Here’s a prayer from our family table thanksgiving (in truth, I don’t know where it is or was from before that. Some book of worship or prayer, perhaps)
Most Gracious God, you crown the year with your goodness.
We praise you for keeping your promise
that seedtime and harvest shall not fail.
We bless you for the beauty of earth and sky and sea
and for the wonderful way they keep providing all we need.
Bless all those who work to produce our food -
the farmers, the laborers, the truckers, the store owners and clerks -
and those who prepared this meal.
Some thoughts on some of the lectionary texts -
and it’s a bummer isn’t it – we are all set for Christmas, and all we get is Advent. Advent that begins in despair, Advent that is all about waiting. We’ve had half a year of Holy Spirit power, a half a year of our responsibility to be the people of the Time of God’s Peace, a half year of “being the change we want to see happen”, and still – still the world is not redeemed, and its even worse off than it was when the year began, and all we can do is plead with God to come and make a difference. All we have is “a yearning that God will come, will intervene, will assert a name and a sovereignty that will override and curb the destructiveness of the nations.”
Ok – let’s get started -
Ps 80.1-7, 17-19
+powerful words in vs5 – “you gave us tears for food, by the bowlful”
+interesting that there doesn’t seem to be any link between the people’s suffering and their sinfulness.
+the people pray, but even their prayers make God angry – what is going on there, do you suppose? The sense of the psalm is that God in some way intended, or at least permitted, the people’s suffering. How does that square with our understanding of God?
+more strong words – vs1: “Shepherd of Israel”, one of the clearest images of God as a tender shepherd in all of the OT. And then juxtaposed with “you sit on your throne above the winged creatures” – a tender shepherd who is also the ruler of all that is. Is that kind of what people look for in a king or queen, or president?
+and the refrain – “smile on us and we will be saved.” Ok – whose smiles are redeeming and saving in your life?
+Here’s a quote from James Newsome in Texts for Preaching – “There is no room here for a sentimental or romantic assessment of the human situation, even of the church’s situation, before God. The community of faith is not different from humankind at large in terms of our need for divine grace. The distinction is rather that the Body of Christ, when it is true to its purpose acknowledges its inadequacy...”
Isaiah 64.1-9
+ a lot of the same themes as in the psalm. God is all-powerful, but God is not doing anything. At least not doing anything for us! Vs1-5 are full of powerful, even violent images. Mountains shake.
+ but, in vs 6, we are unfit to worship, even our good deeds are like filthy rags to be thrown away, our sins are storm winds blowing us away. In a sense, God cannot do anything because we make it impossible for God to be in our midst. Again, with our understanding of who God is, how does this idea of our sinfulness preventing God’s intention or activity work?
+ one writer notes that this is part of a larger unit (Is 63.7-64.12) which raises questions like Where are you, Where is your salvation, Why do you harden our hearts against you? - Do those ring meaningful today?
+ the key comes in vs 8 – You are our father, the potter who made us. The love of a parent for a child, or of an artist for his/her creation could be the power that would bridge tha gap. So Advent is a deep sense of desperation about a situation that is out of control, and a bold, confident trust in God, trust that God will indeed do something. We are left waiting – but not knowing for what, or when, or how. What do you have a sense of desperation about; what would you like God to do about it?
1 Cor 1.3-9
+Paul gives thanks, and notes that divine grace and peace are now the context for life among the believers.
+The early believers understood themselves living in an “in between time” – Jesus had come and would come again. How do you think about that? Paul notes that God’s gifts are given to sustain them in mutual love (some in Corinth were using them in divisive ways) and that they have all the gifts they need for this in between time. What gifts do you have?
Mark 13.24-37
+Teaching about the future – and Mark weaves two different future issues through this passage, first the return of Christ, and second, the destruction of the temple. (So the “some people will still be alive” could refer to the destruction of the temple.) Mark says the return is just as sure as the destruction. Are there events in our recent past or near future that would be a sign for you of God’s decisive activity and return?
+God will have the final say in the destiny of Creation. Recalls once again the line about God not letting death destroy what God made and loves, and perhaps extends it to all Creation. How do we fit into that?
+the key for now is watchfulness – first to discern “Fake News”, and second because only God knows when, where, what, how.
+is advent waiting kind of like waiting for the end of the pandemic?
+What has the master placed you in charge of?
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