Advent 2 Readings:
So, I’ve whimsically decided to make it a thing to write a devotional response or meditation based on the Advent readings every week. I started with Week 1, then decided to quickly browse through the rest of the readings for Advent to see if there was a recurring theme. I think there is.
Hope.
Much as I tried to make it more “interesting” (e.g. seeing whether the weekly readings could align to all four traditional themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, love), I kept coming back to hope.
Why?
I don’t know – but I think there’s something God wants to me to learn through this devotional journey. (It’s also set my mind off an entire thing: to unpack and write about Hope – but that’s the subject of another blogpost – series? One thing that has struck me is to better understand what Hope is.)
This week’s readings paint (part of?) a picture of what Hope is.
This week’s readings, for me, center on the phrase in Isaiah 11:1, “a new branch bearing fruit from the old root.”
Hope can be like that. It emerges from the unlikeliest circumstances.
Despite seemingly impossible odds.
Against the backdrop of utter finality.
As I write this, I am reminded of many occasions in my life where I thought, “That it, it’s over. There is no return from this.”Yet, in these instances, God did something new… something hopeful… despite prevailing circumstances.
I remember a love lost. It was a year of darkness and the painful road to restoration that followed.
I remember a career path’s dead end. Followed by financial struggling where I couldn’t even afford RM150 to let my kid participate in the annual school concert), a coming and going that strained a friendship, and a recovery that led me to finally achieving what I was seeking this year.
Each time, I… well, I lost hope.
“That’s it, it’s over. There is no return from this.”
And yet, we are reminded again and again that God has His promises and He is not done yet.
“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” Romans 15:4
Our hope is in Him and His promises. And His greatest promise to us is in Jesus… the fulfillment of our Advent Hope.
I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. – Matthew 3:11
And with Jesus, we see what great new thing God is doing, even in a world of seemingly impossible odds and against the backdrop of utter finality.
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He will delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.
He will give justice to the poor
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
He will wear righteousness like a belt
and truth like an undergarment.
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.
In that day the heir to David’s throne
will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him,
and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.
During Advent, we commemorate Jesus’ first coming as a baby in Bethlehem while also reminding ourselves that He will also return during His Second Coming. As we look forward to His eventual return, I join Paul in his prayer: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Amen.
WorshipfulLeigh 