Friday, December 14, 2018

Psalm 31 
Isaiah7:10–25 
Revelation 2: 18-29 
Matthew 23: 27-39 

Isaiah 7:10-25

Turmoil and warfare beset King Ahaz in this powerful account of unrest in Judah. God charges Ahaz to demand a sign of his everlasting might, yet it is the prophet Isaiah who is pressed into service, proclaiming to the king the assurance of Immanuel to come, and the promise of a day of peace and plenty amid strife to the House of David. “On that day one will keep alive a young cow and two sheep and will eat curds because of the abundance of milk that they give; for everyone that is left in the land shall eat curds and honey.”

Where my family lives in Muskoka, Ontario, the fertile fields of produce and grain we help cultivate with our farmer neighbour also yield their share of dairy and beef cattle, lamb, poultry and honey. There is much to satisfy us all in this way of life even as our church communities pray for and offer aid to today’s warring nations who have little or no such abundance.

The sense of accomplishment that radiates from our own country acres at this time of year causes us to look anew to Advent with a comforting assurance of Immanuel, God- with-us, even in the midst of strife. We, like Ahaz, must accept God’s promise of plenty.

– Janice Barnes

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Psalm 66, 67 
1 Samuel 2: 1b-10 
Titus 2: 1-10 
Luke 1.5–25

Joy of a trusting heart

Joy and gladness as spoken of in Luke 1:5-25 describe, in my view, how celebratory joy could be short lived at times, and yet joy that is spiritual is lasting and its effects make for sturdier steps on anyone’s earthly journey to God. What is that joy we are carrying within our hearts? It is the Word of God actively dwelling within us and blessing us with courage, wisdom, trust, and above all, faithfulness to His Word. God framed his spiritual gifts of waiting and preparedness to strengthen Elizabeth’s heart.

The gift of spiritual joy grew quietly within her as the child grew. She accepted her burden of heartfelt sorrow for her barrenness, carrying shame and bearing disgrace amongst her people with whom she had lived. And then, with joy and gladness in her heart she prayed.... ”This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favourably on me and took away the disgrace I endured among my people” She who waited for many years to conceive showed her grace by going into seclusion for five months and then returned back into her society with grace, dignity and strength enjoying her precious gift of a son. Wonderful news for all of God's people! God blessed Elizabeth, barren for many years, with a son who will bring all of God’s people joy and gladness.

This week in Advent invites us to join with the rest of the world to rejoice in God’s masterful works. We do not see Him, yet we know He is there watching. We do not see the sun yet we know the sun is there. God is there loving and comforting us. The third Sunday of this season is called ‘Gaudete Sunday’ (Latin) meaning to rejoice. It is good to rejoice as we move faithfully through Advent and press on to Bethlehem.

– Beulah Walcott

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Psalm 38   
Isaiah 6:1–13 
2 Thessalonians 1:1–12 
John 7:53—8:11 

"But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. (John 7:53-8:11KJV)

My Lord Jesus Christ:

I see you today in the temple teaching. The people were standing before you listening. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman and set her in the midst. They asked what should be done to her, since Moses commanded that such a woman should be stoned. You bent down and wrote with your finger on the ground. It was not Moses commandment in the law that made them inquire. They wanted a reason of accusation against You, O Heavenly Teacher, how humble are You! The scribes and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses, but they did not offer You the respect due to a teacher. They saw You sitting in the temple teaching, but they did not realize that You are the Master of the house. They saw You sitting on a seat in poor clothes, but they did not recognise You, the Lord Adonai who "is sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and your train fills the temple". (Is 6:1 KJV) ... the temple of heaven which Isaiah saw in the vision.

They saw men, women, and children, publicans and sinners standing before You. They did not realize that "there stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory" (Is 6:2). Isaiah had this vision 700 years before Your birth, "Then said... Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts". (Is 6:3) As for the scribes and the Pharisees, they beheld the Incarnate Lord in His splendour, glory and meekness. Yet, they did not realize their own uncleanness of lips by which they uttered their question. Isaiah confessed that he is a man of unclean lips dwelling in the midst of people of unclean lips Then flew one of the seraphims unto him, "having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon his mouth, and said, "Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged".(Is 6:6-7) But the scribes and the Pharisees set the woman in the midst exposing her sin while hiding their own. They did not confess their sins nor the people's. Thus neither their sin was purged nor their iniquity was taken away. You stooped down writing with Your finger as if You were pointing out to them what they ought to do; to humble themselves and to fulfill the commandments of the law by which they desired to condemn the woman.

When they continued asking, You lifted Yourself up and said: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7). You rose up after You bent down under the cross in order to answer this question and pass a final judgement on man who was sentenced to death because of his transgression. You lifted Yourself up proclaiming that in You "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven" (Ps 85:10,11). As You answered the scribes and the Pharisees, You showed your zeal for the law and Your might in judging their consciences, hearts and intentions rather than their outward appearance. Therefore, the woman breathed a breath of hope through Your compassion and everlasting mercies. Amen.

–– Mervat Iskander

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Psalm 26, 28 
Amos 7: 10-17 
1 Thessalonians 5:12–28 
Matthew 22:34-46 

Advent is a season that I discovered and came to celebrate later in life – in part to combat the growing secular nature of Christmas and in part to bring something new and spiritually nourishing into my life at this time in the Christian Year.

The reading from 1 Thessalonians 5 is so pertinent for this time in the Advent Season where the theme of peace is emphasized. We are to be at peace among ourselves( v. 13) And just how are we to do this? Well, verses 14-17 tell us to “encourage”, “help” and “be patient with” each other, to “always do good” and never do evil, to “rejoice always”, to “give thanks in all circumstances” and to “pray without ceasing”. Well, that is a tall order! Every Sunday, during the Eucharistic service, we pass the peace. How many times have we thought of peace with all those characteristics? I certainly have not.

And what actually is peace? For our Jewish brothers and sisters, to greet one another with “shalom aleichem” means “peace to you”, roughly translated. But the full extent, the deepness of its meaning, is “wholeness” or “completeness” according to my Judaism for Dummies reference book3. And that, I believe, is the essence of verse 23 with the hope that “the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely”.

Yesterday we observed the United Nations’ Human Rights Day, marking the anniversary of the presentation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If we truly knew and offered real and lasting peace to our neighbours, this annual observation could become unnecessary. What a wonderful thought!

– Sandy Austin

3 Falcon, Rabbi Ted ans Blatner, David, Judaism for Dummies, Wiley Publishing Inc., c2001, page 351

Monday, December 10, 2018

Psalm 148, 149, 150 
Amos 6: 1-14 
2 Thessalonians 1: 5-12 
Luke 1: 57-68 

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest . . .my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

I can remember it as though it happened yesterday. After a time of discernment, on December 10, 1989 I converted from Judaism to Christianity. Unknown to me, it was also the second Sunday in Advent. As natural as breathing, Jesus’ presence permeated the room. Being overwhelmed with emotion, I cried profusely, my face drenched with tears. I audibly confessed, “I believe You are the Messiah,” and I asked Him to come into my life and fill me with His presence. With several slow deep breaths I seemed to breathe Him into my being and I knew at that moment—Jesus loved me. Since that day, I have never doubted His love. Four weeks later, I encountered His presence again—while driving alone in my car. As though He had been there all along, I sensed Jesus’ presence beside me—while continuing to drive, even as I shed hot, surging tears.

The encounter lasted for about 20 seconds as He silently communicated a clear message: I would never be alone again. Until then, I didn’t recognize how alone I had felt throughout my life—and I’ve never felt alone from that moment on. It took a few more years to connect to the Advent season of anticipation and awaiting the birth of Jesus, since I only related to the adult Messiah at my conversion. Then I could fully experience the season, and include the second Sunday as another anniversary date of my conversion. The peace and assurance of His love, and constant companionship, would profoundly influence the continuing spiritual journey of transformation, healing, and a call to ministry and vocation. Twenty years later, in 2009, my deepest desire since I was baptised—to give my life to Jesus, was formally realized when I made Life Promises as an Oblate of The Sisterhood of St. John the Divine.

–– Phyllis Beauchamp

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Psalm 25 

Amos 7:1-9 

Revelation 1: 1 – 8 

Matthew 22: 23-33 

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust. 
Psalm 25:1-2

I was 16 when I first really “heard” this psalm. I was a delegate to a youth synod in Shigawake, a tiny fishing village on the Gaspé coast. The synod speaker, Bishop Tim Matthews, was unlike any Bishop (or priest, for that matter) I had ever met. He was so poetic, prayerful – and playful, that I wrote down this quote: “God loves you just the way you are and wants to befriend, that is, to be-friends-with you. You have a place at the Table and in the world.” These words made a huge impression on me as a teenager trying to figure out those very things.

An adult leader at the same event had a different message. He told a few of us “if you can’t speak in tongues, you’re not really a Christian. We’re all just miserable sinners needing to be saved.” These conflicting messages sent me and another confused youth scurrying into the sanctuary of little St. Paul’s Church, overlooking the Bay de Chaleur.

We lifted the huge Bible from the lectern and read from the psalm we’d heard earlier that morning: Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. (Ps. 25: 4-5) We sat there awhile, stunned, and then, mercifully, reassured. I believe it was the first time I ever prayed for guidance.

The prayer of Advent is a prayer for guidance, a prayer for the courage to wait “all day long” for the God of our salvation in whom we can trust. There’s nothing we need to “do” (like speaking in tongues); we just need to “be”, to be friends with God. That kind of welcome enables us to befriend others along the way, remind them they too are God’s Beloved, inviting all to a place at the Table – and in the world.

– Frances Drolet-Smith

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Psalm 20, 21.1–7(8–14) 
Amos 5: 18-27 
Jude 17-25 
Matthew 22: 15-22 

May your heart’s desires and all of Love’s plans for you be fulfilled in due season. Psalm 20:41 You heed the heart’s desire, answering the cry of the soul, and you bestow blessing upon blessing. Psalm 21:22

These two psalms, coming one after the other, give the impression that our prayers are always answered in a positive way. The Good News Bible gives Psalm 20 the heading “A Prayer for Victory” and for Psalm 21, the heading “Praise for Victory” implying to some degree thanksgiving for receiving that which was prayed for. Therein lies Hope, some would say. But we know from life’s experiences this is not always the case, perhaps even rarely the case. Our hopes can be dashed and we can feel that pieces of ourselves have been washed up on an unknown and rocky shore.

Wherever we land, however, there is a form of hope that, in time, emerges out of the fog that surrounds us, even if it is just for the landing place and that we have made it that far. As we reflect on our situation, a way forward starts to clarify – inch by minute, by yard by hour and even days, as we cautiously step out through our new surroundings, sensing we are not alone. As we pass each new destination we find ourselves beginning to murmur a word or phrase of praise, however brief and silent, that small victories are indeed coming our way – shreds of hope that we can grasp and pull ourselves along to the next plateau – and the next, and to wherever we are supposed to “be” at that time, all the while absorbing new lesson at each step.

Through Advent we each travel our own road to Bethlehem with its stretches of “under construction”, and where the Hope of all is to be born in each of us yet again. Thanks be to God! 

–– Mary L. (Bunny) Stewart

1 Merrill, Nan Psalms for Praying: an invitation to wholeness Publishing, NY 2007, p.32

2 ibid, p. 33

Continuum