I will stand at my
watch-post,
and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
2 Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
4 Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faith.
3 His glory covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
4 The brightness was like the sun;
rays came forth from his hand,
where his power lay hidden.
5 Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed close behind.
6 He stopped and shook the earth;
he looked and made the nations tremble.
The eternal mountains were shattered;
along his ancient pathways
the everlasting hills sank low.
and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
2 Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
4 Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faith.
3 His glory covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
4 The brightness was like the sun;
rays came forth from his hand,
where his power lay hidden.
5 Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed close behind.
6 He stopped and shook the earth;
he looked and made the nations tremble.
The eternal mountains were shattered;
along his ancient pathways
the everlasting hills sank low.
17 Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold
and there is no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold
and there is no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.
The season of Advent begins
with a vision – “make it plain upon the
tablets that all may read it”.
The holiday season is filled
with visons that are more than just the sugar plums dancing in our heads. We look for a sense of magic or for things to
be different than any other ordinary day or time of the year. Even as the days grow darker, streets and
homes begin to sparkle with lights and festive decorations. We plan and prepare. We shop and we get ready. We long for that “perfect Norman Rockwell”
tableau to find its fruition in our planning and preparations.
And yet, many will be
disappointed; things don’t always turn out like we plan (no matter how much we
try). Or maybe, this vision is too
elusive or even unrealistic this year. Or even if it does, life quickly goes
back to “normal” the day after Christmas.
Yet, Advent begins with a
different kind of vision. The vision
that the prophet lifts up in this reading is not about the blossoming fig trees
or fields filled with plump grapes and succulent olives. It is not about lights
or decorations or presents beneath the tree.
This is not a fleeting vision, designated for one time a year.
As lovely as our homes can become, these do
not offer what we really need to bring light and hope into the midst of our
lives and world. Our celebration is in
the Lord our God, the one who is our strength and our salvation. The
vision of Christ’s birth is not for one day of the year, but a daily reminder
that this same babe in the manger grew to become the man who revealed God’s
great love for us through death on the cross and new life that burst forth from
the tomb.
Christ is our everlasting
hope for those imperfect days and dark nights.
Christ is the love that shines brighter than any holiday display. Christ is the vision that we hold forth above
all that the world offers us. For God’s
love is everlasting and bears fruit every day.
This is the vision with which
we begin this season of planning and preparation. This is the vision of hope that sustains us
and guides us through all of our days.
“Make it plain upon the tablets that all may read it”.
Pastor Jen Boyd, pastor of
Trinity Lutheran Church (Brewster, NY)
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