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Advent is dawning slowly this year. The trees, the lights, the nativity sets and the Christmas dishes are all packed away along with the Advent wreath. We are moving, downsizing as the saying goes, after nearly four decades in the home that saw the antics and milestones of five children.
Last week, in the midst of packing and deciding what to keep and what to let go, Advent felt remote. Was I giving in to the Martha Stewart syndrome that baking, wrapping packages, and decorating every corner of the house was what this season is all about?
Thanks to a faith-sharing group that met early in the week, the readings of this day, the Second Sunday of Advent, came alive. The message of hope and the imagery in each of the three readings helped overcome the malaise that had set in. Time with friends who shared their hopes and struggles allowed Advent to begin to dawn.
Isaiah writes colorfully about the rise of a divine leader, the Messiah, who will bring a peace not yet imagined that will transform the world. This leader will possess “a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength…he shall judge the poor with justice.” This is a message of great hope.
Isaiah tells us nature will respond: “The wolf will be the guest of the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.” The picture this conjures up, if we spend time with it, is peaceful and calming as well as exciting. Is this a world we can imagine as we anticipate the birth of Jesus? A world of peace, and justice, a world where those known to be adversaries huddle together?
Paul continues the theme of hope and uses action words that we can understand: endurance and encouragement. He petitions God to grant his people the grace to think in harmony with each other. This is the cry of our era.
Finally, we read about John the Baptist, a figure who was bold and out of the ordinary. He lived and dressed unconventionally as he preached about the coming of one greater than him, who was mighty and who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. He picked up where Isaiah left off, echoing his hope for the one who would change the world.
This is what we are celebrating as we move through Advent to Christmas. We are waiting for someone who will lead us to that place where lions and lambs lie together, where crusty old men who have not spoken in years embrace, and where fractured families come together, recognizing their likeness rather than their differences.
The glitz and the glory of this season leading up to Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of the one Isaiah and John the Baptist spoke of, is here. How are we going to respond? Our responses can make a difference in the world, bringing it closer to that wonderful, imagined time of harmony among all of God’s creation.
Peace,
Anne
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