Advent Week 1 - Hope in Action
Advent is a time of waiting – waiting for Jesus’ birth, waiting for Christmas. But more than that, it is a time when we reflect on the long wait for the Messiah and the justice to a damaged world that he brought.
Read
Old Testament
For the Old Testament reading lets explore Habakkuk 1.2-4, the sorrowful plea to God of “how long” must we wait.
O LORD, how long must I call for help before you listen, before you save us from violence? Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you endure to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all round me, and there is fighting and quarrelling everywhere. The law is weak and useless, and justice is never done. Evil people get the better of the righteous, and so justice is perverted.
New Testament
For the New Testament reading we look to the Magnificat and Mary’s song of praise to God in Luke 1.46-55 - the wait is over.
Mary said,
“My heart praises the Lord;
my soul is glad because of God my Saviour,
for he has remembered me, his lowly servant!
From now on all people will call me happy,
because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me.
His name is holy;
from one generation to another
he shows mercy to those who honour him.
He has stretched out his mighty arm
and scattered the proud with all their plans.
He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors,
and has come to the help of his servant Israel.
He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham
and to all his descendants for ever!"
Reflect
What are we waiting for? That’s the challenge of Advent – the time when we reflect and wait for the birth of Jesus. The prophet Habakkuk lived in a time of waiting, just like Advent is for us, when people were refusing to listen to God and injustice prevailed. There was violence, crime, and conflict. Many felt God remained silent to their cries for help. But God was in control, and ultimately through Jesus justice would come. And Mary so wonderfully celebrates this in the Magnificant, a celebration of both God keeping his promise by coming “to the help of his servant Israel” (1.54), and a celebration of what that promise will look like – the hungry filled, the lowly lifted. In many ways this is summed up by the classic Advent hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel - the mournful yearning for rescue and the joyful anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. When sung from the depths of despair, O Come, O Come Emmanuel is a prayer for justice.
Today people are again crying out "how long, Lord?" Refugees, those trapped in war zones, those fearful of crime, those who can’t afford to eat or to heat their homes - hunger, poverty, homelessness, and fear. But through Jesus, whose birth we look forward to in Advent, God is with all who are struggling, and we are invited to be with and help them too. The challenge for us is – what are we waiting for?
Pray
Heavenly Father and Almighty God,
At advent we reflect on the wait of wounded and weary world for the coming of Jesus.
Give new courage to us your people,
and remind us that, just as your blessed son
first came to seek and to save the lost;
he will come again.
Open our eyes to injustices and unfairness,
open our ears to the cries of those in need,
and open our hearts to respond in loving service with you.
Amen
Act
For many the world often doesn't feel fair, particularly during this time of war and the cost of living crisis. But Advent is the time when we wait in joyful hope for the coming of Jesus Christ, and the game-changing restoration, transformation and ultimate victory that his birth will bring.
This week, as you start the build up to Christmas, is there one small small act of kindness you could do to shine some joyful hope into your community?
Church and School Engagement
Schools this week
Our church schools this week will be thinking about how understanding fairness can help us to understand God’s sense of justice, and how advent, as a time of waiting, gives us space to consider what we’re waiting for – a more hopeful future.
If you're hosting a special service this week for school children, or have a large number in your congregation, how could you help to unpack the idea of fairness, and the challenge of a more hopeful future this advent?
Schools Prayer
Heavenly Father,
You taught us to seek justice by speaking up for and
defending others who may not be able to help themselves.
Give us the courage to speak out when we see that something is not fair
and the wisdom to know how to take action.
Amen