Advent Reflections - Week 1 - Jonathon King
"In days to come, the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and
raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it "
-Isaiah 2:2
These words from the prophet Isaiah came some seven centuries before the birth of Christ, at a
time when Israel had been torn apart by civil war and was facing dire threats from powerful neighboring
empires. The golden age of David and Solomon was long gone, and Israel longed for God to send a
Messiah to save them. Many other prophets spoke of a Messiah for Israel, but Isaiah almost seemed to
speak of a Messiah for the whole world. The authors of the Gospels were especially fascinated by Isaiah
and saw his words coming true, in flesh and bone, in the form of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God
sent to all humanity.
Nonetheless, Isaiah’s words took centuries to be fulfilled. Israel had to wait for a Messiah, just
as we ourselves often have to wait for God’s plans for us to become clear. As followers of Jesus Christ
however, we are called to live in joyful anticipation. We all know there is a difference between merely
wishing something happens, and having a whole-hearted, joyful anticipation that it will happen. The
season of Advent is above all about this sort of joyful anticipation. So as we enter into this Advent
season, let us do so in the same spirit as those who gathered in joy and amazement to behold the arrival
of the Lord of Creation in the form of a tiny baby. Like those who walked with him, let us rejoice that
God has heard us, that he has come to us and lived as one of us, that he has experienced the entire
spectrum ranging from joy to despair that human life has to offer, so that he also understands our own
deepest joys and despairs, hopes and fears.
But as St. Paul also says in the readings for today, let us “throw off the works of darkness and
put on the armor of light;” and “make no provision for the desires of the flesh” (Rom. 13:12b; 14b). The
season of Advent calls us to celebrate the humble birth of the Lord, but it also calls us to reflect on how
we can better ensure that our desire for God does not get crowded out by fleeting, temporal desires as
we await the return of the Lord in glory. Veni Emmanuel!
Jonathan King
