Staring into Advent
Advent calendars start with December 1; Advent starts when it starts regardless of the calendar, or maybe in spite of it. Already Christian observance of the season is at odds with the culture that we are soaking in, so for December one and two this year, as Advent starts tomorrow, I’m recycling a couple of readings that were for dates this month which had two readings.
December 1, 2023. T -2 days–an Advent address Advance Advent– Waiting to be waiting. The reading is Romans 15:8 to 13.
Before I actually begin, I made this list and calendar of advanced readings to support our Advent bags staircase that I first attempted in the year 2013, but often haphazardly executed.
Our daughter was asking if we had an advent booklet for a big felt advent calendar that we used to use with them when they were kids. This would’ve been perfect except that I have no idea where, or if, we have it I figured I would just have to sketch out my own calendar with a few favorite verses. How hard could that be right?
I searched online for quote Advent Bible readings,” “daily adventure readings,” and similar topics. A couple of websites were helpful but what I was left with was a free offer a 90 day free offer to trial during Advent with CS Lewis, or Liam Neeson.
I appreciate the work of both of these people but it wasn’t quite what I was wanting.
I noted how some of the websites followed a pattern of selecting verses from old Testament prophecy, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles; different sections of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. I made a few notes and moved on.
I thought about it. There are some events that I needed in my advent observance:
- the Annunciation the angel talking to Mary
- Joseph’s dream – don’t be afraid to marry Mary
- Zechariah’s silence
- The Creation
- The flood
- Stuff from the whole arc of Christendom from Genesis to Revelation; from the Garden of Eden to the Holy city coming down from the clouds
I opened a December 2023 calender in Microsoft word. I renamed it Advent 2023 and began filling in passage citations. Then I realised that I knew what the 24th would be; The Main Event! (spoiler alert: Jesus is Born) Before that, they would have to do the Christmas road trip, etc. Then I knew what would come before that so I just work backwards: 24 nativity; 23, travel to Bethlehem. It would’ve taken, how long? to get to Bethlehem?; 22, Joseph’s dream; 21, Mary and Elizabeth; 20 the Annunciation, etc., and so it went. I could do this stuff in my sleep right?; 19th Zechariah shuts up; 18th… well, people waiting in darkness? The 400-year silence of the prophets? Hoping? The remnant?
For some reason I was reminded about King Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation– His dream of a stump bound with iron and bronze in the ground in a field–but that is a digression.
For the rest of the days, I just kind of backfilled until I got to December 3, the start of Advent.
Then I printed off the selected verses, Cut the strips for each day’s reading, put them in the bags, placed them in the bannister spaces, adding five nails in the molding above the kitchen door because we didn’t have enough banister spaces visible from the front hall for the whole 24 days.
Advent Post #5 – “Do not be afraid”
“Do not be afraid”
Joseph was faithful to the Law.
Joseph did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace.
Joseph was a righteous man.
By law, if Joseph found Mary displeasing, which was not likely – or if he found something indecent about her, which a very unplanned pregnancy would seem to be, he had the right to write her off and send her away.
Joseph had it in mind to divorce her quietly.
Joseph had considered this.
Joseph had also considered not doing this.
How confusing! Did he believe her? Did he consider not divorcing her? – or disgracing her publicly? – having her stoned?
In his hurt, was he sad, angry, vindictive, confused, disappointed?
Was Joseph afraid that whatever his choice, it would end up being a bad choice? He had done nothing wrong – nothing to deserve this.
Imagine Joseph’s dilemma: his fiancee was pregnant, and he certainly was not the father.
Joseph did not know what to do, and the angel, in the first sentence spoken in the New Testament, tells him: “do not be afraid”.
I wonder if, when the angel said “Do not be afraid”, Joseph, or the angel, or Mary thought of Isaiah 41:13: “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” I did.
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
All direct quotations of the Bible are taken from:
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
I used http://www.biblegateway.com to locate bible verses
Advent Post #4 – Fear? Not!
Fear? Not! Luke 1:26-38
The second thing that he said to Mary was ‘fear not’, or in more modern speech ‘do not be afraid’; the first was a puzzling greeting that told her of God’s favour and presence with her.
Fear not, you will conceive and bear a son… oh, and we’ve picked out a name for him: Jesus, and Mary, there are a few thing that you should know about your boy:
-He’s going to be great
-He will have title: The Son of the Most High
-God will give him the throne of his ancestor David
-He will be King forever [Messiah]; his kingdom will not ever end.
Curiously to me, Mary didn’t ask clarification about all the king and kingdom information, or disbelieve the message about what was going to happen. Her question was practical – unlike Zechariah, who when told that his prayers had been heard and a baby was going to be born to his wife Elizabeth, asked the angel how he could be sure of this – doubting the message or the messenger – A priest, he should have known better….
Mary’s question “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” doesn’t seem to question the events foretold to her. It is more of a procedural / practical nature: I know how babies start; that hasn’t happened.
Gabriel does not get into a technical explanation – he basically explains that God will make it happen. Mary is satisfied and gives her informed assent. And then the angel left — left!
This would be where I would freak out – ummm, become rather anxious. Being visited by an angel can’t have been very comforting, and his message, somewhat less comforting. But then to be all alone again with this, this – secret, that no one else on earth could possibly believe? Excruciating!
Perhaps, after a while, when she finally remembered to breathe, and when her heart beat slowed to within the normal range for a girl of her age and build, and perhaps as she looked around and saw that she was alone in the darkness (for some reason I always imagine that the angel visit occurred at night), perhaps the angel message came back to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God,” and this was a comfort to her. I hope so. Mary had the faith to believe that God would do what he had said he would do, and that he was with her.
Her faith had allowed her to respond to God’s message with “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” That was probably the easy part. She had nine months of pregnancy ahead, and how would she be able to explain to her beloved Joseph? -and what would the neighbours think – well, we know what they would think. And this was a time when what the neighbours think might cost a girl her life, and not just her reputation.
I imagine that there were times in those nine months, and in the years beyond, right up until the end of her life, when the message from God: “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God,” was the only comfort she had.
I am not Mary. I have not been visited by an angel, but I do have faith and, like Mary, I believe that God will do what he said he will do, and that he is with me. And when the people who live around me can’t understand how I can believe this stuff. I take comfort in the words of Mary’s son, Jesus “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
links:
Mary & Angel Luke 1:26-38
Zechariah Luke 1:5-18
Jesus’ Promise Matthew 28:20
Jesus & eternal life John 3:16-21
All direct quotations of the Bible are taken from:
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
I used http://www.biblegateway.com to locate bible verses
Advent Post #3 – A sprout from a stump –
Isaiah 11 (RSV)
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And 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;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist,
and faithfulness the girdle of his loins.6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
and the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall feed;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
We read in Isaiah 11, that the stump of Jesse will sprout. We take this to mean that Jesus is prophesied to be born from the remains of Jesse’s family tree.
Usually, when a tree is chopped down, we kind of figure that it is finished. Things don’t always work out the way we figure.
This reading appeals to me for the vision of absolute safety and peacefulness it presents – a complete lack of danger, threat, chaos or turmoil. I find this a refreshing antidote to the morning paper and the news of tragedy, armed struggle, disaster and violence we hear so often. Peace.
In Advent, we look back in order to look forward. Advent recalls looking forward to the arrival of The Messiah. and look how he shows up:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 RSV
A chopped down tree, a baby – these seem like weak openings, small ways to start. God chooses surprising ways to begin. In the beginning, The Beginning – at the creation of the universe God spoke – he ‘said’.
A friend who is expecting SOON was wearing sweatshirt last night that has some words from Something’s Coming from West Side Story: “Something’s coming, something good.” That feels like the message of Advent – The message of Christmas, too: Something’s coming, something good.
I wonder what he wants to say to us? I wonder what he wants to do / begin in us as something small
Advent Post #2 – Light in the Darkness. An Unexpected Saviour
Isaiah 9:2 – The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
When I think of Advent, one of the strongest images I have is that of light shining into a dark place. A friend remarked on Facebook that the next weeks are the darkest time of the year, and that she doesn’t like that. At this time of year when daylight and sunshine seem scarce, the seasonal changes seem like an extended metaphor for Advent. We long for the light; for the susnhine, and when it shines, as it did today a few times, it is so welcome. That has got to be one of the reasons why Advent is celebrated / observed at this time of year.
I read in Isaiah 9:2-7 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” This is more than a lack of solar radiation. Advent is not just suffering for those of us who cannot make it to Hawaii. Many people are living in ‘deep darkness’. Situations and circumstances seem utterly hopeless. In Advent we celebrate the birth of Jesus as the light shining into the darkness of this world. The writer of Matthew, in the New Testament quotes 9:1-2 in Matthew 4:12-17 when Jesus begins his preaching ministry. In John 1:5 we read that the “light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus’ light is not absorbed by the darkness – it extinguishes the darkness.
This is a poem that I wrote for Advent in 2009. I posted it last Lent, on April 2, 2012. Sorry for the rerun, but it fits right now.
Advent
When we sat in darkness,
You came to us in light.
When we lived in helplessness,
You came to us at night.Yet you were not what we expected.
We had hoped for something else.
God, you came to us the unexpected saviour.We waited for a warrior;
You came the Prince Of Peace
We sought a mighty power
Which would set our captives free.You are not what we’d expected;
Helpless babe in young girl’s arms
Lord, you came to us an unexpected saviour.We sought an end to poverty
You preached to us good news
We wanted vindication
Forgive me if I seem confused.You are not what I expected
I had prayed for something else
You came to me an unexpected saviour.Jesus, yes an unexpected saviour.
I long for ease and comfort
You expose my naked soul
And the life I’ve built so carefully
Tear down to make me whole.You upset my money tables,
Drive my demons into pigs
You are not what I’d expected in a saviour.Jesus, Heavenly Father,
Holy Spirit, Lord of Lords,
My dreams and hopes and wishes
Are idols I can ill afford.Come to me so unexpected
Take my rags, but make me yours.
I welcome you Lord Jesus, unexpected Saviour!JM November 2009
Advent Post #1 – What Are You Waiting For?
December 1 2012
Here begins Advent – a time between – between Autumn and Winter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, between not yet here and already come.
I also think of Advent as sort of the Winter Lent.
As a kid, Advent meant that we opened small doors on a glitter-infested picture, called an advent calendar. It was a formalized countdown to Christmas. For me it served to build excitement and anticipation for the eventual arrival of Christmas.
For me, Advent means that it is a legitimate time of the year to bring out Christmas carols. But not before we sing a few Advent hymns.
The hymn by Charles Wesley, which we sing to a couple of wonderful old hymn tunes; Stuttgart and Hyfrydol . Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus has a verse reminding us of the long anticipation of waiting for the Messiah and one that looks forward to the end – when Jesus finishes our rescue, and we are home with him.
Come, thou long expected Jesus
1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
I have difficulty in getting into the spirit of waiting for Jesus to be born. Here’s why:
- I know that Jesus was born – amazing! that the Creator, The One who created the world, would limit and wrap himself in created flesh in order to make himself known to his rebellious people.
- I know of his life on earth and his execution and burial.
- I know that after that, he appeared to many people alive.
- I know that some 40 days later, he went up from the earth and disappeared into clouds. The people who were there were told that he would come back in a similar fashion, someday.
- I know that Jesus is alive and ruling, and that his work is finished, and that he is still is working through his Holy Spirit and people who listen to him.
- And I know that he is planning to come back to earth and gather us up and take us home to be with him.
– and I know that to people who don’t know Jesus, all that sounds pretty weird….
So in Advent, what are we anticipating? What’s the deal?
For what, or for whom are we waiting?
Is there something that you want Jesus to do?
Is there something that Jesus is saying to you?
Is there something that seems hard to believe?
I suggest that we stop and think about those things, and pray – talk to Jesus. Here is how you do that: “Jesus, is there something that you want to say to me?” or “Jesus, I find _______ hard to believe.” or just talk with him. He doesn’t need us to have everything figured out – or to have all the right words.
joynwonder 