Sunday Stretch: Vol. 58 - Advent 1

Start off your week with a grounded take on Bible, prayer, the world, and your life ...

Dear Readers,

Have you noticed that sometimes traditions are just a little bit more fun when you’re a kid?

Much credit to my parents here - but much that I remember about the Christmas season as a young child was that it was *magical.* I didn’t realize that people, like my parents and teachers and church and retail workers, were working hard so that I would experience that magic.

Fast forward 30-some years, and now I'm an adult. And I think every single year I have to do this thing where I remind myself that 1) yes, I do need to get organized and plan some things so that I don’t constantly feel overwhelmed and frustrated and 2) no, ultimately I am not the one who makes the magic. God is.

Gosh, what a simple truth. But a real one. A critical one. A central one, for a Christmas fraught with fear and death and suffering, especially in the very Holy Land where the baby Jesus was born.

It’s a hard, two-fold truth. Yes, we have to be intentional about Advent and Christmas. No, we can’t make Advent and Christmas holy and magical. But in these weeks ahead, my prayer for all of us is that here, in this space, we can help each other create that space and intentionality to hear God’s voice, to experience anew the miracle of Christmas.

Happy First Week of Advent. And before we get into the Bible texts for this week, I wanted to share a reminder of a special post I did last year focused on the theme for this week, HOPE:

That little guy is growing up way too fast. Let’s get to the texts …

Bible Stories

Isaiah 64:1-9

Is. 64:1    O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,

so that the mountains would quake at your presence—

^{2 a}as when fire kindles brushwood

and the fire causes water to boil—

to make your name known to your adversaries,

so that the nations might tremble at your presence!

³ When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,

you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

⁴ From ages past no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who works for those who wait for him.

⁵ You meet those who gladly do right,

those who remember you in your ways.

But you were angry, and we sinned;

because you hid yourself we transgressed.^a

⁶ We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

⁷ There is no one who calls on your name,

or attempts to take hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us,

and have delivered^a us into the hand of our iniquity.

⁸ Yet, O LORD, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

⁹ Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD,

and do not remember iniquity forever.

Now consider, we are all your people.

I love the opening of this passage. Do you agree? I long for God’s presence in our world in this powerful and visceral way, especially at the dawn of Advent.

“O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!”

Humanity’s insufficiencies and inadequacies have been all too apparent lately. We blink as we watch the rising temperatures and climate change destroy the lovely world that God has created for us. We revel in our powerlessness at times, and at other times cheer on destruction and devastation of those we view as enemies. Our human squabbles and disagreements are so painful and wearying. We long for peace; it seems elusive, and so we trade the desire for peace for an empty distraction and temporary reprieve. The Prophet writes of our predicament with humility and grace, pleading with God, and also reminding us that yes, we are all God’s people.

Questions to Ponder

This prophecy is rich with poetic imagery. Which stands out to you the most? Can you paint a picture of it in your mind?

Take out a sheet of paper and do a little sketch of what you think God’s presence might look like this Advent.

The end of the passage shifts a bit from awe into dialogue with God. Why is that transition important for Advent?

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

1Cor. 1:3   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.