4th Sunday in Advent, December 21, 2014

Prayer for the Lighting of the Fourth Advent Candle:  Holy are you, God of steadfast love and faithfulness; you promised to make a covenant with your chosen ones, and to establish the throne of your servant David forever. As we light these candles, open our hearts to the mystery of the Incarnation revealed to your servant Mary, and plant your word in us that it may grow and prosper. Show us your favor, O Rock of our Salvation.

Response: Reveal your truth to us, and strengthen us for service in your name. Amen.

Collect for the Day

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent." Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you."

But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

Reflections: This passage reflects a transitional period in the history of Israel. Earlier, Israel—unlike the surrounding peoples, who had kings—had been a loose association of tribes occasionally united under a divinely inspired leader (Judges). In addition, the surrounding peoples worshipped their gods in temples, but the Israelite God was not associated with a permanent structure.

          By this time, obviously, Israel had developed a kingship (but struggles associated that are clear 1 Samuel 8). In our current reading, obviously, Israel has a king (David), but there is as yet no temple. Here, David proposes to build a “house” for God, but God refuses his offer; in a marvelous turnabout that hinges on the double meaning of “house,” God offers—promises—to establish David and his descendants forever: “The Lord will make you a house . . ..”

          This year, two things in this account catch my attention. First, whatever motives David really had (to be like the other nations?), he seems motivated to make give God a great honor. Nonetheless, it took prophetic vision to discern whether his wishes actually were in line with God’s will. Now, as we know, God allows Solomon to go ahead and build the temple (and it becomes the center of Hebrew worship). But at the moment, God does not want a temple.

What can we draw from this? Perhaps that even our best (and sometimes most altruistic) ideas may not spring from the heart of God? The intensity of our “inspiration” (how it makes us feel) is no guide. We may require the help of another person to discern, or at least spending time in that deep reflective space within us, where God speaks more loudly than we do. It takes humility to question what we want, but in the case of David—and I suspect this is true for all of us—the willingness to do so just might uncover unexpected blessings.

Second, the Davidic “house” promised by God must have been understood as a permanent dynasty. Nonetheless, the kingdom was immediately fraught with division, went into decline, and was ultimately destroyed. Looking back at this history can lead to cynicism, or to a new level of questioning. Should that promise to David be swept aside, or re-understood?

What about in our own lives? What parts of our lives feel like broken promises? Our two extreme choices are to turn away, or to seek deeper. If God is infinite, then perhaps we grasp God’s intentions for us gradually—as we allow our souls to deepen and open our broken hearts in trust.

Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 Misericordias Domini

Your love, O LORD, for ever will I sing; * from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.

For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; * you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.

"I have made a covenant with my chosen one; * I have sworn an oath to David my servant:

'I will establish your line for ever, * and preserve your throne for all generations.'"

You spoke once in a vision and said to your faithful people: *
     "I have set the crown upon a warrior and have exalted one chosen out of the people.

I have found David my servant; * with my holy oil have I anointed him.

My hand will hold him fast * and my arm will make him strong.

No enemy shall deceive him, * nor any wicked man bring him down.

I will crush his foes before him * and strike down those who hate him.

My faithfulness and love shall be with him, * and he shall be victorious through my Name.

I shall make his dominion extend * from the Great Sea to the River.

He will say to me, 'You are my Father, * my God, and the rock of my salvation.'"

 

Reflections: On the face of it, this psalm celebrates God’s choice of David as king, and the establishment of his kingdom. As Christians, we see in it a proclamation of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.

Epistle: Romans 16:25-27

Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

Reflections: As occasionally happens in St. Paul’s writing, the sentence simply doesn’t parce. It’s as though he gets sidetracked elaborating something, then finishes the sentence differently from how it started. The words represent his ideas, but the sentence structure is not coherent (the “to whom” in the last phrase creates the problem). Because Paul was dictating his epistles, it would have been easy for him to get the syntax a little confused. In fact, this textual problem itself supports Paul’s own claim to use a scribe. Then again, the intent is clear; the message transcends the details of language.

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God."

Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Reflections: Much has been made about where Mary here “doubts” the angel’s words when she asks “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” In fact, a great deal of energy goes into explaining that Mary wonders, rather than doubts, because somehow doubting God is not allowed. But where did this notion come from? I have thought through poignant moments in both the New and Old testaments, and I come up pretty much empty.

          The classic example is the accusation that Sarah doubted the prophecy of the three angels, when they told Abraham that they would return in a year and she would have a child. Sarah hears this and laughs, and the angels accuse her of laughing, which she denies. She had laughed, and the reason she laughed (amusement, cynicism, giggly delight) was never clarified. In fact, it seems irrelevant, because she conceives Isaac. There’s the story of Hana, whose husband was struck dumb, apparently because he doubted—but he becomes a father anyway. Gideon (Judges 6:36ff) tested God’s intentions—twice!—but God was not offended. And of course there’s our own Doubting Thomas, who insists on seeing Jesus for himself, and who Jesus accommodates by inviting him to touch the wounds.

          The notion that it’s not okay to question or doubt God, I’ve concluded, is belongs to some Christian denominations. A brief online search showed me web pages across the spectrum: all the way from don’t dare doubt God to God is big enough to take it.

          In fact, it seems to me that the readings for Advent IV encourage our questioning and doubt. We cannot force ourselves to trust. Dare we be honest enough to question or to doubt? If we are not honest in our doubt, we cannot be honest in our faith.

          Who know what lay behind Mary’s question to the angel. The important thing is that her “Amen” sprang up from the depths of her soul. May our questioning and our doubts lead us to an amen as profound as hers: free and uncoerced, spontaneous, in its own time.