The First Sunday in Advent - 28 November 2010
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122
Romans 13:11-14
Saint Mathew 24:36-44
BACKGROUND
Advent - originly a much longer period of preparation and devotion preceding the Feast of the Nativity, is not preparation for Christmas, despite a popular understanding that it is. Looking at the lessons in the lectionary for the last Sundays of the church year, and the first two weeks in Advent, we see am emphasis on the End Time, and an anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus. Before the reforms to the liturgy in the mid 20th Century, the season was seen as penitential, much like Lent. Such an emphasis was softened in the new lectionaries that were products of the Second Vatican Council. In some churches, the color blue is used rather than purple, and the themes are more upbeat, a reflection of popular preparations for Christmas. None-the-less, there is still this anticipation of Christ coming again, and the ancient Christian prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come.” With these words of prayer, the new Church Year begins, hoping to see once again, the Lord Jesus.
Isaiah 2:1-5
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 shal l 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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| Isaiah, the Prophet |
The first of the Isaiahs introduces us to the notion of the Messianic Age, although it is not only he who does so. The text seems to either be the source of or a reflection of Micah 4:1-3. A third possibility is that both prophets borrowed a liturgical text which they used to introduce their ideas. Here, Isaiah sets a stage for a series of sermons he will present on the situation in Judea. The images are stunning – Jerusalem, the mountain city, to which all of the nations flow, waiting to hear the teaching of Yahweh. The messianic character of this vision is underscored by the “swords to plowshares” and the judgment that brings justice among nations. In this way, Isaiah prepares us for the Advent vision of a Christ who comes to bring justice and mercy to a weary and worried world.
Breaking open Isaiah
- Is Jerusalem a symbol of peace to you? Why not?
- What do you think of Isaiah’s notion of Jerusalem as a center of peace and justice?
- What role do you have as a peace-maker in the world? What role should the church have?
Psalm 122 Laetatus sum
I was glad when they said to me, *
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
Now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built as a city *
that is at unity with itself;
To which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD, *
the assembly of Israel,
to praise the Name of the LORD.
For there are the thrones of judgment, *
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: *
"May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls *
and quietness within your towers.
For my brethren and companions' sake, *
I pray for your prosperity.
Because of the house of the LORD our God, *
I will seek to do you good."
Almost on cue, this psalm of ascents follows upon Isaiah’s paean to Jerusalem. The underlying theme is one of pilgrimage, as the people of Israel moved from the lower plains up to the City of Zion, high on the central ridge of mountains that runs down the Levant. The ascent was accompanied by hymns, and several of the psalms are candidates for such rejoicing. The psalm not only celebrates the city itself, but the kingship and justice that emanate from there. It sets up a model for the messianic era that later prophets will write and about, and the model of Davidic kingship that will be applied to Jesus as well. As such, it is a psalm full of promise and thoroughly appropriate for this first Sunday in Advent.
Breaking open Psalm 122
1. In what ways is your life a journey or pilgrimage?
2. How does your religious life bring you peace?
3. Where do you go to find God’s peace?
Romans 13:11-14
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; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
All of the readings for this Sunday are in an alignment, noting the passage of time and people, and the coming of a new age. For Paul the images of night and day, wakefulness and sleeping. The very movement of time is important for Paul as he and all of the churches he founded await the second coming of the Christ. Therefore his admonition to the people for watchfulness, and righteousness is not only appropriate, but necessary. The night and sleepiness are over, and the day is dawning. “Salvation is nearer!”, he says. Such is the Advent attitude.
Breaking open Romans:
- What does a new day mean to you? What are your concerns when you wake up in the morning?
- What do you think of when you hear Paul’s term “the works of darkness”? Why?
- What does it mean to “live in the light”?
Saint Matthew 24:36-44
Jesus said to the disciples, "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But 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. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
During this liturgical year, our attentions turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus’ words of watchfulness and anticipation are not only appropriate to the season, but fit into Matthew’s worldview and the context of his time. One can imagine that the Roman conquest and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD left an indelible mark on Matthew’s countrymen and readers. The words of urgency and alarm would be familiar. Even more telling than the evocation of Noah and his story is the notion of people at their normal everyday tasks suddenly being removed from the normal realm of things. That Christ should come soon, thus requiring a sense of immediacy, if not anxiety, was the expectation of this time. These Sundays of Advent, however, have a different message – that we should learn to patiently wait.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- How do you feel about Matthew’s sense of immediacy?
- What does he mean when he talks about one “being taken”, and one “being left”?
- How do you make ready for Christmas, for the remainder of your life, for your end?
After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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