“A time of expectation, being watchful, and awake,” thematic clichés for Advent season, surely amount to at least a basic attitude of “benefit of the doubt” for those of us who are minimalists of varying sorts and stripes. After reading, re-reading and pondering all six of today’s scriptural lessons, I was left in doubt about what benefit those who coupled these sections of scripture together anticipated we would derive from their labors. And without the further benefit of a “compiler’s commentary” to provide some clue to the intentionality of this particular scriptural arrangement, I find myself left with the not unpleasant option of wondering if these half dozen pieces of Holy Writ might contain some helpful wisdom if they were allowed to as it were “speak to one another.” So setting myself outside of them with the expectant attitude of playful watchfulness adopted by a curious eavesdropper listening in on a series of private conversations, I once more returned to these scriptures.
A first snippet of conversation I heard was between an individual and an angel of the Lord:
- A person cried out to God: “Life sucks, I’m deathly sick and no one, not even my best friend gives a crap.” Ps. 41:8-9 [a personal lament]
- And an angel of the Lord responds: “Cry out! Cry again!” Zech. 1:14, 17 [a vision]
The next eavesdropping seemed to include a give and take between a poor person and a prophet.
- “Those callous fat cats who make life miserable for the rest of us, will get what’s coming to them.” Ps. 52:7 [a lament about one’s enemies]
- “You bet they will! I see a new opportunity arising. I know you don’t have the power to bring it about now, but keep the faith! It is coming.” Rev. 3:7-13 [A vision]
The last thing I overheard was a disheartened believer speaking to an evangelist. It went something like this:
- “We are downtrodden and terrorized not because of any wrongdoing on our part but became we tried to live righteously.” Ps. 44:17 [a communal lament]
- “Yes you are! Making a “new creation” is messy and nasty work. That’s why Jesus came! Matt: 24:22-23, 27-28 [vision of the new age]
If Christmas is the recognition that God became one of us to engage in the nuts and bolts of our lives, then today’s lessons suggest to me that Advent encourages us to be awake and alert to all the wants and needs about us, to make them know and brought to light as part of our participation in the coming kingdom. Advent is time to “Cry out” anew for those injustices among us and to do so in the faithful expectation that it is just such things that God in Christ Jesus chooses to redeem.
PN Taylor
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