Hi everyone,
Here we are at the cusp of a new (church calendar) year! It’s been great hearing from Matthew for the past 12 months, but now it’s time for ol’ Matt to move over and make room for our old friend Mark (for most of the year, at least). This is great for those who prefer Mark’s gospel over Matthew’s, but not so great for those who are more a fan of Matthew.
But it is what it is, I guess. I don’t think anyone out there is up in arms about the changing of the church year and the change in gospel account focus. I doubt it’s even on the radar for most people. We’re too worried about other things in life, like the wars that are going on, the climate crisis, the internal conflicts we find in our country, our communities, and maybe even in ourselves.
Life just isn’t easy in any way that we try to slice it.
Sometimes we want to point our fingers to make ourselves feel better. Assign the blame on someone else, so maybe then we can alleviate our shame a bit. Or sometimes we lash out in anger. We feel better in our pain when others are in pain as well. Or we might just close up and bottle our feelings away. Out of sight, out of mind, kind of thing.
But none of these things really stop the bad that happens to us or around us. Nothing takes away the slow and steady decent the world seems to be on. Nothing takes away the impending and looming darkness that we face.
Well, nothing takes away darkness except for light. Nothing lifts up the world except for hope. Nothing walks us through the bad things except for love.
And that’s Advent for you.
Here are the readings for next week:
Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37
Good ol’ Mark, the gospel of action, straight to the point. The world is ending, says he. And he is not wrong.
The world is ending. At the same time, the world has ended, multiple times over. And the world will continue to end from various difficulties, brokenness, and pain. It can be that bleak.
But in all that bleakness, we can remember that hope can be found in the promises of something better. We can hold onto the love that is freely given to us and all people. We can look forward to the light that comes into the world, through God incarnate in the form of a baby born.
This hope didn’t come and go some 2000 years ago. This love isn’t a one and done deal from way before. This light is neverending and shines perpetually in and through all of us, reminding us of that hope, that love, and the community in which we can more clearly see it all unfold.
Whatever life might throw at us, God’s promises are true. Whatever hurts and pains we face, God continues to grant us hope. Whatever changes come and go, God is with us. Always.
Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!
Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash