 |
| The Eternal King Arrives Journey Through Advent Week 1: Prophetic Inauguration |
“Gladness and joy will overtake them,and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
+ Isaiah 35:10
+ Isaiah 35:10
For this season of Advent, Emmaus City Church will be invited to join together in weekly reflections and homilies during our Sabbath gatherings featuring Scriptures from (RCL) Advent Year B.
The readings for the second weekend ahead are from Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; and Mark 1:1-8
We will also engage in daily reflections throughout Advent, utilizing The Eternal King Arrives. The reading from last week included:
An excerpt from the final reading from this first week is featured below. Enjoy.
Week 1: Prophetic Inauguration
Text: Isaiah 35:4-10
Day 6: He Is Not One to Leave Us Hurting
The Difficult Work of Embodied Faith
By Beca Bruder
He is not one to leave us hurting.
Though we know the promise, we're prone to wander, following our own paths of disbelief. Christ's redemption often takes a different shape than we imagined it would, and we, like John the Baptizer, wonder if we are to wait for another king. Did we entrust our hope to the wrong person? Is he not who we thought he was? We long for our rescue to come and for it to tangibly change our reality. Jesus' reply to John's question is on those terms: "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor" (Matt. 11:4-5).
He is the salvation Isaiah prophesied. The healing that comes from his hand testifies to his divinity. Israel waited for the coming of a Savior who would heal both spiritual and physical brokenness. That hope became reality in a baby's birth. His miracles during his time on earth were the first signs of that long-expected healing.
And yet, we still wait for him, torn and fragile.
Instead of letting our debilitation discourage devotion, we lift expectant eyes to the one who can save.
This season, we will echo the hopes of ancient Israel as we sing, "O come, O come, Emmanuel." There will be a time when the entirety of this prophecy will be our reality. We will walk in the holy way with the redeemed. Everlasting joy and gladness will be upon our heads and all sorrow will flee.
Until then, we remember the baby born in Bethlehem who came to open the eyes of the blind and proclaim good news to the poor and who will return to gather and save God's people. He will bring divine retribution for the wrongs and healing for our hurts, and will be made whole.
"Say to those with fearful hearts,
'Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.'"
+ Isaiah 35:4
Here are links to other recent Advent articles:
Advent Story of God | Immanuel: God Present with Us, for Us; The Bold & Courageous 1st Advent Hymn; My Honest Advent; Advent Films Reflections: A Quiet Place, Arrival, Children of Men, Joyeux Noel; Praying with Mary and Jesus; Making Room for Limits; Making Room for Outsiders; Experience God-with-Us Today in Your Fears; Waiting is the Womb in Which We Are Formed; Christ with Shopping Bags or Generous Christ?; Advent Film Series Reflection: All the Light We Cannot See; When We're Afraid, God Pursues
Next post: Suffering: The Good News About Our Bad News
Blessings of peace and presence for you,
Rev. Mike “Sully” Sullivan
No comments:
Post a Comment