Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
—I John 3:2
Symbol 15
The Present: Daily Visitation
Amos, a shepherd and prophet of social justice, proclaims God’s hope for justice.
Our vocation is to watch for Jesus who is Lord, here and now. Love God by practicing justice and kindness daily. Our judgment hinges upon recognizing Christ, present in all people, especially the anawim7:
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:37–40
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.
—Amos 5:24
Symbol 16
Christ promises to be with us always, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). The entire corpus of the New Testament letters (Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John) is written to believers to emphasize the active lordship of Jesus Christ. The letters bid us to remember the original message of Jesus’ victory over death, to realize Christ present within the church. Like the apostles on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35), don’t our hearts burn with the love of God when they are opened by Christ’s presence?
Throughout scripture we are taught to watch for God-with-us, to repent for our disobedience and to rejoice in Christ’s daily presence. Then we will be prepared to welcome the one who came humbly in the flesh and will come again in glory at the Last Day.
The Key Figures of Advent: Isaiah, Mary and John the Baptist
Our hopeful expectation of the coming of God’s reign is nowhere more compelling than in the lives of the three biblical figures, Isaiah, Mary and John the Baptist, who incarnate the meaning of Advent. These three clearly exemplify Advent vigilance. Awake in God, they recognize God’s arrival. In their acceptance of God’s Advent, God comes for all of us: their vigilance facilitates God’s Incarnation. The longing of Isaiah for the Messiah, the expectation of Mary, mother of God, and the recognition of the Christ by John the Baptist illuminate a threefold theology of Advent. (Note: Isaiah and John the Baptist do not have assigned dates during Advent. Honor them on an open date on your calendar. Mary is remembered on December 8.)
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
—Isaiah 6:8
Longing: Isaiah
Eight centuries before the birth of Christ, when Israelite society was crumbling, Isaiah warned the people to repent and trust God to avoid impending destruction. After their ruin and exile, when life became extremely cruel and bleak, Isaiah comforted the Jews with assurances of God’s love and promise. The prophetic voice of Isaiah proclaims the glory of the Most Holy God, the persistence of human sin, and God’s immutable love.
Isaiah is the Advent prophet who warns, consoles, and bears hope. He refines the Old Testament longing for God into a hope for a messianic king who will usher in a new age when all creation will see God’s glory: God will come to save us. Our eyes will be opened, our hearing unstopped, our speech filled with songs of joy (35:1–10). Prepare and watch for God-with-us, he cries. Traditionally, Isaiah is depicted holding a scroll foretelling the Incarnation: Ecce virgo concepiet et parium filium. The Latin phrase is the text:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel (7:14).
In his ninth chapter, Isaiah expresses longing for the ideal king who will restore the ravaged land to its former glory, who embodies the best qualities of Israel’s heroes: the leadership of Moses8, the courage of David, the wisdom of Solomon. The passage, commonly read on Christmas Day (since it is one of the clearest messianic passages in the Old Testament), promises that the Savior will be more than a human summation of Israel’s great leaders, but will be a divine agent who incarnates God. In Jesus of Nazareth we recognize the Messiah who comes humbly in the flesh, who comes to overthrow evil and restore justice to all nations, who is active in our lives.
The latter sections of Isaiah, chapters 40–66 (Deutero-Isaiah or Second and Third Isaiah), are prophecies written some 150 years after Isaiah during the Babylonian exile (c. 539 B.C.E). Within this corpus are four suffering servant songs,9 incredibly incisive prophecies of Jesus’ ministry. In these songs, we are given the character of the One to come, the One for whom we are to watch. The servant remains perfectly aligned with God even in the midst of overwhelming suffering. With gentle strength and patience, the servant brings God’s word, the source of justice and loving compassion, to all nations. Yet the path of salvation is costly: it is paved with the suffering of the innocent servant. The servant, one with the people, intercedes through suffering to God for others, for us. The servant, one with God, remains uniquely innocent of sin so that to know the servant is to know God.
The suffering servant songs signal hope in spite of appearances. Rather than beholding the darkness that covers the land, we watch for the dawning of the everlasting light that reveals God’s glory (60:1–3). Vigilant, we recognize the Messiah’s coming. Courageous, we live as the servant community, identified with the anawim, the least of humanity, acknowledging the Messiah’s daily advent. Expectant, we hope for Christ’s return. Waiting with Isaiah, we sing the “Surge, illuminare”:10
Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of God has dawned upon you. For behold, darkness covers the land; deep gloom enshrouds the peoples. But over you our God will rise, and the glory of the Most High will appear upon you. Nations will stream to your light, and rulers to the brightness of your dawning. Your gates will always be open; by day or night they will never be shut. They will call you, the City of God, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more he heard in your land, ruin or destruction within your borders. You will call your walls, Salvation, and all your portals, Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day; by night you will not need the brightness of the moon. God will be your everlasting light and your glory.
—Isaiah 60:1–3, 11, 14, 18–19
Symbol 17. The six-pointed star, made from two interwoven equilateral triangles, represents the six days of creation, the shield of David and the seal of Solomon. The two triangles symbolize the meeting of God and humanity that was fulfilled in the Messiah. The vision of the redeeming light of the Messiah propels Isaiah’s insistence that we prepare our soil to welcome the Messiah’s coming. Therefore, this symbol for Isaiah is a tractor driven by the six-pointed star of David.
Symbol 17
Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word!”