“Advent begins in a vision of a healed alternative for the world.” Walter Brueggeman
In the season of Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day, we Christians dare to see Jesus arriving, being birthed into our world of chaos, division, despair, and turmoil. Into our world still suffering from and dividing over a pandemic, the babe of Bethlehem is born. In the midst of toxic divisions over race, political affiliations, border security and the very nature of truth, the prince of peace is born and visited by wise men from the east.
While we are wondering, even despairing about overwhelming personal, national and global difficulties and tragedies, the prophet Jeremiah pens a divine, hope-filled advent promise, “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” (Jeremiah 33:14) There it is. When things seem to be falling apart or even beyond repair, the prophetic imagination dares to initiate a vision for a healed alternative for the world.
As the story unfolds, John leaps in his mother’s womb, Mary sings of joy and justice, shepherds hear angelic words, wise men follow a star, kings of empire are afraid of a baby and a world changes its calendar. We may pray with Isaiah, “Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down….”(Isaiah 64:1, NASB) only to be surprised by hope with God’s answer; a baby born to a peasant teenager and laid in a feeding trough. When the baby laid in a manger is later lifted high upon the cross, the temple curtain is torn from top to bottom. Mercy flows, forgiveness is unleashed, and a king is crowned. It’s a whole new world. Do we dare to see it?
by Rev. Tiger Pennington
Prayer
Eternal and loving God, grant us vision to see your hope for a new world, hope born into history to change history and hope born through a human to transform all humans. Amen.