Advent Adventure

Advent Adventure - Anticipation

Psalm 98 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

There are different emotional experience depending on what we are anticipating ranging from anguish to elation. Sometimes the dread we feel is not as dire as we anticipated and the expectation becomes a muted event after all. Is it because sometimes our lack of response to the greatness of the coming God among us fails to sing out from our heart unlike where the Psalmist has the rivers clapping their hands, and the mountains singing. 

Several times through scripture we find references to how, if we fail to acknowledge the coming Immanuel, then creation will voice its praise. In Luke 19 we read “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” And later speaking of this anticipation Paul writing to the Romans writes, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

The significance of this groaning is that it leads to birth and later in v23 we find Paul indicating we have the first-fruits of the Spirit, meaning that the indwelling Spirit is but the first-fruits of the gifts of the Spirit we will receive when Jesus the one who came, the one who comes and the one who is to comes brings the fulfilment of his coming Kingdom.

O Wisdom, O holy word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care: Come and show your people the way to salvation.

O Sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: Come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

O Flower of Jesse's stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; rulers stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

O Key of David, O royal power of Israel, controlling at your will the gate of heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and lead your captive people into freedom.

O Radiant Dawn, splendour of eternal light, sun of justice: Come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

O Ruler of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart, O keystone of the mighty arch of humankind: Come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

O Emmanuel, ruler and lawgiver, desire of the nations, saviour of all people: Come and set us free, Lord our God. Amen ~from “Advent in Church and Cultural Tradition” by Bobby Gross