It’s
our reading from Isaiah that really spoke to me this week. I
am struck by the image of a prophet appealing for God’s
intervention. Haven’t
we all been there: yearning for God to
intervene in our lives? And
I take great comfort in the knowledge that one of the
greatest prophets had those
feelings.
The
book of Isaiah spans over several centuries and periods during Israel’s history. Isaiah
tells the story of Israel during war, devastation, exile and, eventually,
return to Jerusalem. Isaiah,
though, is a prophet, not a historian. The
foundation of his storytelling is theology: connecting God and
God’s activity to God’s people. So,
the prophet often finds himself in the middle, triangulated between God and the people.
There
are many themes in Isaiah’s prophecy: the primacy of The
Law, caring for the weak, the justice and judgment
of God. And,
Isaiah has one final resolve: to return Israel’s
reliance and faith to God no matter their
circumstance. Isaiah
knows that
when Israel depends fully on YHWH they
will know the full compassion and mercy of God.
Our
reading this morning falls in the third section of Isaiah. Written
during the fall of Babylon, it chronicles the return of God’s people to
Jerusalem. This
particular section focuses on conflict within the community: Israel’s internal turmoil
rather than external politics.
And
their internal conflict has everything to do with their relationship with
God. During
their exile from Israel, the people felt abandoned by God. And
so, they abandon The Law, God’s way. Feeling
lost and defeated, they begin to practice the religion of their conquerors. As
they return to Jerusalem, they continue to worship other gods, continuing to ignore The
Law, to ignore YHWH. These
practices create great divisions and break down the community of Israel. They
forget to care for one another, putting their ways before all others. Isaiah
knows there is only one solution: God’s
intervention.
So,
as we read in our text today, Isaiah cries out for God’s
intrusion into history. He
appeals to God as Creator and Father to show God’s self to
the people. Isaiah
believes that once Israel knows that God is with them, they will return to God.
Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence…O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence…
How
will God intervene? God
will leave the heavenly throne and establish God’s self on Earth. With
this act, God
will bring peace, justice and righteousness for God’s people. This
is the ultimate intrusion of God in history. It
is exactly what Isaiah asks of God today.
It
is no coincidence that we read this
text on the First Sunday of Advent. Advent
is the season when we prepare for the coming of God’s son: Jesus, the
Messiah. This
is a two-fold event. Of
course, we celebrate the first coming of Christ: Jesus’ birth into the
world. During
Advent, though, we also prepare for Christ’s second coming.
I
know, I know: we rarely, if ever, talk about Jesus’ second coming. We
associate this event with strange cult figures who declare the end of the
world. Or
strange images from Revelation of winged and multiple-eyed creatures. Our
reading from Mark’s Gospel doesn’t help. Which
one of us yearns for the day when the sun and moon will darken, stars will fall from heaven and the Son of Man will come on clouds of
power and glory? Which
one of us is ready for that day?
Let’s
face it: we
prefer to focus on the baby Jesus instead of the heavenly One. The
baby Jesus is easier to celebrate. Everyone
loves a baby, especially one who
doesn’t keep us awake at night. To
focus on Jesus’ second coming requires us, in
the words of Mark, to
keep awake. To
prepare for Christmas during Advent,
allows
us to focus our attention on the past: that
time when God came among us. The
call of Advent, though, also
requires us to look at our present and future. Advent
asks us to imagine that God did more than act in history. Advent
reminds us that Christ is human and divine, a
precious child and a heavenly king.
This
is good news. We
need both. Christ’s
humanity is a sign of God’s care and compassion for creation. Christ’s
power and glory is a reminder that He is more than one of us. He
is also One with God. He
is the bearer of God’s kingdom: God’s
peace and justice for all creation. Jesus’
coming among us binds us fully to God: through his humanity and divinity.
Take
a look around us. Our
world is full of problems: hunger, poverty, injustice, disease, and war. And
there’s no doubt that we seek to cure these ailments. We
depend on science for our cures, government for our conflicts and entertainment
to soothe us. We
give money, collect food, volunteer, offer a listening ear and friendly advice. Still,
even with great confidence in our strength, we cannot solve these
problems. It
seems there will never be a time of peace, justice and well-being. Yet
Advent stands as a reminder that God has intervened before and will come among
us again.
Isaiah
has his time, his moment of asking for God’s intervention. Advent
is our time, our moment to ask for God to perform awesome deeds once more, to
“tear open the heavens and come down.”
And
so, Advent is a time of hope. It
is our time to remember how Christ’s birth began a new era and brought a new
way of life. It
is our time to believe that God will act in history again. We
say our prayers; we decorate our homes; we sing comforting and soothing carols. We
volunteer more, collect more food and go to Church more often. This
is all watchful living: participating in and recognizing God’s actions in in
our world. And
these are all expressions of our yearning for God’s presence among us. This
yearning is a sign of confidence and trust in God. Christ’s
life among us was one of healing and mercy, the revelation that this is the
heart of God. When
Christ comes in power and glory, the heart of God will rule creation. This
is the root of Christian hope: that one day God will come down from the
heavenly throne and establish God’s self in creation.
May
Advent make us ready to receive Christ among us: as a precious child and as
“…the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory...”
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