Today in the Spirit: Advent 2A
On the second and third Sundays of Advent, our attention is drawn to the NT Gospel accounts of John the Baptist’s ministry. So, the church abruptly shifts our adoration from the contemplation of Jesus’ second coming to his first. Like many good films that give their audience the end before the beginning, we wonder, as worshipers, how in the world the gospel of the kingdom could possibly progress from the preaching of a man in rags to the Son of Man coming in clouds of glory.
The assigned Gospel reading for Advent 2A, Matthew 3:1-12, introduces John the Baptist explicitly as the one “spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight’” (3:3, quoting Is. 40:3). Matthew’s account (and Luke’s) narrates a direct confrontation between the Baptist and the religious leaders of Jerusalem, culminating in the clear statement by John that the Messiah is in the world:
Sponsored
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Matthew 3:11
The ministry of the Messiah to pour out the Holy Spirit is foretold in the assigned OT reading from Isaiah 11:1-10:
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him…
Isiaiah 11:2
The end of the Messiah’s ministry will be complete harmony in the world beyond all human imagining:
“The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”
Isaiah 11:9-9
Most commentators identify Psalm 72:1-5(16-19) as a coronation hymn celebrating the kings of Judah ascending to the throne of David. Assigned also on Epiphany Day, this psalm celebrates the initiation of God’s revelation of the Messiah (the Christ), foretelling the arrival of the three kings bringing “gifts” and “falling down before him” (10-11). In Advent, this song expresses hope for the transformation of the world through the coming Christ, with the flourishing of creation and a resounding victory over evil: “In his time shall the righteous flourish, even an abundance of peace, so long as the moon endures…Those who dwell in the wilderness shall kneel before him; his enemies shall lick the dust” (7,9).
The selected NT reading from Romans 15:1-13 adds to our worship apostolic commentary on the OT passage from Isaiah. A direct connection is made with Paul’s citation of Is. 11:10 from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (LXX): “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope” (12). But in a more general sense, Paul’s call for “harmony” (5) in Christ between Jewish and Gentile Christians in the Roman church is seen as a step toward fulfillment of God’s mission to draw all nations together as promised throughout the OT.
In the 2019 Book of Common Prayer, Thomas Cranmer’s famous collect on the “Holy Scriptures” has been restored to the first season of the church year as he intended. That the Scriptures are “written for our learning” picks up on Paul’s teaching in the reading from Romans that, “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction” (15:4). The “our” in both the collect and in Romans clearly refers to the whole body of Christians, that every member should be encouraged to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” the writings in the Bible for personal maturity in service to Christ.
The Collect
Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1-10)
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
Isaiah 11:1-10
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Like a time-lapse video in a television program, this song in Isaiah carries us, in the space of just a few verses, from a stump of Jesse to a fully orbed new world of peace and harmony between even the most unlikely inhabitants—the wolf and the lamb, the child and the cobra. Clearly, the Messiah’s gift of knowledge coming in and covering the earth is no mere addition of information to the mind but a transformation of the heart.
In slow time, we have trouble seeing the full flowering of this vision, but with the eyes trained by the Spirit of Jesus, we do catch glimpses of change taking root in our Christian communities and, from there, in society at large. Behold, new patience, new caring for one another, even among diverse characters and cultures.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.
Colossians 3:15
The church is where the action is. Are you cynical about the church and not much involved in Christian fellowship? Make no mistake—you’re missing out! Today, in the Spirit, taking in the breath-taking transformation prophesied in Isaiah’s vision, look for something of that unity unfolding in your Christian fellowship, and God will give you eyes to see it.
Who Alone (Psalm 72:1-15[16-19])
1 Give the King your judgments, O God, *
Psalm 72:1-19, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
and your righteousness to the King’s son.
2 Then shall he judge your people with righteousness *
and defend the poor with justice.
3 The mountains also shall bring peace, *
and the little hills righteousness to the people.
4 He shall vindicate the poor among the people, *
defend the children of the poor, and punish the wrongdoer.
5 They shall fear you as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.
6 He shall come down like the rain upon the mown grass, *
even as showers that water the earth.
7 In his time shall the righteous flourish, *
even an abundance of peace, so long as the moon endures.
8 His dominion shall be also from one sea to the other, *
and from the river unto the world’s end.
9 Those who dwell in the wilderness shall kneel before him; *
his enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall give presents; *
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring gifts.
11 All kings shall fall down before him; *
all nations shall do him service.
12 For he shall deliver the poor when he cries, *
the needy also, and the one that has no helper.
13 He shall be favorable to the lowly and needy, *
and shall preserve the lives of the poor.
14 He shall deliver them from falsehood and wrong, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.
15 Long may he live! And unto him shall be given the gold of Arabia; *
prayer shall ever be made unto him, and daily shall he be blessed.
16 There shall be an abundance of grain on the earth, thick upon the hilltops; *
its fruit shall flourish like Lebanon,
its grain like the grass upon the earth.
17 His Name shall endure for ever;
his Name shall remain as long as the sun. *
All the nations shall be blessed through him and shall call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the LORD God, even the God of Israel, *
who alone does wondrous things;
19 And blessed be the Name of his majesty for ever; *
and all the earth shall be filled with his majesty. Amen, Amen.
Some Bible commentators think the last few verses of this psalm were added later to convert it from a king’s coronation song to a hymn of praise to Yahweh and his coming Messiah. If so, no wonder! As the kings of Judah become increasingly inept and corrupt, the faithful turn their hope to the One God “who alone does wondrous things” (18).
We now know Jesus Christ to be the fulfillment of these exalted words. By faith, and from the testimony of the New Testament and mission history, we understand that the reign of our Lord Jesus is indeed increasing toward “from one sea to the other” (8), and in doing so, he “preserves the lives of the poor” (13). It is he alone. He is the One.
The lyrics of the contemporary Christian song “Only One” (Worship Initiative) speak to us in our worship around this theme:
There’s only one King, only one Savior
Worship Initiative, “Only One”
Only one worthy of our endless praise
There’s only one Lord, only one champion
Only one on the throne forever reign
And we crown You with every crown
Oh Lamb upon the throne
Awake, awake my soul and sing of His love
‘Cause there’s only one.
Today, by the Spirit, in this Advent season, we cast aside vain hope in anyone other than the Father God and Jesus his Son. ”Amen, Amen.”
Encouragement of the Scriptures (Romans 15:1-13)
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
Romans 15:1-13
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”
10 And again it says,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
“Hope” (Gk. elpizō, to “hope” or “expect”) is a key word used by Paul four times in this passage, and 17 times in Romans as a whole. At the end, from his Greek translation of the OT, Paul quotes from the text we hear earlier in our worship from Isaiah: “The root of Jesse will come…in him will the Gentiles hope” (12, from Is. 11:10). Immediately thereafter, he prays, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (13).
But where does this hope come from? Earlier, Paul teaches that hope comes from “endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures” (4). In support of that which is invisible and spiritual, the Scriptures are a physical conduit–something we can see and hear and touch–to deliver internal edification to us by God’s grace. For this reason, Paul quotes a series of OT Scriptures, like strokes of “a living and active…two-edged sword,” to penetrate the hearts of his audience (see Heb. 4:12).
Do you find yourself just now discouraged by circumstances at home, at work, or in the larger world? Are you dissatisfied with the secular world’s alleged solutions to problems? Following Paul’s teaching, become a Bible-open believer. Learn from the Scriptures. Pray out of the Scriptures. Memorize the promises of Scripture so that they lie ready on your tongue to share with others.
Today, in the Spirit, open the Scriptures with hope and expectation, “read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them” (per our Collect), and be encouraged.
Crying in the Wilderness (Matthew 3:1-12)
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
Matthew 3:1-12
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
In the early part of the Gospel reading, we are told that John came preaching in the wilderness, and in fulfillment of prophecy that he is the voice of one crying in the wilderness. It does not present a favorable setting to begin a campaign of Good News, but it is one we can easily relate to. Is there not a wilderness-like quality to all our ministry environments, to the routines of our lives, and very often to the state of our internal selves? We wonder how God can possibly produce fruit in such barren and unpromising soil as ours. And yet, just as many people from Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to the Baptist, God brings unexpected, sometimes miraculous growth and transformation—within ourselves and in the world around us, where we are called to live and serve. The 19th-century American missionary to Myanmar (Burma), Adoniram Judson, famously wrote: “The prospects are as bright as the promises of God.” Today, Holy Spirit, give me the Baptist’s hope as I cry out your name in my wilderness.
Today in the Spirit
Reflections and related content, sent straight to your inbox.
Today in the Spirit: Proper 29C (Christ the King)
The feast of Christ the King is the Church’s celebration of Jesus Christ’s kingship over all things, earthly and heavenly. Though many Anglican provinces around the world have unofficially celebrated the feast for a century, the only official Prayer Book designation I could find of the final Sunday of Pentecost as “Christ the King” is…
Today in the Spirit: Proper 24C
At Proper 24C, the Church assigns another parable of Jesus for the benefit of his disciples, found only in Luke. Luke 18:1-8 is the parable of the persistent widow. Our Lord tells a short story of a woman stalking an unjust judge to insist that he give her justice in a case against an adversary….
