First Week of Advent

Nov 30 - Dec 6

Isaiah, 1 & 2 Peter

A great tree has been reduced to little more than a wide stump, cut cleanly across, leaving one to wonder only how high and wide its limbs once stretched. But next to it, there is a delicate shoot, a little sapling sprouting from what appears to have been irreversible desctruction. This is the picture Isaiah paints of Israel and its coming Messiah. The once great nation, diseased with corruption and abomination, has been cut down and burned. But from the ashes comes the Savior. 

Of all the natural metaphors to use in describing the one mighty to save, a tender shoot may be the most surprising choice. For those who live in darkness especially, the idea of a humble, sacrificial Messiah is downright offensive. He ought to drive out oppressors and make this life better. And when told that his kingdom is not of this world, disappointment and spiritual panic ensue.

 But the prophecy doesn’t end there. Isaiah goes on to proclaim that the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. To remain in the darkness, stumbling through a dim spiritual life, is a willful ignorance of what Jesus, the Messiah, really came to do. His death and resurrection cast a sharp ray of light into our sinsick world, opening a path forward toward the life to come.

This helps us better understand Peter’s seemingly counter-intuitive advice in his letters: be willing to serve, willing to suffer, willing to submit. At this, our flesh bristles, but our reborn spirit rejoices. To endure in this difficult life is to walk in the humble steps of our Lord, to be saplings as he has been. We may be shaken by the rough wind for a time, and the weeds may grow around us, but the promise of full, glorious growth remains.

So, as Advent begins, we can look ahead with the same anticipation and hope as the Old Testament believers. The Messiah is making all things new. The Chief Shepherd will appear. The unfading crown of glory awaits. “To him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:11)

Second Week of Advent

Dec 7 - 13

Isaiah, 1 John, Jude, Revelation

“Everyone who commits sin also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.” (1 Jn. 3:4) St. John does not mince words in describing sin. There is no neutral ground or gray area between lawlessness and righteousness. One is either of the darkness or of the light, of the devil or of Christ. In Isaiah’s Israel, it is certainly a time of darkness. False prophets abound. Corruption and abuse run rampant. God is not ignorant of this; he will act to save his people.

And what will this look like? For those who insist upon living in the darkness, it will be swift, impartial, and complete, consuming not only the peoples of the earth, but the earth itself. For them, the promised Messiah brings devastating, inescapable judgment.

 But the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. For those who are repentant of their sin, the promised Messiah brings salvation. The veil of sin that has been cast over all the peoples of the earth will be removed. The Leviathan who drags the world into the lawlessness will be destroyed. The great feast will begin.

 Advent is a great time to recognize where we stand as his people - between the announcement of the promise of our salvation and its complete fulfillment. During this time, false prophets and antichrists continue to swindle souls. The battle between darkness and light rages on, but not for long. Our God has already acted. The death and resurrection of the promised one has numbered its days and set us squarely within the Light of the World. John reminds us of who we are: “See the kind of love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God.” (1 Jn. 3:4) We have been made is own, and there is no doubt about which side we are on.

So, in anticipation of that great feast, we move onward, contending against sin, loving one another, testing the Spirits, and rejoicing already in the salvation that is to come.