Advent Alphabet (S)

That day, it will be said: See, this is our God
in whom we hoped for SALVATION;
the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.

Just before this verse from Isaiah 25 we have the evocative imagery of the heavenly banquet. With its ‘fine wines’ and ‘foods rich and juicy’, it is an image of abundance and plenty. Israel will be delivered from the aridity of exile with foods that will rehydrate and quench thirst. God promises to provide not only for physical hunger but also to heal grief: The Lord will wipe away the tears from each cheek…

Salvation then for Isaiah is a radical re-ordering of the world where God’s rule will ensure that Israel is provided for in both body and soul. Israel has hoped and longed for this day. Scripture scholar, Walter Brueggemann, describes Isaiah’s vision of the world as ‘an attentive world where Yahweh’s governance is unparalleled.’ I find this a very helpful understanding of salvation.

As Christmas approaches we find ourselves being attentive to all kinds of small things. They might look like a distraction from the Incarnation. Every small act of kindness, every attention to detail can be an expression of our love, however imperfect they may seem.

In these last days of Advent how is God calling you to be attentive?

(Isaiah 25:6-10, Wednesday, Week One)

O Adonai

Jeremiah 23:5-8
Matthew 1:18-24

O Lord of ancient Israel,
who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush,
who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain;
come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

O Adonai

Unsayable, you chose to speak one tongue,
Unseeable, you gave yourself away,
The Adonai, the Tetragramaton
Grew by a wayside in the light of day.
O you who dared to be a tribal God,
To own a language, people and a place,
Who chose to be exploited and betrayed,
If so you might be met with face to face,
Come to us here, who would not find you there,
Who chose to know the skin and not the pith,
Who heard no more than thunder in the air,
Who marked the mere events and not the myth.
Touch the bare branches of our unbelief
And blaze again like fire in every leaf.

Malcolm Guite

Listen to Malcolm Guite read his sonnet:

How has God shown himself to you this Advent?

Which areas of your life do you most need God to set free?

Advent Alphabet (R)

REJOICES

I exult for joy in the Lord,
my soul REJOICES in my God,
for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity,
like a bridegroom wearing his wreath,
like a bride adorned in her jewels.

In the three books which make up the writings ascribed to Isaiah the theme of God’s saving actions sounds loud and clear. There is good news to be heard: the time of suffering is coming to an end, God will send the Holy One and the whole of creation will be restored. If this good news is received by a faithful people they will find themselves comforted and their wounds healed.

That God’s promise is about to be fulfilled is the cause for exuberance and rejoicing. The clothing metaphor speaks to me of the security and protection that God’s promise brings. The festive wedding adornments of wreath and jewels speak of a joy that has a special intensity. This joy is shared with all who gather to celebrate a wedding.

When Mary sings her Magnificat there is a sense in which she gives voice to all the joy that Israel has ever experienced. When her ‘spirit rejoices’ it does so in thankfulness for the ways in which God has acted in covenantal relationship with Israel. This joy fills Mary’s whole being.

Where have you seen God’s promise unfold?
Are there things for which you can rejoice this Advent?

(Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11, Sunday 3 (B)

O Sapientia

17th December
O Sapientia

Gen 49:2, 8-10
Mat 1:1-17

O Wisdom, O holy Word of God,
you govern all creation
with your strong yet tender care.
Come and show your people
the way to salvation.

O SAPIENTIA

I cannot think unless I have been thought,
Nor can I speak unless I have been spoken.
I cannot teach except as I am taught,
Or break the bread except as I am broken.
O Mind behind the mind through which I seek,
O Light within the light by which I see,
O Word beneath the words with which I speak,
O founding, unfound Wisdom, finding me,
O sounding Song whose depth is sounding me,
O Memory of time, reminding me,
My Ground of Being, always grounding me,
My Maker’s Bounding Line, defining me,
Come, hidden Wisdom, come with all you bring,
Come to me now, disguised as everything.

Listen to Malcolm Guite read his sonnet:

https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/tag/o-sapientia/

Advent Alphabet (Q)

QUICKLY

I have always loved the urgency in Luke’s story of the Visitation; ‘Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country’. By all accounts Mary’s journey to Elizabeth won’t have been easy. That Mary loses no time in making her journey speaks of the power of God’s promise in her life. Mary’s life rests on three foundation stones: God’s Word (Torah), God’s Service (Prayer), God’s Work (Kindness). There is a sense in which all three of these compel her to make the journey.

Whatever we imagine the terrain to be like, the journey was long and not without danger for someone Mary’s age. Luke gives us none of the details of the journey, focusing instead on the joy of Mary and Elizabeth meeting and recognising each other as vessels of God’s will.

Urgency can be a difficult thing to navigate in our daily lives. So many things can make an urgent call on hearts and minds. The urgency of love is a different matter. We probably all have in our lives people for whom we would drop everything and go ask quickly as we could.

Which things compel you?
Where is God calling you to go quickly this Advent?

(Luke 1:39-45, Dec 21st)

Advent Alphabet (P)

PREPARE

PREPARE in the desert a way for the Lord.
Make a straight highway for our God across the desert.

Isaiah imagines for the Israelites a joyous return from Exile where their fortunes are to radically changed. In order that they waste no time the prophet tells them to prepare a straight highway. They have waited long enough in Exile, now they are to travel as quickly as possible from Babylon to Jerusalem. A straight road will help them do this.

Mark the Evangelist takes this text and puts it in the mouth of John the Baptist. The sense of urgency increases as John the Baptist calls for repentance, a change of heart.

When we hear this text in Advent it comes to us with all the urgency experienced by our ancestors in the faith. Amidst the physical preparations for Christmas we are invited to prepare our hearts for Christ’s coming. The liturgy can help us with this. It constantly calls us back to the things of the heart. The prophets call us to see the world as God sees it and to stand ready and prepared for when He comes.

What helps you to prepare and be ready in Advent?

(Isaiah 40:1-11, Tuesday, Week Two)

Advent Alphabet (O)

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will OVERSHADOW you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

When the Moses and the Israelites wander in the wilderness they are re-assured by God’s presence, or glory, in the form of cloud by day and fire by night. It’s only Moses who is bold enough to ask to see God’s glory. It’s this glory which will fill the desert Tabernacle which the Israelites carry with them wherever they go. When the Temple is finally built, the Holy of Holies is the guaranteed dwelling place of God. In Judaism this presence is known as ‘shekinah’.

When we come to the story of the Annunciation and the angel’s words to Mary our biblical imaginations can draw upon the Old Testament thought world. That Mary will be ‘overshadowed’ by God’s power is a figurative way of saying that God will intervene directly. All of God’s power, presence, light, glory and love will be contained in Mary’s womb. This is a breathtaking promise. Mary is now the guaranteed dwelling place of God.

Needing to be re-assured of God’s presence is an experience in which we all share. People, places and rituals can give us a sense that God really is overshadowing our lives. Advent invites us deeper into that mystery.

Where have you felt God’s overshadowing presence this Advent?

(Luke 1:26-38, Dec 20th)

Advent Alphabet (N)

In the countryside close by there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the NIGHT.

Watching through the night is something which many of us will find ourselves doing at some point in our lives. We might be awaiting a birth or sitting at the bedside of a loved one in their last illness. There’s something about the darkness and the stillness that gives this time a very different quality to daytime. There’s an in built vulnerability, but also an uncluttered feel that can make space for problems to be resolved and new ideas to emerge.

Commentators suggest that it was most likely springtime when these shepherds are keeping watch. Shepherds and sheep simply wouldn’t survive if this were winter. In Luke’s narrative these shepherds have a symbolic value. Watching through the night in order to guard their flocks from predators, they symbolise those who care for the vulnerable. This scene is in contrast to the world over which Caesar Augustus presides.

New Testament Scholar, Amy J Levine, imagines how the shepherds might spend their time:

We can picture these shepherds, under the stars. They are doing what people do at the end of the day: telling stories, singing songs, praying to God for good health or for the Romans to go away, talking about household joys and sorrows. Perhaps there are women among the shepherds, gathered together to tell their own stories and to share their own dreams.

On this night their watch through the night turns to wonder as the angels appear. In the darkness of the night they are caught up in glory.

How has God invited you to watch and wait this Advent?

(Luke 2:1-14, Midnight Mass)

Advent Alphabet (M)

MOUNTAIN

Come, let us go up to the
MOUNTAIN of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob
that he may teach us his ways
so that we may walk in his paths…

In the opening chapters of Isaiah we find ourselves invited to ‘go up to the mountain of the Lord’. Mountains for Isaiah are metaphors and symbols of God’s promises. Isaiah’s world was chaotic, unjust and under constant threat of war. Into this world Isaiah speaks words of hope and a vision of unity. The mountain stands for a world that is better, where justice flourishes and there is no need for war. This mountain is Jerusalem, beloved city and place of holiness and hope.

For Isaiah, the secret to the peace and unity promised for those who make the journey up to the mountain of the Lord, is the keeping of God’s law, Torah. This is where their hope lies. When they truly walk in God’s ways war will no longer be a possibility.

As war continues in Ukraine and bitter conflict continues between Hamas and Israel, we need a vision of peace more than ever. We can hold onto Isaiah’s hope that one day war will no longer be a possibility, while at the same time feeling helpless in the face of such endemic conflict. Our faith teaches us that every small act that fosters peace is not lost. God can use it all.

How can you foster peace in your family, workplace, community this Advent?

(Monday, Week One, Isaiah 2:1-5)

Advent Alphabet (L)

LOWLY

In your midst I will leave a humble and LOWLY people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.

Israel’s story begins in obscurity, with no great fame or riches to guarantee its security or growth. Its faith is a tiny flame. Each step on the journey involves the protecting of that flame. For the flame of God’s plan to grow the humble and loving faith of a small group of people is needed. These are the ‘lowly’. The circumstances of their lives are such that they know their need of God.

In the Old Testament the lowly are known as the anawim. Sr Maria Boulding osb, in her book, The Coming of God’ explores their role in the story of salvation:

‘These anawim appear as the spiritual kernel of the nation from the seventh century BC. These were the have-nots, the underprivileged, the powerless, the oppressed, the people whose economic poverty drove them to unlimited trust in God.
The poor were the humble, the people who were obedient to the will of God, those whose very misery had forced their hearts open to him.’

God constantly entrusted himself in love to the people of Israel. Those who were poor and humble had space enough to receive him. They had lived lives of faithfulness to the Torah and could do no other than follow its commands.

Can you name the anawim in your own life?
What can they teach you?

(Tuesday, Week Three, Zephaniah 3:1-2. 9-13)