Second Sunday of Advent

Today we enter the second week of waiting and watching, the second week of Advent.

"Does this stable make my butt look big?"

The following is part of a poem in "From Advent's Alleluia to Easter's Morning Light" by Presbyterian elder, Ann Weems:


The Word of God
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... All things were made through the Word, and without the Word was not anything made that was made.


In a wave of wonder,
in an extravaganza of imagination,
in a roar of deafening waters,
in a drum roll of thunder,
God said let there be Light!
and the dazzling sun of Day made her entrance,
singing her song of Life.
Then in a stunning display of fireworks,
lightning leaping in bolts,
stars hurling through ink black sky,
moon floating above,
the Light of Night took her bow.
The stage was set.
Right from the beginning
the Word was there,
with God.
The Word was God.
And without the Word not anything
was made that was made.
Day and Night,
darkness and light,
waters and land,
trees and living plants,
animals and birds,
and people,
all created by God.
Right from the beginning
the Word of God
was spoken in miracles.
Right from the beginning,
in the light of God's love,
the people of God
were created for
covenant keeping.
I will be your God
and you will be my people.
Right from the beginning
The Word was Love
and the Word was Light
and the Word was Life.
Right from the beginning
God's people were invited
to walk in the way of the Word.
God saw that it was good.
It was very good.
Until, that is, somebody
left the door open in paradise,
and Death walked on stage
and turned off the light.
Somebody or somebodies thought
they didn't have to listen to God,
thought they didn't need
to keep covenant.
Call them by whatever names you like:
Adam, Eve, the neighborhood snake;
it's all the same.
God's people had been entrusted
with earth and stars
and all living things,
and yet it wasn't enough.
Something gnawed away
at the souls of God's people
and they broke covenant...
right there in the beginning...
and again...
     and again...
          and again.
Somebody or somebodies
wanted to be in charge.
Somebody or somebodies
wanted to be God.
Somebody or somebodies
didn't like the diversity.
They wanted everybody
to be like they were.
Killing was born
and hatred
and greed
and deception
and suspicion
and hard-heartedness
and mean-spiritedness
and distrust
and power grabbing
and jealousy
and prejudice.
The people of God
had chosen Death
instead of Life.
God was grieved to the heart.
Return to me, God said.
Over and over and over again
Return to me.
God sent prophets
to tell the people
to return to God,
but just as Cain hated Abel,
the people in the world
hated each other
and wars began
and God's people
still would not return,
return to covenant living
return to the way of life
that God had offered.
God asked for justice
and mercy and
humbleness,
but the people of the world
wanted justice for themselves
and mercy for themselves
and anything but humbleness.
God had promised not
to send another flood.
Besides God loved the people still
even though they walked in darkness,
so God sent a great Light,
the Word of God Incarnate.


God is coming to us.  We wait and watch for the coming of the incarnate Word of God...in a manger.


Pax.

On Friday, I wore my relatively worn-out Carhartt jeans.  When I walked into a store, the lady took one look at me and said, "Suchen Sie Hose?" It made me laugh.