|
Advent—a time to begin the church year again. Advent—a time to imagine God coming and judging the earth. Advent—a time to prepare for the coming of Christ into our world, into our hearts.
Advent—It is here.
We have spent the last three weeks listening to parables pointing to these times. Prepare, Multiply, See God in all! Our scripture texts for today pick up the theme: Wait. Watch. Behold a day is coming!
But for me, the mood has changed. All the darkness of the world is still there. All that needs to be refashioned, remade, respun, redone by the Great Potter is still on the “to do” list. All the problems of the world haven’t gone away.
And that is why we need Advent. Advent is about how we live in a world like this. Advent is about how we stand up tall when we want to crawl under the covers. Advent is about promises made and promises kept. Advent is about clinging to hope.
As I mused about the focus scripture for today, I felt that it really was a prayer to God. A prayer wishing God would come down and fix everything. A prayer that recognized that maybe the speaker hadn’t done all that should be done. A prayer that hoped God would still right the wrongs, make the old new, continue to be our God and continue to see us as God’s people.
So instead of trying to parse what Isaiah was saying to his people, I felt that today we should follow in his footsteps and have a sermon/prayer. And as I began to explore that idea, I realized that this was really an ancient Advent tradition, found most notably in what are called the O Antiphons—which bring our deepest desires to God in prayer and song. We know the O Antiphons as “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and I invite you to read the 7 verses this Advent and enjoy the names and images of God that they lift up. Marty Hagen, a wonderful church musician, has reworked four of the images and set them to music in the hymn we are going to use today—its refrain is so appropriate for Advent. Let us sing it together.
For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits
Truly my hope is in you.
So let us come before God, clinging to hope, singing to the Potter that our clay might be remade.
(1)God, this week we witnessed the fires of Ferguson, and they seemed an eerie light. We know that you come to bring light into the darkness, but help us to understand. Help us to hear the voices of those who feel they are not heard. Help us as a country to do something about a justice system that does not seem to work fairly. Give us time and space to have constructive conversations about race. May there come a time when no one has to live in the shadows because of fear. May there come a time when rage and hatred and oppression will have burned itself out, and we can start the difficult task of living together in peace.
1 O Lord of Light, our only hope of glory,
your radiance shines in all who look to you;
come, light the hearts of all in dark and shadow. (Refrain-- For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits
Truly my hope is in you.)
(2)God, in this season where the world says all is “holly and jolly” we thank you for the Advent reminder that this world contains darkness, and loneliness, and illness. We ask special protection for all those who might hurt themselves. We lift up all those who carry deep wounds inside, and cover them up so we never see. Help all people to know how beautiful they are, how precious, how irreplaceable. Be with those who are locked in bodies that do not work as they should, Be with those whose minds cannot communicate or remember. May there come a time when no one has to hide themselves, in fear or shame. May there come a time when joy bubbles up irresistibly in us all.
2 Spring of Joy, rain down upon our spirits;
our thirsty hearts are yearning for your word;
come, make us whole, be comfort to our hearts. (Refrain-- For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits
Truly my hope is in you.)
(3)God, we are constantly hearing the words “new and improved.” But sometimes it feels as if this world is only old and decaying. Every day we get older, with all the attendant aches and pains. We have to say goodbye to those we love, and miss them so terribly. The world changes and we have a hard time keeping up. We wonder what will become of our beautiful earth? What will happen to our beloved nation? How will the church continue in your name? We have so many questions, so many fears, and so few answers. May there come a time when no one has to be in pain, or grief. May there come a time when all will be made clear.
3 O Root of Life, implant your seed within us,
and in your advent, draw us all to you,
our hope reborn in dying and in rising. (Refrain-- For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits
Truly my hope is in you.)
(4)God, Jesus has said, Seek and you will find, Ask and it will be given, Knock and the door will be opened. We lift up the locked doors in our world—to employment, to housing, to food, to education, to freedom, to life. Help us to open our eyes to see people as you see them. Help us to open our hands in gestures of love. Help us to open our hearts that we might be closer to you. May there come a time when no one is locked out. May there come a time when we and our world shall know your steadfast love and abounding grace in full.
4 O Key of Knowledge, guide us in our pilgrimage;
we ever seek, yet unfulfilled remain;
open to us the pathway of your peace. (Refrain-- For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits
Truly my hope is in you.)
Advent is here. Cling to Hope.
We do live in the land of darkness,
but we know that the Lord of light is dawning.
We do live in a place of such grief and sadness,
but we know that the Spring of Joy is bubbling up.
We look around and see death and decay everywhere,
but we know that the Root of Life is crafting
new shoots.
We may feel that there is so much to do, so much to change that the work will never get done,
but we know that the Key of Knowledge
is ours to have—
and so we join our voices with those throughout the ages who sing
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
|
