Reflection for the 2nd Week of Advent, 2022
Scriptures: Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12
Key Verse: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
How is your Advent so far? The Advent Season is my favorite in the Christian liturgical calendar because it serves as a reminder for the people of God, who are enlivened with the life of Christ, of a fresh start. Unlike the secular calendar that begins with the new year holiday when we make resolutions (which we may or may not keep), the church calendar begins with the Advent Season during which believers prepare to celebrate God’s promises to us, the coming of the Messiah and God’s kingdom that is here already and is not fully fulfilled yet.
Advent Season reminds me of one of my family's traditions in the new year, which was wearing new clothes. This was a big deal for me and my brother. My parents always took us out to shop for new clothes before the new year and we got to choose what we really liked. Nowadays, wearing something new makes me happy, but not the kind of happiness that I experienced back then. I think it has to do with how the new clothes came about. My parents took time to shop with us and asked us how we felt after trying on clothes at every store we visited. I can still remember the kind of excitement I felt when I put on my new clothes on the first day of the new year and the joy on my parents’ faces as they looked at us.
Wasn’t that how the prophet Isaiah felt when he talked about the garments that he received from the Lord in Isaiah 61:10? Was there a time when you held a smile on your face for quite a while without realizing it? That was probably the kind of joy the prophet had. He rejoiced in the Lord for God had clothed him with the garments of salvation and righteousness. The garments brought him closer to God who is his salvation and righteousness. Didn’t St. Paul’s words also remind us in Galatians 3:27 that those who are baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. Are we excited to put on Christ, our new clothes of salvation and righteousness and be ready for God’s Kingdom and God’s hope?
While thinking about our waiting for God’s Kingdom that the people of faith proclaim and God’s hope that is the hope of all believers, we might want to take time to reflect on how we can distinguish God’s Kingdom from our own little kingdoms and God’s hope from our own wishes. I don’t think grasping the meaning and purpose of God’s kingdom and God’s hope is hard. The challenge is how can we live for God’s kingdom and hope while we, sometimes, have a hard time letting go of our own little kingdoms and wishes in our life together and in partnership in ministries with our siblings in Christ.
Thinking about the habit of creating our own space might be helpful. For example, we like to tease dogs and other animals for claiming their own space. Don’t humans do the same? We create our own space or corner at home, at work, at school, even in public spaces like our seats on a train, on a plane, or in a restaurant. If it’s a shared space, we find a way to claim that shared space with unwritten rules by leaving our personal belongings at certain places or making a mutual agreement with others on how that space should be used. If there is a newcomer coming to use that shared space, we begin to see signs of awkwardness.
Creating our own space often is the initial step or early stage to creating our own little kingdom as our power increases and our achievements are reached and recognized. That's how we are programmed to function in a competitive society that promotes power and brings shame on weakness. For this, if we are not careful to remember to whom we belong, we live a life getting further away from what God hopes in us.
In an article of the Christian Century magazine, Rev. Peter W. Marty defines his understanding of God’s hope that I found helpful. He said that the hope from God has everything to do with what God wants in us, which is quite different from our own wishes. For him, our own wishes have everything to do with what we want from other people and even from God. As St. Paul said to the people of God in Romans 15:13, let us be clothed with Christ and be filled with joy and peace so that we all may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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