the First Saturday of Advent
Scripture Reading for Today:
Malachi 4:1-6
4 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty. 4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”
Luke 9:1-6
9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.
Luke 1:68-79
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
NIV
Lectio Liminal
Today we will take some time for the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, divine reading on the lectionary passage known as Zachariah’s Song. This space for reflection is part of the Infinitum Christmas Challenge. If you would like to sign up to receive all the readings, visit: infinitumlife.com/christmas. Republished with permission.
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Here’s the Infinitum Christmas Plan take on the old discipline of ‘divine reading’.
First Movement: Peruse. Peruse means ‘read (something), typically in a thorough or careful way. Before you start, ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart for this exercise and then read slowly, curiously, and aggressively.
Here is the story (MSG): Luke 1:67-80
Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free.
He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant, Just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets:
Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he’d do, What he swore to our father Abraham—a clean rescue from the enemy camp, So we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live.
And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,” will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins.
Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace
The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.
Second Movement: Weigh. Here are contextual synonyms: ‘consider · contemplate · think about · give thought to · entertain the idea of · deliberate about · turn over in one's mind · mull over · chew over · reflect on · ruminate about · muse on · assess · appraise’. Don’t rush this movement.
Third Movement: Ask. Ask God to confirm or clarify bits you’ve been chewing on and to enlighten you on things you missed that He has for you. In this movement, you might profitably ask about lessons and tips God has from this reading for you in the realm of surrender, generosity, and mission.
Fourth Movement: Muse. Muse—‘be absorbed in thought… gaze thoughtfully at’—is a verb synonym of the Latin word ‘contemplatio’. From Google, “The word contemplation is derived from the Latin word contemplatio, ultimately from the Latin word templum, a piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, or a building for worship.” So, in a sense, we are to recognize that we are on holy ground in this exercise (note further that ‘auspices’ means ‘a divine or prophetic token’).
Fifth Movement: Activate. Apply what you have picked up (this might take the rest of the day… or the rest of your life).
Thank you for reading the New Leaf Advent Reader, a collection of reflections from writers across Canada. If you are enjoying the reader, sign up to receive the readings in your inbox each day here: SIGN UP
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