Advent has begun, and this season of waiting reminds us that all of creation still cries out for redemption, and it points us to the promise of the kingdom of God which is to come. This is why Advent always begins with readings from the Gospels that anticipate "the coming day of our Lord Jesus Christ." Another way the readings for Advent help shape our hope and give voice to our longings is by calling us to the voices of the psalmists and prophets who longed for God's Messiah, God's Christ, God's chosen servant who would redeem God's people.
Here are the readings for Sunday, November 30, the first Sunday of Advent. The readings listed below are meant to complement and help you reflect on the texts for Sunday. They do not necessarily explain away the parts of the Sunday reading we find strange. Instead they help us to know the longings of the prophets and the way the early church imagined the coming of the kingdom of God. They are meant not primarily to explain, but to change our own point of view so we see from the vantage point of the prophets and apostles. All of these readings are linked to an online Bible, so if you click on them you will be taken to the text.
This blog format is designed for interaction, so please share any thoughts, insights, or struggles you have with these readings. How do these readings (both from Sunday and the “follow up passages”) help give voice to your longings? What surprised you in these readings? How do they (or how do they fail) to shape your hope for the future? What are challenges we need to wake up to face? This is truly meant to be a community commentary that helps us share both our discoveries and struggles as we listen to God’s word together.
Monday 12/1:
Micah 4:1-5
Revelation 15:1-8
Tuesday 12/2:
Micah 4:6-13
Revelation 18:1-10
Wednesday 12/3:
Micah 5:1-5a
Luke 21:34-38
Read Psalm 79 each of these three days
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2 comments:
I find it interesting that the Psalmist bargains with God. If you do these things for us, we will forever praise you. It seems silly to read that, but how often have we in our daily lives and prayers done the same? Human nature has not changed in over 2000 years...
The Psalms are called the prayerbook of the Bible, and it's comforting to know that these are very human prayers. It also shows a boldness in prayer when we call God to the bargaining table. It seems that if God is open to the give-and-take of a relationship with us, we can also be open to the same kind of "dance" with God. Prayer doesn't have to be a place of meekness, but can be a place where we strive and struggle with God.
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