The First Sunday of Advent - 2 December 2012
Jeremiah
33:14-16
Psalm
25:1-9
I
Thessalonians 3:19-13
Saint
Luke 21:25-36
Background: Advent
What a troublesome season
this is, with nearly everyone either misunderstanding it, or totally ignoring
it. In American culture, the
season is only observed in the liturgical churches, with the society having
already launched itself into the trappings of Christmas well before
Thanksgiving. Even for those who
observe it, however, there is a gross misunderstanding of its purpose. It is there not to prepare for
Christmas. It is there to
encourage us to wait, longingly wait, for the second coming of our Lord – and
that perhaps is the problem. Do we
want to see the Christ come again?
The countdown of time, helped with the Advent Wreath and lesser so by
the so-called Advent Calendars, make us aware of our place in time, and our
yearning for completion and fulfillment.
We will in the coming weeks comment on other aspects of Advent, but for now it is enough to know that we need to be vigilant in our expectant waiting
Jeremiah 33:14-16
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the
promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and
at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he
shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will
be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it
will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."
In order to understand Jeremiah’s words, we need to
understand the context and circumstances in which they were uttered. Written in 588 BCE while Jerusalem was
being besieged by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, these words speak not
only to a national situation, but to a personal one as well. Jeremiah was quite outspoken about the
fate if Israel and Judah. The
siege was a sign of YHWH’s disfavor with the current regime (who were putting
there hope with the Egyptians, an ancient near eastern Geopolitik). The King Zedekiah had no appreciations
for Jeremiah’s anticipations, that Babylon would conquer Judah, and that
Zedekiah would be taken captive.
For stating this, Jeremiah is imprisoned. Jeremiah’s vision is crisp and clear. The stump of a tree that has been cut
down (Israel and Judah) yet shows signs of life – a branch “springs up” and is
a sign of a continuing monarchy from David’s line that will honor the God of
Israel. Salvation and safety,
justice and righteousness, are the signs of this new kingdom and rule. From this point of view we can begin
our discussions about what Advent means in our time.
Breaking
open Jeremiah:
1.
What hopes do
you have in your life?
2.
What hopes do
you have for our society and culture?
3.
What “new
life” do you see emerging in our land?
Psalm 25:1-9 Ad te, Domine, levavi
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
my God, I put my trust in you; *
let me not be humiliated,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
Let none who look to you be put to shame; *
let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.
Show me your ways, O LORD, *
and teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.
Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love, *
for they are from everlasting.
Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O LORD.
Gracious and upright is the LORD; *
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.
He guides the humble in doing right *
and teaches his way to the lowly.
All the paths of the LORD are love and faithfulness *
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
This is an acrostic psalm that forms a period of
personal reflection, rather than a theological argument on the part of the
author. This psalm seeks after
Wisdom. The reader of the psalm is
urged to wait, and the actions of thoughtful waiting are pointed out: lift up
your soul, be taught by the Lord, be led by the Lord, and be guided by the
Lord. The waiting is seen as a
process of the discernment of Wisdom, of waiting upon God’s gracious acts. Verses eight and nine are reminiscent
of the covenant concepts in Exodus 34:6-7. The result of our faithful waiting will be seen in God’s
“love and faithfulness”.
Breaking
open Psalm 25:
1.
Where do you
find Wisdom in the world?
2.
Where do you
find Wisdom in the Church?
3.
Are the two
related, and do they move you in your life?
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we
feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that
we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.
Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to
you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and
for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your
hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the
coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Paul, having sent Timothy to Thessalonica, now
rejoices in the results of his vicar’s mission, and sends joyful greetings to
the Thessalonians. The reason this
reading is read during this season is seen in the final verse, “at the coming
of our Lord Jesus.” Here is the
Advent hope expressed in real terms to a company of Christians who have had
their share of difficulties. Like
the psalmist in the Psalm for today, Paul outlines what needs to happen while
awaiting the Coming One: increase and abundance of love, strengthened hearts
and holiness, blamelessness. What
is interesting is that these are not only individual virtues, but communal ones
as well. The waiting is not only
done by you alone, but it is done by all of us together – seeing the sum of our
waiting expressed in deeds of kindness and love.
Breaking
open I Thessalonians:
1.
How does your
church await the coming of Christ?
2.
How does it
observe Advent?
3.
How might it
be different?
Luke 21:25-36
Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the
stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the
sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming
upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will
see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when
these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your
redemption is drawing near."
Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the
trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that
summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you
know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will
not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will not pass away.
"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with
dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch
you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face
of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the
strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before
the Son of Man."
Here in this liturgical season that precedes the
Nativity of Our Lord, we are thrust into the Passion of our Lord. This reading is found in the initial
verses of Luke’s Passion Narrative, an instruction given to the disciples
following the institution of the Eucharist. In the preceding verses Luke places the dispute about
greatness, and Jesus, moving from that point which threatens the communal life
of the disciples, begins an instruction on “knowing the seasons” and waiting. As we read the “signs” that Jesus
points out they bear no relationship to the horrors that fundamentalist
Christians delight in. No, here we
are asked to see what is going on about us, and to realize that God is present
and always coming into our situation.
To make it both real and tangible, Jesus imparts some common Wisdom,
relating their skills at watching to the skills of observation about the fig
tree. Again, we are given a list
of duties and tasks for waiting:
don’t weigh yourself down with worries, and don’t exacerbate them with
“dissipation and drunkenness.” The
disciples didn’t realize what was soon to follow, nor do we. Like them we try to wait patiently.
Breaking
open the Gospel:
- What are the signs and seasons that you observe in our world
today?
- What do they say to you as a Christian?
- How do they inform your prayers?
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.
All commentary and questions are copyright © 2012
Michael T. Hiller
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