______________________________________________________
1st SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Today begins our first Sunday in Advent and the beginning of preparation for God’s
incarnation in history and outside and beyond history. The first lesson lament expresses a
deep yearning for God to return and make our world right, the second lesson describes one
congregation’s actions as they attempted to wait out what they thought would be an
imminent return of Christ, and the gospel lesson takes us in the land of apocalyptic-a
land flowing with strangeness and watchfulness. Enjoy!
Isaiah 64:1-9-A Lament
This lesson forms a communal lament that concludes with a strongly-worded rhetorical
question at chapter’s end. The prophet utters the lament on behalf of the people,
asking God to dramatically enter the human condition: "Rip open the heavens and show
yourself!" Such a divine display would doubtless silence and terrify God’s-and
theirs-adversaries. The prayer alludes to the reason for God’s absence; it is due to
their sins: "You were angry with us, but we went on sinning" (v. 5 tev). Our
lesson for the first Sunday in Advent ends with a tender, familial metaphor to describe
the relationship the prophet and people claim with God: "Still, God you are our
Father" (v. 8 the message).
1 Corinthians 1:3-9-Assured Standing Before God
Paul opens his letter to the Corinthians with his characteristic remembrance /
thanksgiving for the recipients. There will be plenty of correctives and instructions to
follow, but these opening remarks place them, within the large context of their standing
before God. Paul intimates that their standing before God couldn’t be stronger, for
their experiences and deep spiritual roots confirms the testimony about Jesus.
Mark 13:24-37-I Say To All: Watch!
Jesus has just warned his disciples not to be bamboozled by appearances of wealth (the
rich donors vis-à-vis the poor widow). Yet in the very next scene the disciples are awed
by the magnificent architecture of the Temple. Things aren’t always as they seem,
Jesus seems to warn. What follows is a truly frightening account of the future, including
persecutions and cosmic signs. Our section, however, combines the future with the present
and calls us to watchfulness because we don’t know God’s timetable or timeline
for The End.
