First Sunday of Advent
Scripture Reading for Today:
Isaiah 2:1-5
2 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Psalm 122
A song of ascents. Of David.1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” 2 Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. 4 That is where the tribes go up— the tribes of the Lord— to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel. 5 There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. 7 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” 8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.
Romans 13:11-14
11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Matthew 24:36-44
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Resting in the Unknown
by Amy Bratton
Amy Bratton is the Director of Operations & Publishing for the New Leaf Network and the project manager for the Canadian Multivocational Ministry Project. She lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband, Tim, and their two sons, Oswald and Ira. She is a lay leader at Riversdale Neighbours church and an Adjunct Professor with Rocky Mountain College in the area of Spiritual Formation. She writes and speaks about the history of Christian spirituality, with a focus on the early Methodist understanding of Christian maturity known as “perfect love.” Read more from her in her book Witnesses of Perfect Love: Narratives of Christian Perfection in Early Methodism.
I have been learning that in life, there are many uncertain roads to walk. Uncertainty seems to be more prevalent now, as many of us face global pandemic uncertainties alongside all the other existing ones.
In the face of the unknown, I am becoming more aware of my choice, battle against the uncertainty or embrace the mystery. While it may seem like the logical choice to cling to what I already know when faced with uncertainty, I am starting to see that turning toward mystery may actually be a more promising path.
Let me try to unpack this with a couple of well-known Christmas stories.
First, Mary. In the gospel narrative of the annunciation, when the angel approached Mary with the news of Jesus’ impending birth (Luke 1:26-38), she can come across as quiet and submissive, but I imagine there was more to the story. More than Mary’s single clarifying question recorded in the gospel of Luke and then an affirmative response. Someone with the fortitude to stick with Jesus through all that would unfold, has a more complex internal experience than the peace we see depicted in medieval art portraying this moment.
As Mary faced the mystery of what Gabriel’s words meant, she consented to move forward, but not with blind faith. Indeed, she knew that Yahweh had promised a Messiah would come. She knew that God knew her and loved her deeply. But she didn’t know all that would unfold, all that would pierce her heart (as Simeon, the prophet, would speak over her soon after Jesus’ birth). Even if we fill in the blanks with our own human experience, the limitations of the biblical text means that we cannot know Mary's internal experience.
Yet, Mary’s tender consent in the face of mystery laid the foundation for what would come.
King Herod was also faced with mystery as the Magi appeared on his doorstep in their attempt to celebrate the birth of a new King of the Jews. In contrast to Mary, King Herod doubled down on his anchors of certainty. He held power, and he could send out his military force to protect his position of power.
Yet, his violent acts to defend his place had little effect because Jesus came to subvert King Herod's realm of power in ways that Herod never imagined. In the face of uncertainty, Herod clung to the things he knew and violence, coercion, and insecurity resulted.
As I read the lectionary readings for this first Sunday of Advent, I can’t help but notice that they highlight these polarities. We read a prophecy in Isaiah 2 that calls Israel to defer to the Word of the Lord and allow God to be the arbiter between nations. The resulting peace involves laying down weapons with such finality, that Israel can pound swords and spears into tools to grow food.
Similarly, Psalm 122 encourages a posture of peace, not only for our own good, but for the good of others.
And, not to be too complacent about the peace promised in Advent, the lectionary draws on a very mysterious passage for the gospel reading. Matthew 24 contains the mysterious words of Jesus about the unknowable day and hour of the coming of the Son of Man. Much ink has been spilled in attempts to unravel the mystery of this passage, so I won’t join the chorus. What if, instead, we lean into the mystery and seek a posture of peace and preparation? If the coming of the Son of Man ushers in the peace described in Isaiah 2, I welcome that peace revolution. Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
Yet, here we are, muddled and middled in the story, as one of my professors liked to say. In my response to the unknown, I find myself somewhere between the steadfast Virgin Mary and the murderous King Herod. Hopefully, closer to Mary most days. However, I recently gained insight into my own default responses when I took the Birkman test and discovered that under stress, I prefer organization and clarity; I like direct answers and concrete plans to solve problems. When I don’t have the ability to lean into those things in times of stress, I panic.
But what if I leaned into the certainty of God’s presence, instead of my own efforts? What if I embraced curiosity instead of control? What can this liminal season of Advent teach me this year about leaning into uncertainty?
I am excited to share Known and Unknown with you. As we sit in this uncertain season, you are invited to join the conversation with these authors who have been reflecting on mystery. Let us sit together, in the mystery of Advent.
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