are so madly in love with your creatures that you could not live without us. So you created us; and then, when we turned away from you, you redeemed us. Yet you are God, and so have no need of us. Your greatness is made no greater by our creation; your power is made no stronger by our redemption. You have no duty to care for us, no debt to repay us. It is love, and love alone, which moves you.
-Catherine of Siena
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God of hope,
you call us home from the exile of selfish oppression
to the freedom of justice,
the balm of healing,
and the joy of sharing.
Make us strong to join you in your holy work,
as friends of strangers and victims,
companions of those whom others shun,
and as the happiness of those whose hearts are broken.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do your will.
-Ignatius of Loyola
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O God of Isaiah and John the Baptist,
through all such faithful ones
you proclaim the unfolding of future joy
and renewed life.
Strengthen our hearts to believe your advent promise
that one day we will walk in the holy way of Christ,
where sorrow and sighing will be no more
and the journey of God's people will be joy. Amen.
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Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.
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This scripture is odd as it stands, outside of any context that the surrounding verses might provide. Ahaz reigned in Jerusalem as the King of Judah amid turbulent times. A new superpower had arisen in the kingdom of Assyria, and it was threatening to expand and invade the kingdoms of Israel and Aram to the north. The kings of the northern kingdoms pressed Ahaz to join them in their alliance against Assyria and threatened to attack him if he refused.
It is here that God calls Isaiah to speak to Ahaz and call him to overcome his fear and trust in God rather than in any alliance with other nations. God is apparently very serious on this point because God offers to give Ahaz any sign he’d like to confirm the message. Incredibly, Ahaz refuses. More incredibly, God becomes very insistent and gives a sign anyway. A young woman will bear a child who shall be a reminder of God’s presence–why else give the child a name meaning “God is with us”--and before the child is old enough to know right from wrong, the kings pressuring Ahaz will be gone and Judah can rest in peace and enjoy the land of milk (curds) and honey!
…But only if Ahaz allows his trust in the Lord to overcome his fears, which is precisely what he does not do. Instead, Ahaz allies Judah with Assyria for protection. He allows Judah to become a vassal state of a brutal empire for safety and, ironically, dooms it. The problem with trusting in bullies for strength is that a bigger, stronger one is always right around the corner. A few generations later, Babylon would come to power and conquer Assyria, and all those nations who allied with it became targets for the new superpower on the block.
Jerusalem fell to Babylon. Its people were taken into captivity. Even after returning home generations later, the people continued to wonder, “What if?” What if we had trusted in God rather than in Assyria? What if we had let our trust in God overmatch our fears? They began to wonder, and they began to dream of a day when a virgin might give birth to one that would be worthy of being called Immanuel. That day would come, but this time the sign would not be given to a king in a palace, but to a poor carpenter and his wife, to shepherds living in the fields, and to foreign stargazers.
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This week, as a family, reflect on the LOVE of Advent. Love is one of the most important things we can offer another human being. Jesus came to show us how to love God and love others. As we learn more about Jesus, we learn more about how to love everyone in the world just as he did.
How can we show love to our neighbors during Advent and beyond? Who needs to know and feel our love most of all? How do you know you are loved?
Activity: Think of something kind to do for someone who needs to feel love today.
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In our secret yearnings we wait for your coming, and in our grinding despair we doubt that you will.
And in this privileged place we are surrounded by witnesses who yearn more than do we and by those who despair more deeply than do we.
Look upon your church and its pastors in this season of hope which runs so quickly to fatigue and this season of yearning which becomes so easily quarrelsome.
Give us the grace and the impatience to wait for your coming to the bottom of our toes, to the edge of our finger tips. We do not want our several worlds to end. Come in your power and come in your weakness in any case and make all things new. Amen.
-Walter Brueggemann
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I acclaim the greatness of the Lord, I delight in God my savior, who regarded my humble state. Truly from this day on all ages will call me blest. For God, wonderful in power, has used that strength for me. Holy the name of the Lord! whose mercy embraces the faithful, one generation to the next.
The mighty arm of God scatters the proud in their conceit, pulls tyrants from their thrones, and raises up the humble.
The Lord fills the starving and lets the rich go hungry. God rescues lowly Israel, recalling the promise of mercy, the promise made to our ancestors, to Abraham’s heirs forever.
-The Canticle of Mary, Luke 1:46-55
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O God of Elizabeth and Mary, you visited your servants with news of the world's redemption in the coming of the Savior.
Make our hearts leap with joy, and fill our mouths with songs of praise, that we may announce glad tidings of peace, and welcome the Christ in our midst. Amen.
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God of promise, you have given us a sign of your love through the gift of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who was promised from ages past.
We believe as Joseph did the message of your presence whispered by an angel, and offer our prayers for your world, confident of your care and mercy for all creation. Amen.
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Shepherd of Israel, may Jesus, Emmanuel and son of Mary, be more than just a dream in our hearts.
With the apostles, prophets, and saints, save us, restore us, and lead us in the way of grace and peace, that we may bear your promise into the world. Amen.
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O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light:
Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit
He lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
-Book of Common Prayer