• About
  • Blogs of Fellow Pilgrims

Wondering Pilgrim

~ the ramblings of a perambulent and often distracted sojourner

Wondering Pilgrim

Tag Archives: Advent

Riding the RCL into Advent

26 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Personal

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Advent, hope

Christmas lights are going up around the street, but it’s not Christmas yet. Our Christmas tree will go up on Christmas Eve and stay for the 12 days of the Nativity commemorations. Next Sunday readings begin the four week season of Advent that precedes Christmas. Like the season of Lent, it is a purple season of preparation that involves fasting!  To observe Advent in the way it is intended is therefore quite counter cultural. Following the texts of the four anticipatory Sundays of Advent can therefore help us, even if it is for a brief pause of reflection.

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Advent is the season where we meet the prophets pointing forward with hope to the culmination of the big picture. They do so from their own context, but with wider ramifications. They are very much “today.” Jeremiah surveys a bleak political scene and points to the rise of days when the balance of justice and peace will be restored. 
And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Psalm 25:1-10

Psalms are both personal and communal declarations we make towards the Holy One, whose inexpressible name is often rendered through print in uppercase letters as “LORD”, the English translation of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton “YHWH,” the sound of breath, or the action of being.  We are always addressing the Mystery, the Ineffable, in Whom we live and move and have our being. To be able to express contrition and hope with such trust and intimacy is a gift that Advent brings us.
 
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Advent preparation involves us as people who are already living the Easter reality. That which we anticipate has already come to pass. This is why Paul exudes such confidence in the joy and love in which the Thessalonian church is called to live. It is possible to simultaneously appropriate and anticipate the realm of Shalom – the Holy One’s perfect reign.

Luke 21:25-36

What a scary passage to begin the year of Luke! But we are in Advent, the season of prophets, who tell it like it is. Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the road of service that lies ahead. It’s not going to be an easy stroll – all sorts of obstacles await and events will mount a daunting and discouraging scale. Hope in the vision of what they have witnessed and the reality of the struggle in which they have participated and the union with Christ that is their continuing experience is what will sustain them, even when the world is falling apart.

Advent Voices – Christmas Eve

24 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Spirituality

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Advent, Christmas Eve, freedom

COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_IJzeren_voetring_voor_gevangenen_TMnr_3912-475Festivity and celebration occur for very good reasons. In our pampered state, it marks a break in routine, a legitimate season to hang loose and indulge the hedonistic sides of our nature. In our reflective state, we realise that a momentous event in the history of our world caused a seismic shift in our perception of who we are. One that first defined the universe with the words “Let there be light” made a visitation and dwelled amongst us for a season. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the assembly in Galatia, he writes of our “adoption.” No longer are we slaves to our limited perceptions, but sons and daughters of the divine, heirs to a brand new perspective, freed to live life for each other abundantly.

Advent Voices: Titus tantalises

23 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Spirituality

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Advent, salvation, Titus

Святой Апостол Тит Критский Косово, XIV век. Печь Патриаршия. Церковь св. Николая Public Domain

Святой Апостол Тит Критский Косово, XIV век. Печь Патриаршия. Церковь св. Николая Public Domain

Two days before Christmas, a minor voice from the New Testament speaks out. Squeezed obscurely between Timothy and Philemon, not large players themselves, Titus has a voice worth listening to:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation [health, integrity, wholeness] to all… 

Two days out from Christmas, Titus reminds us that, ultimately, a gift has been revealed, the implications of which are still not fully grasped by the human race, even those who are the bearers of the good news, the custodians of its narratives and the living witnesses to its effects. Titus goes on to spell out some practical implications of receiving this grace, thus sharpening our focus. It seems that the Advent task of preparation and the Christmas task of celebrating and spreading the news come together when we hear the voice of Titus.

Advent Voices: Expectant prophet

22 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Spirituality

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Advent, Isaiah

Christmas Pilgrims, Bethlehem. Public Domain

Christmas Pilgrims, Bethlehem. Public Domain

Incarnation looms near. An expectant mother is amongst others as they make their way along the crowded track to their ancestral town, by order of the census officials. The words of an old oracle from an expectant prophet ring in her ears as the throng plods its weary way. Expectant mother; expectant prophet – their musings transcend the cold and insistent demands of bureaucracy:

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined…

…For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.

He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 (NRSV)



Fourth Sunday in Advent – Love

21 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Spirituality

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#illridewithyou, #letherebelight, Advent, incarnation, love, violence

Advent 4And so the set of four Advent candles have been lit.

Candles of anticipation – hope, peace, joy and, finally, love.

The Australian community has been galvanised in the aftermath of three unspeakable acts of violence – the Martin Place siege, the Peshawar school massacre, and a family tragedy in Cairns.

Amidst crowd reactions of grief, sorrow and miscomprehension, we have seen love arising. Words of comfort and focus have emerged as closest relatives addressed the population. An inevitable backlash against scapegoats has been tempered by the spontaneous and viral #illridewithyou campaign. Someone noted that riding public transport is no longer anonymous as people, sharing a common sense of loss, no longer lose themselves in phone and tablet screens but become more willing to engage one another.

The popular Gosford Anglican “wayside pulpit” sums it all up: “SYDNEY, PESHAWAR, CAIRNS: #LETTHEREBELIGHT”.  The Advent gift of love is never really far below the surface. Momentous events that peel back the superficial reveal the potential for communities to recalibrate and express their potency for good. And we are now ready to receive and contemplate once more the momentous event of Incarnation which embodies two trending hashtags – #illridewithyou and #lettherebelight.

Advent Voices: Ancient voices

20 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Spirituality

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Advent, Ethan, psalm 89

The persistent call to rest on ancient promises mingles with the clamour of contemporary conversations.
We have Ethan the Ezrahite, an Advent voice from the reign of Solomon to thank for Psalm 89

 

Advent Voices: a candle in the dark

19 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Spirituality

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Advent, doxology, hope, Peshawar, siege

candleAdvent draws expectant attention to an arrival of one divinely anointed to fix the mess we’re in. It’s a season that both highlights the chaos of a violent world and the pregnant promise of its resolution. Advent’s themes are in tension – no more so this week than when the siege in Sydney and the horrendous Peshawar school massacre heightened the world’s sensitivities. Can the Advent themes of hope, peace, joy and love really win through? Expressions of community solidarity gave life to the maxim “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

This morning’s text from Romans16:25-27 serves a similar “lighting of the candle” function. It is sometimes repeated at the conclusion of church services as worshippers prepare to leave the sanctuary to return to the chaos of everyday living.

Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever! Amen.

Advent Voices: homeless Robbie and Dominique

18 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Spirituality

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Advent, Dominique, generosity, homeless, Robbie

In the UK, street living Robbie offers stranded Dominique his last three pounds for a fare. Dominique declines, but is so moved by Robbie’s gesture that she reciprocates. These are Advent voices. Read what happened from there!

 

Advent Voices: the strong voice of Mary

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Spirituality

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Advent, Annunciation, Mary

Annunciation by Paolo de Matteis, 1712. The white lily in the angel's hand is symbolic of Mary's purity [1] in Marian art.[2]. Public Domain

Annunciation by Paolo de Matteis, 1712. The white lily in the angel’s hand is symbolic of Mary’s purity [1] in Marian art.[2]. Public Domain

Today’s text, Luke 1:26-38, is illustrated throughout our world’s art galleries and museums as the “Annunciation.”  The imposing and other-worldly figure of Gabriel is depicted speaking words of life-changing import to a young woman, Mary, who seems simultaneously beatific and non-plussed. Tradition has emphasised her piety and holiness. The narrative in the text highlights her perplexity at being told that she will bear a child of divine import and the manner in which she will conceive. The personal and social impact of Gabriel’s announcement might have been most troubling.

Mary’s final response is, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

These are strong words – more than mere submission. They are alignment with revealed purpose – and thus a true Advent voice!

Advent Voices – #illridewithyou

16 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by wonderingpilgrim in Spirituality

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#illridewithyou, Advent, Sydney siege, Sydneysider Rachel Jacobs

#illridewithyouThe aftermath of yesterday’s siege in Sydney with this morning’s tragic loss of life occupies the airwaves. Community empathy washes on two shores. Hearts go out to the victims and their families.  They also reach out to apprehensive Muslim communities, who are also shocked and appalled by what took place in the hands of one mentally sick individual acting out under the discourse of their faith. Based on precedent, adherents of Islam brace themselves for community backlash.

The hashtag #illridewithyou has shifted what might have become an ugly undercurrent in reactions to the siege. It originated with Sydneysider Rachel Jacobs who noticed a young woman fearfully removing her hijab while riding public transport. She urged her to put it back on, saying, “I’ll ride with you.”  Shortly after, she described her experience on Twitter, using the now viral hashtag #illridewithyou.

The phenomenal power of social media was almost instantaneous. Even, while the siege continued, something happened to the zeitgeist of fear that loomed over the city and nation. #illridewithyou trended as men and women from all walks of life reassured their Muslim neighbours and even strangers, “We’re all in this together.”

It is as if the whole Australian community has found a rallying point around a simple sound-byte that carries so much punch – a simple set of words that helps the community overcome recent times of political and media manipulated polarisation across a range of public issues. Yes, it is still possible to claim the oft trumped nation’s ideal of unity in diversity against the most horrendous circumstances.

“I’ll ride with you.” Truly today’s Advent voice!

← Older posts

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 240 other followers

Follow Wondering Pilgrim on WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • Seventh Day Musings December 31, 2020
  • A Christmas reflection on a Senior Housing Crisis December 20, 2020
  • Rocky Road August 17, 2020
  • She came asking… August 10, 2020
  • Getting wet feet August 3, 2020
  • Economy of abundance July 28, 2020
  • Riddle me July 20, 2020
  • Let it Be July 13, 2020
  • Wasted Words? July 6, 2020
  • But John held up a mirror… June 30, 2020

Gallery

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Archives

  • December 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • September 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • July 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • June 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • May 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×