To Those Who Wait,

Advent is once again upon us, ushered in with the reverberant echoes of Isaiah’s voice announcing God’s Dream for the world.  This Dream is grounded in four texts from four chapters this season: Isaiah 2, Isaiah 11, Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 7.* How is it that these ancient prophecies—first spoken to a different people at a time and in a place so far removed from our own—still retain their majesty and power?   (The full citations are listed under Worship Life on page 4 below.)

At their hearts, these four texts are about transformation, and I look forward to exploring them with you in the weeks to come.  Our worship planning team has developed “windows” for entering into the spirit of these texts even before we cross through the doors of the nave.  We invite you to enter them with us.

Each of us has favorite moments (and, let’s be honest, dreaded ones too) that we anticipate during the weeks leading up to Christmas.  Getting the tree, making the special recipes, finding “just right” gifts for each person on the list.  During this tradition-laden season it’s easy to simply put our heads down and turn on autopilot in an effort to sustain traditions that have become central to our observance of the season.  The gospel texts of Advent challenge the “autopilot” mode by striking provocative, evocative, and sometimes discordant tones; sounds which are meant to wake us up and call us back to first things.

Advent hymns do similar work, but do it in a way that is less strident and therefore more inviting.  The hymn by David Haas quoted above and below, is one example.   “In our winter we are dead,” the words declare.  If such a thing is true, might we then ask which traditions we choose bring us closer to the season’s beating heart and “lead us in hope to see ahead the springtime and the gift that is to come”?

While awaiting Immanuel, we discover the truth that he—“the living word, the saving voice” also “waits for us.”  And knowing this, we know that our waiting can be joyful rather than fearful.  “GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY” is how the angels first sang it to shepherds’ ears.  And good news of great joy is, above all, what we long for still.

Pastor Erik