Does It Matter

Isaiah 45: 8

Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down. Let the earth open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up.

What a thought: that salvation and justice should arrive gently, like a quiet, rainy afternoon shower. If it were only true. Is it possible?

Isaiah puts these words in God’s mouth: not a suggestion to us, but a statement from God about how it is going to happen. In these sometimes dark days in history, we need to continually be reminded that God is going to do this, whether we like it or not. But the good news is this: it will happen like dew and rain rather than with force of arms and hatred and war. Good news, indeed: Someone must be coming who will shake humanity out of its bad habits into more loving and caring ways!

Prayer, O God, make it so: like gentle rain, bring justice to our world, so that all may live in peace, love, and care for one another, which we know is your intention for us; we pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Isaiah 53: 5

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah contains many familiar texts that are tied to Jesus. Isaiah 53 is a Psalm to the Suffering Servant. Jesus’ own interpretation of his ministry is found best stated in Isaiah. The idea that his life was about freeing us from the bondage of guilt and from the chains of failure so that we can live the lives that God intended for us is central to our understanding of Christian faith..

So, let’s understand that being freed from sin is not an end in itself, but rather removes the impediments to our loving others. God doesn’t just call us to salvation; we are saved for a reason which is tied to Jesus’ ministry. May our Advent be about who we are called to be rather than just gratitude for being saved. Without living the lives to which God is calling us, salvation is an empty cup, and Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection don’t matter much. When faithfulness to Jesus’ command to love as we have been loved occurs, our healing “by his wounds” has meaning and value today.

Prayer: May your wounds which heal us, Christ Jesus, be the beginning of our life of love; in your name we pray, amen.

Isaiah 7: 14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman[a] shall conceive and bear[b] a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

A riddle: what is Jesus’ middle name (assuming, as we little kids did in the Sunday School class we were in when this riddle was given to us, that “Christ” is Jesus’ last name – which it isn’t!)? Answer: “Immanuel!”

All jokes aside, the message is simple: Isaiah is telling us that the name of the Messiah will be more than a name, it will be a condition of life. No longer will we wonder why God “no longer goes out with our armies” (Psalm 108: 11, and other places). We will know, once and for all, that God is here, with us, never to leave us feeling abandoned again. 

The name Immanuel says it all: “God is with us.” It is a promise and a reality. Just as God told Moses at the burning bush, when Moses asked for God’s name: “I am who I am; I am who I was; and I am who I will be.” The Great I Am is another name for God, just as Immanuel is another name for the one who comes once again this season, Jesus.

Prayer: God, who was, who is, and who is to come: be here now with us in ways that we can recognize, in the name of Immanuel-Jesus we pray, amen.

Luke 1: 78 – 79

In your tender compassion the morning sun will rise upon us, giving light to those in darkness and guiding us in the way of peace. (translation by Sister Jean Wolbert, OSB)

This text is from the Song of Zechariah at the end of Luke 1 and comes just before the story of Christ’s birth. It is called one of the New Testament Psalms because it has the poetry and meter that many Psalms have. 

God’s “tender compassion” brings a different kind of morning sun, the Son, Jesus. We don’t just celebrate any particular birth at this time of year, but the birth of our own life! Because of Jesus, the game has changed: sin is not in charge, love truly conquers all, and we are set free not just to live, but to live the lives God intends for us. We are not only given life, but the life that is gifted to us is one that is worth something in the life of the world.

Prayer: In your tender compassion, loving God, may we find ourselves born anew this season, along with your son, our Savior Jesus, in whose name we pray and live, amen.

John 16: 21

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

On this third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate joy. A favorite hymn for this time of year is “Joy to the World.” Other hymns remind us that we are not just happy, we are overcome with joy at the birth that will be revisited in two weeks!

Joy is contagious: when we see someone with a huge smile on their face or big laughter coming from them, we easily join them, whether or not we know what to celebrate! Think of the things that bring you real joy, and then remember how much your joy is multiplied when you share it with others.

Today, our joy is for the birth of a child: the Messiah, the Savior of the world. That’s nothing to be quiet about. Laugh, sing, dance, slap each other on the back, get out the blue candy cigars, and share them with everyone: how great our joy (Joy! Joy! Joy!).

Prayer:May our joy be complete in this season of expectation and hope. May the celebration of the birth of your child fill us more than ever before, in his holy name we pray, amen.

From Psalm 46: 10

Be still, and know that I am God.

Everyone should have a little quiet time every day.

I was taught this in college; there is no memory that any of my Sunday School teachers ever mentioned it, and if any pastor said it from the pulpit, I missed it. But it’s one of the wisest things I’ve ever heard.

Musicians practice to become masters of their instruments; singers sing to make their voices stronger; athletes practice to better their chances of being successful. Yet, people of faith can go for long periods of time when they don’t actually do anything of faith except, maybe, “be nice.”

Sometimes we cry, with the Psalmist, “My God, my God, why have you forgotten me?” Jesus certainly did, from the cross, and we know that Jesus actually did pray daily. As one of my teachers said, “If Jesus had to pray, think how much more you and I need to!”

Be still today, if only for three minutes, and be aware of God.

Prayer: Make us quiet from time to time, our God, and help us know you better; in Christ’s name, amen.

Luke 1: 12

When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

Here’s the short story of Zechariah’s: he was John the Baptist’s father. He was a priest, whose “team” of priests sometimes had to go to the Temple to serve (like our Elders and Deacons, who are also on a schedule of service). An angel appeared to him while he was serving to tell him his elderly wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a baby. Because of his doubt, the angel silenced him until John’s birth.

I would have had the same reaction that Zechariah had. Sometimes, the truth is that when God actually shows up in our lives, we can sometimes find it unbelievable!

Maybe we should do things to make it easier for us to encounter God: read the Bible; worship weekly; pray daily; maybe even meditate in some form. These practices are meant to help us recognize that God never just appears, that God is with us, every single second of our lives. Slowly, with practice, we can begin to see God more clearly.

Prayer: Help us each day, God, to take time to be with you so that we may see that you are always here; in Jesus’ name, amen.

Luke 1: 26 – 27

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 

In the Roman Catholic calendar, today is the observance of the “Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” There is nothing in the Bible that tells us anything about Mary other than she was a young girl when her son was born. Little else is known about Mary. She is mentioned in the Gospels as one who followed Jesus. She was present at  his death. Then, we lose her to history and to the legends that grew up around her. Even  the Koran (Qur’an) includes part of a  chapter about her. Few of us knew that!

Mary followed Jesus throughout his ministry; she was a faithful mother as well. I would guess that more than once, Jesus sat and discussed his ministry with her, teaching her as well as being comforted by her presence. Whoever she really was, we  take a moment today to remember her and honor the One she brought into our lives: Jesus the Christ.

Prayer: We thank you for Mary, your servant, the mother of our Savior, Jesus. May she teach us about humility and faith and love, in her son’s name we ask this, amen.

Isaiah 2: 4

He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Some of us wait all year to hear these words of hope, this long sentence that’s part of the Messianic promise of Isaiah. They are words that seem like an impossible dream. Yet we hear them and read them again and again and claim them as part of our faith. 

This is a message of peace and love and hope for us all, that one day we will either change humanity into a less violent species, or God will make the change for us. The coming of Jesus is, I believe, the beginning of God’s way of changing us. The rest, so they say, is up to us.

Prayer: Loving God, you sent the Savior to be a teacher of peace, unity, love, and understanding between people. Teach us how to solve the problems of our world creatively, without hate, but with your love; in Jesus’ holy name, amen.

Psalm 42: 1

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

Martin Luther, the great church reformer, had a dog, Tolpel; his name means “fool.” Luther wrote and told stories about his dog. My favorite: once at dinner, Luther was sharing a meal with students and looked over at the dog, who was watching every morsel that moved from plate to mouth, and Luther said, “If I could only pray the way that dog watches the meat!”

Prayer is, simply, being present with God. God is always there, but are we always aware of that presence?  Do we long for God like the deer longs for water? As we say we wish for peace, or we want a deeper faith, or a better understanding of God, the only way is this: to spend time with God.

With attention, let us learn to pray, to breathe, to listen, to love.

Prayer: May we seek you, eternal God, and may our attention be on you and the things that are yours, for we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.