Third Monday of Advent

Scripture Reading for Today:

Isaiah 29:17-24

17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest? 18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down— 21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice. 22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob: “No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale. 23 When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction.”

Psalm 42

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. 5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. 6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Acts 5:12-16

12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

Choruses and Queries

by Jessica Isaak

Author

Reverend Jessica Isaak is a co-lead pastor at Hampton Free Methodist Church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She has a background in journalism and has worked in television and radio news for ten years. She is ordained in the Free Methodist Church in Canada and is currently working on graduate studies at Northeastern Seminary. She also provides administrative support for the Free Methodist Church in Canada's Department of Church Planting. Jessica serves on the board of a local theatre company, sings and plays guitar, and enjoys trying new foods from various cultures. She also really likes gummy candies. She and her husband, Matt, have been married for 19 years and have two sons.

This year's Advent Reader theme is Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

The lectionary reading for today includes Psalm 42, which, in my opinion, contains a lot of unknowns. Ah, good ol' Psalm 42. If you're older (like me), then the first line is bound to bring to mind the 1984 worship song titled "As the Deer." If you know this popular Christian chorus, I bet you're humming the tune as you read. If you don't know it, I highly recommend giving it a listen. Check it out here.

The song starts with these words, "As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after thee. You alone are my heart's desire, and I long to worship thee."

These words match the psalm's opening statement: "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God" (Psalm 42:1, NLT). I never realized it before, but the song only contains the first line of Psalm 42, then it takes a bit of a biblical detour. Lyrics about God being strength and shield, friend and brother ensue. None of these are part of this psalm, so the song is a bit of a mish-mash of biblical themes. In fact, it completely misses the rest of this psalm's deep, heart-wrenching pain and sadness. It contains the longing, but it misses two other vital things: the distress and the questioning. When I listen to "As the Deer," I do not hear or feel distress or questioning.

Most of the sermons, readings, or songs I've heard on the psalms contain themes like worship, strength, creation, salvation, and triumph. I rarely hear ones about sorrow, misery, and questioning. Why?

The question “why” is a big part of Psalm 42. In fact, we find questions throughout this entire biblical poem. They start in verse two and go right to the end in verse eleven. Did you know you can determine the importance of a topic in a psalm by the number of questions asked? You can, and Psalm 42 has a lot of questions. It has a lot of unknowns.

"When can I go and stand before [God]?" (Psalm 42:2b)

"Why am I so discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?" (42:5)

'"O God my rock" I cry, "Why have you forgotten me?"
"Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?'" (42:9)

"Why am I so discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?" (42:11)

The author writes a series of queries and statements directed at themselves and God. They attempt to capture their emotional state with descriptive words, which include overwhelmed, heartbroken, and discouraged.

"Day and night I have only tears for food" (42:3)

"My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be" (42:4)

"Now I am deeply discouraged" (42:6)

"[my enemies] taunts break my bones" (42:10)

There is deep discomfort and pain here—agony etched on ancient scrolls, passed down from generation to generation for us to hold today in our hands and hearts. How and why do we miss this? I feel like we don't just miss it here. We commonly miss it in our preaching. We often miss it in our worship songs. And we even sometimes miss it in how we interact with each other.

How many times in the past few years was your heart breaking? Did the waves of discouragement sweep over you, and the tears seem to have no end? Did you ask questions about why? Did anyone hear you, or did they miss it? Did you feel as alone as the author of this psalm does? I have. I did. I sometimes still do.

This psalm, laden with heavy emotions, asks desperate questions but receives no reply. There is no explanation for why the heart is sad or why discouragement drowns out happiness. There are no easy or cliché responses from God. The author remembers better times, but those days are gone. They remind themselves to hope but continue to live in sadness. They have questions and want answers but are given none.

I don't have the answers to these questions either. The greatest gift this psalm gives me is the courage to question. It grants me the boldness to voice my discontent, knowing God can handle it. It also makes me want to notice, not just the suffering in the text but the suffering in the world. This Advent, I invite you, like this psalmist, to bring your pain, discouragement, and questions to God. But don't stop there; bring them to trusted people too, people who can handle your distress and questioning and can sit in the silence beside you as you make your own way through the unknown.

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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Join us in the Learning Centre on December 15th as we make room for connection and contemplative practice over these Advent weeks. Learn more here.