First Friday of Advent - December 6, 2019

Isaiah 29:17-24


Shall not Lebanon in a very little while
become a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest?

On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a scroll,
and out of their gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind shall see.

The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

For the tyrant shall be no more,
and the scoffer shall cease to be;
all those alert to do evil shall be cut off—

those who cause a person to lose a lawsuit,
who set a trap for the arbiter in the gate,
and without grounds deny justice to the one in the right.

Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

No longer shall Jacob be ashamed,
no longer shall his face grow pale.

For when he sees his children,
the work of my hands, in his midst,
they will sanctify my name;
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

And those who err in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who grumble will accept instruction.


• This is another “On that day . . .” reading. Since the birth of Jesus, every day is “that day” . . . a day in which God is present in the events of our lives and in the larger design of the world. Isaiah says, “On that day the deaf shall hear . . . the eyes of the blind shall see” (vv. 17-18). We are each “the deaf and the blind.” Spirituality is about opening ourselves to hear with the ears of the heart and to see with the eyes of the heart. How might you reflect on these words from Isaiah?

• The Isaiah texts used throughout Advent consistently speak to the reversal of fortunes for those on the underside of life. This passage is no different. Notice the parts of the passage that speak to those whose way is difficult.

• What invitation is God extending to you through the words of this passage? Spend some time in silence as you consider God’s Word to you.

First Friday of Advent - December 7, 2018

Do You Believe . . .?

Isaiah 29:17-24
Matthew 9:27-31


During the first week of Advent, a lone candle stands against the darkness . . . a solitary symbol of hope and light.

Advent reminds us time and time again that the darkness surrounding us is not the only reality of life. In our spiritual deafness, we will hear and in our spiritual blindness we will see. Hope comes even as we wait.

Isaiah says,
"In that day the deaf will hear
the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see." (Is. 29:18)

What Isaiah speaks as prophecy, Matthew answers from the life of Jesus.

Isaiah prophecies that out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Matthew tells us that two blind men seeking mercy receive their sight from Jesus.

For many, the world seems darker, gloomier, more divided than ever. Some of us struggle to see light, blinded by pervasive hatred, by conflict, by chasms that grow deeper by the day.

In the Advent texts, we are the blind, the deaf, those wondering if light has abandoned us.

Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet and politician who wrote these words several decades ago in days of global tension over nuclear proliferation:

I am fighting for that ubiquitous, widespread, inexhaustible goodness. . . . I still have absolute faith in human destiny, a clearer and clearer conviction that we are approaching a great common tenderness. I write knowing that the danger of the bomb hangs over all our heads, a nuclear catastrophe that would leave no one, nothing on this earth. Well, that does not alter my hope. At this critical moment, in this flicker of anguish, we know that the true light will enter those eyes that are vigilant. We shall all understand one another. We shall advance together. And this hope cannot be crushed. (Quoted in Megan McKenna, Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, pp. 36-37)

Neruda's days were no more explosive than our times today. Hope creeps toward us.

The story of the two blind men in Matthew 9 turns on this question Jesus asks: "Do you believe I am able to do this?" Do you believe I can change darkness to light? Do you believe you'll see hope again? Do you believe against all evidence to the contrary?

This is an Advent text because it fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah.

It is also an Advent text because the two who are blind walk in darkness, needing sight, hoping for light.

What about you?
Do you believe you will see light again?
Do you believe God can cause light to overcome darkness?
Do you believe God is somehow at work in the world, even though your eyes may be blind to God's light-work?


For Reflection:

Today, hear Jesus ask you, "Do you believe I am able to do this?"

Answer as honestly as possible. Speak your answer . . . or write it. Allow Jesus' question to lead you into prayerful conversation with him.