Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 3, 2006 - First Sunday of Advent
[Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2; Luke 22:25-28, 34-36]The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for Davie a just shoot; he shall do owhat is right and just in the land.
It is not easy to understand all the shades of meaning that the Old Testament has in regard to "the Messiah." Scholars argue over which current of thought was predominant. By the time of Jesus, there were many different voices, some of them political. After the death of Jesus, the community began to interpret the Old Testament in the light of Jesus own life and deeds so that some prophecies that referred to Old Testament figures were seen to be a form of "prefiguring" of Jesus! Our own Christian tradition sees Jesus definitely as the fulfillment of a promise that was voiced in many ways before Jesus' birth. Today begins the Season of Promise - Advent. For us, this promise is more than a historical prophecy that was fulfilled historically and that we simply commemorate. No, we need to remember the words of the great Dominican mystic, Meister Eckhart, to the effect that it means nothing that Christ was born centuries ago unless he is reborn daily in our heart. The re-enactment in thousands of 'Nativity Plays' and in "crib sets" is a way of echoing the promise and fulfillment that must take place in this season and in other seasons. Advent brings us face to face with past, present and future in Jesus. If we take advantage of this season, the birth of Jesus may well be celebrated on December 25, but we will know its power well beyond that date. He is a promise that is continually fulfilled. Advent simply reminds us that God keeps a promise. AMEN
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