Second Tuesday of Advent
Scripture Reading for Today:
Psalm 27
Of David.1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. 4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. 7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. 11 Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. 13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Isaiah 4:2-6
The Branch of the Lord2 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. 5 Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Acts 11:1-18
Peter Explains His ActionsThe apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
The Advent of Christ: Melodies of Peace
by Monique Ransom
Pialli! Hello! My name is Monique, I am a de-tribalized descendant of the Mexica people group in Vera Cruz Mexico, with German and Chinese settler ancestry as well. I am passionate about centering Indigenous issues and supporting Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action within the Free Methodist Church in Canada. I am a recent graduate of Naiits: An Indigenous Learning Community, having earned a Master of Theological Studies: Indigenous. I live, work, worship, and pray with my husband and three adult children on the shared territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Peoples and the lands protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement. I acknowledge that I am a guest in these territories, seeking to nurture connections between local communities and the FMCIC on the journey toward reconciliation with our Intercultural Engagement Team. I am looking forward to developing relationships with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada through the working group focused on the Seven Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation as well as with Wells of Hope and the Buffalo Project on Treaty 4 Territory.
What can the birth of a man 2000 years ago possibly have to do with people who live today? This question came to rest in my thoughts as I was mowing my lawn for the last time this year. I ruminated on it while attempting to avoid disturbing the fallen leaves that provide a safe refuge for the wildlife that overwinters in them. Many of these living creatures help keep pests down and actively pollinate in the garden. Having a habitat can ensure they will be around when they are most needed. Micro-organisms that make soil healthier and stronger feed on the organic matter of decaying leaves, adding more organic matter to the soil. They become like food for the garden, nourishing it through the cold winter so that in spring it bursts with fecundity. Can I make peace with these creatures, while still mowing my lawn?
As I ponder these thoughts in this season of peace, clouds of conflict and war hang over places far distant from the safety of Canadian soil. My Hermana and co-learner at NAIITS, Christina Quintanilla, has a deep concern for friends in Palestine. She wonders, “How will we respond when our global neighbours’ lives are threatened?” As of the writing of this piece, the death toll in Gaza is nearly 10,000. Through our television sets and other sources of media, we are collectively witnessing one of the largest humanitarian crises in our lifetimes. Hamas is not representative of innocent Palestinians who are experiencing this advancing genocide in real time. Meanwhile, the survival of an entire people group of roughly two million men, women, and children is at risk. Among these fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters there are generations of people in Gaza who have experienced a lifetime of oppression, never having known the freedom and peace that comes with living on and enjoying the fertility of their own piece of soil in their own homeland.
Despite the darkness of this reality, there shines a ray of hope lighting the way through.
Early in November, more than 600 of Haifa’s Muslim and Jewish community members gathered together with representatives from the Christian and Buddhist population at Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Mosque, in a demand for justice and a call for a cease-fire. Arabs and Jews have united in the cause of justice and peace. This surprisingly beautiful response of Muslim and Jewish solidarity is a rare but powerful moment. Despite the darkness of the shared reality of the horror that surrounds them, they have chosen to light the way forward, united in the cause of justice and freedom. They refuse to let antisemitism or Islamophobia direct the narrative. Instead, they choose to raise a chorus of harmony and sing a melody of peace.
As we prepare our hearts to welcome the Christ this season, let us consider thoughtfully, and prayerfully the reason Jesus wept over Israel that last time he came through the gates of the holy city. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they missed the peace that was right in front of them. The Prince of Peace was literally standing in their midst, and they did not recognize Him (Luke 19:42). People thought Jesus would bring them peace through an uprising of war. They could not grasp that He came to bring them the deep and abiding peace of Shalom. They missed the manifestation of God setting everything right, that God’s peace through Jesus Christ is the place where all broken things can be restored, and all illnesses of body, heart, and mind can be healed. All these things can be put back together again and restored to wholeness only in Jesus. It is my hope and prayer that globally, followers of The Jesus Way will raise a chorus of their own and in solidarity with those who are seeking peace and refuse to support genocide and oppression. Jesus wept over the city that he loved as He gazed upon it, because He saw their future doom, knowing that a future judgment waited because they did not know their time of visitation (Luke 19: 44).
This Christmas, we will celebrate the Advent of Christ in the warm safety of our homes, surrounded by loved ones. I invite you to remember those who have been denied their own safe refuge and the promise of spring, by experiencing the Holy Land through the eyes of refugees. If you have not had a chance to encounter a personal story of the impact of this war, below is a recording of the story of the Ayesh family as told to Christina Quintanilla and Emily Chiang in their own words. As we move into the season of Advent, I pray that our longing for the Peace of Christ will lead us to accept the gift of listening to their story and that we will stand with them in prayer for lasting peace in Gaza and the surrounding areas. Let our prayers for peace be a surprisingly beautiful melody to the Most Beautiful One as we hold our global neighbours up in love and friendship in our time of waiting.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
https://www.santocollective.com/holylandsgallery
As we reflect on the experiences of the Ayesh family and all those who are affected by oppression and genocide in Gaza and surrounding areas, may our prayers for peace become a call to action to our government in Canada. Let us raise our voices on their behalf to demand a permanent cease-fire here: https://ceasefiretoday.com/
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