Divine
Guidance
“The
start of Advent lays bare the world’s pain…without which there would be no
reason for God’s coming. No reason for angels singing. No reason for prophets
preaching. No reason for Magi seeking. No
reason for hoping and imagining and living toward a new world.”
Rachel
Hackenberg (from “Rock Bottom,” in the UCC Daily Devotional Still Speaking, Nov.
30, 2020)
The
liturgical season of Advent begins in the groaning of the world, in darkness
and distress. Our world feels that way today—with a pandemic, and looming
shortages, and pending unemployment, and home evictions. And that’s just in the
US. Around the world, people are suffering with far fewer resources and far more
poverty. The world is groaning from ten months of shutdowns, and closures, and
illness, and hospitals overrun and closed to the public. And, with the deaths
of more than a million human beings worldwide. So yes, Advent this year, just
as that first year, begins in darkness.
And,
just as the people of the 1st century wanted deliverance by divine intervention,
so do we. It would be so nice if Jesus chose this moment to come back and end
the suffering of his people, wouldn’t it? As much as that would ideal, I sincerely
doubt we can depend upon it as our salvation from Covid-19. We will have to do
that ourselves. This is where Awareness comes in.
We have
been made aware of the steps to help ourselves in this endeavor repeatedly for
at least eight of those ten months—wear a mask, social distance, wash hands frequently.
Work from home if you can. Don’t travel for the holidays. We somehow simply don’t
believe it applies to us, just as those first century Hebrews didn’t believe that
they should have to take the bull by the horns. They were under occupation, ruled
by a brutal dictator because of Roman conquest, and they were treated badly by
their overlords. We can relate to their anguish, can’t we? They just wanted God
to send an avenging angel to take care of business. So, when Jesus showed up,
meek and mild, a little poverty-stricken baby, they scoffed and mocked and went
their own way. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
God
does not work the way that we do. We’ve been given all the help and guidance possible—by
Dr. Fauci, for one, our dedicated public health professionals for another. We know
the way, we have the message of the angels, we just don’t want to believe it. After
all, this is America! The land of the Free! We are a special case! Not so much.
Our hope
lies in the message getting through to each of us. The angel’s song changed the
hearts and minds of the shepherds, and the star hanging in the sky guided the
Magi. They heard and believed, and that hearing and believing led to discovery
of a messiah, a messenger of love and hope. Not an avenging angel, but a guiding
light for the world. Let us go and do likewise.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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