Word to the Wise
Saturday, December 4, 2021 - 1st Week of Advent - Sat
[Isa 30:19-21, 23-26 and Matt 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8]The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: "This is the way; walk in it," when you would turn to the right or to the left. [Isaiah]
I have always found this passage from Isaiah very comforting. In a time of confusion when one is trying to make decisions without clear guidance, Isaiah promises that there will be a "Teacher" and an additional "voice from behind." I have been on "both sides of that desk" in my own lifetime.
For the early Christian community and for us, that Teacher is Christ and that voice is the Holy Spirit. That much is easy to say, but how are they manifested? God often works through trusted friends and counselors, but occasionally it is someone whom we would not expect. I can recall students in my campus ministry or school children I have met in the course of my itinerant preaching who have said things to me that left me amazed at the comfort or challenge in their words.
In the midst of all the hustle-bustle of Advent and the emotional challenges that this season brings (largely because of the secujlar/consumer quality of the "holidays"), it can be hard to hear the Teacher who is to come or the voice from behind that reminds us of the spiritual importance of this season. The Teacher can be found in that nativity scene. That voice from behind is like that star that is in that scene, lighting our way to wisdom. AMEN
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