Second Wednesday of Advent
Scripture Reading for Today:
Malachi 2:10-3:1
A Call to Faithfulness10 Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why do we betray each other, violating the covenant of our ancestors? 11 Judah has been unfaithful, and a detestable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. The men of Judah have defiled the Lord’s beloved sanctuary by marrying women who worship idols. 12 May the Lord cut off from the nation of Israel every last man who has done this and yet brings an offering to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 13 Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. 14 You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows. 15 Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.” 17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. You have wearied him by saying that all who do evil are good in the Lord’s sight, and he is pleased with them. You have wearied him by asking, “Where is the God of justice?” 3:1 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Psalm 27
A psalm of David.1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? 2 When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. 4 The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. 5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. 6 Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music. 7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! 8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” 9 Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my salvation! 10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. 11 Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. 12 Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. 13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. 14 Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
Luke 1:5-17
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old. 8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. 11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
NLT
Along for the Ride
Follower of Jesus, lover of his local neighbourhood, and nacho connoisseur. With a passion for social justice and building community, he has travelled to and lived in cities all across Canada. Most recently Yellowknife is home, for now. Andrew enjoys outdoor adventures and partying with both friends and strangers which has resulted in him being the founder of two social enterprises; The Joyful Project and Concert for Socks.
I was standing in a church basement on a cold winter day in Edmonton when I received one of the best compliments of my life. “Overall, you’re not an a**hole." I mean, does it get any better than that? Our church was running a grassroots day shelter in the basement of another church in the city; this is where my life was forever changed because of real conversations just like this one. Up to this point in my life, I had mostly lived out my faith in Jesus either privately or only on Sundays. Ok, and the classic midweek bible study, small group, whatever (Just to be clear, these are all awesome). I remember being metaphorically smashed in the face with the reality of being a follower of Jesus the other six days of the week. I felt rocked because I didn’t know how to live out my faith outside formal, professional, ministry settings. I had this weird desire to see the Bible come alive in my city, but I didn’t know what that looked like. At this moment, I had a revelation from God that was spoken through someone in a church basement. Overall, I wasn’t an a**hole. I realized that following Jesus isn’t about having everything flow nice and smooth, having all the answers, or experiencing life as if I’ve got it all figured out. What a relief.
Change and disruption in our lives can take many forms. Sometimes we throw ourselves into it, and sometimes we feel change thrust upon us; changing jobs, moving to a different part of town, change in political leadership, hopefully changing our socks! For many of us, this has been a year full of disruption, and it can be a struggle to have the courage to keep going. For others, disruption has been a normal part of life. Change and disruption impact each of us differently. What about when we experience a change of heart? Or those moments when a long-held belief suddenly begins to crumble, and we are left questioning everything? The critical thing to keep in mind here is that questioning is ok. When we experience a disruption in our faith, it can be scary.
Let's be honest. We start asking questions like, Do I still believe? Can I overcome this? Have I believed in lies? Fear can then overwhelm us. We may even default to wrestling alone. Who do I talk to about this? Hey, I don’t know how much of this Christian thing I believe anymore, maybe even none of it? Questioning is often viewed as doubting or seen as weakness or something "not good." Questioning is about exploring our curiosity, searching for wisdom rather than answers. When we ask deep heartfelt questions, what’s important and what we care about is ultimately revealed. The grace that God gives us is more than for the forgiveness of our sins but grace for everyday life and along with it, our many challenges and doubts.
Lord, help us to be loving and curious people and to see the world around us in new ways through your eyes.
Change and Chaos are like best friends. Depending on the day, they either bring the best or worst out of eachother. Since leaving my hometown, I have lived in cities all across Canada, and currently, I am calling Yellowknife, NT home. My resume reads like a potluck menu on a Sunday afternoon! There is a little bit of everything in there. My parents divorced when I was young, and that brought forward a lot of change; some I understood, some I had no idea. I was bullied as a kid, and growing up meant constant disruption. Often I’d be wondering, Which way will I run today to avoid getting beaten up on my way home? As an adult, it looks more like, which city will I live in next? I also find myself struggling with self-confidence, body image issues, feeling like I'm not enough, and loneliness. What if change and disruption could be an opportunity for stillness and intimacy with God? I have often reflected on the words of James 4:8, as we draw near to God, he draws near to us.
Change and disruption challenge our ideas about what we think we deserve or what we believe we control. It reveals our humanness and forces us to lead with our weaknesses rather than our strengths. Our natural tendency is to keep pushing forward. How many times have I heard people say things like, "Don't just go through it, grow through it." Are we sure we need to maximize every moment?
Lord, help us reconsider the exhausting need to always come out on top,
make it worth it, be better for it. We invite you Jesus, come be the strength in our weakness.
Sometimes we have to fight and crawl our way through things. Other times we need to pump the brakes, maybe even full stop. I have been learning to chill out more and pray and seek the leading of the Holy Spirit. We need to find ways of doing this together as a community as well. Before we keep on trucking, maybe we need to pray with each other. Where is God in this? It's in these moments where I want to encounter Jesus on the messed up road of life. How is the life of Jesus reflected in us as a community? How is our personal relationship with Him lived out in community?
When people encountered Jesus, there were many responses. Some left everything to follow Jesus; some had a complete change of focus in their business. Others went home and shared stories. Others were confused and said things like, “I believe, help my unbelief." There was once a time where someone said to Jesus they wanted to follow him, and Jesus replied, “Nah, go home.” There is no “one way” of being a Christian and following Jesus. We are invited to love our neighbours, encourage one another, be forgiven, and in turn, forgive others. These are tough days, and it’s easier than ever to get lost in all the opinions, messages, and ideas out there. I don't know about you, but now more than ever – I want to be close to Jesus; To know him and be known by Him. My heart is convicted and held captive by the wonder and curiosity of what God is teaching us as his people. As a church, if all we have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic is how to do Sunday worship services differently, I believe we have missed out on something more extraordinary; nearness to God and each other. I take great comfort today in the words of Jeremiah 30:22 as it whispers boldly to the soul of the church, "you will be my people, and I will be your God."
Thank you for reading the New Leaf Advent Reader, a collection of reflections from writers across Canada. If you are enjoying the reader, sign up to receive the readings in your inbox each day here: SIGN UP
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Andrew will be our guest in the Learning Centre tomorrow!
One of the ways we have been connecting online since the pandemic pushed us online is through our Learning Centre, a weekly interactive Zoom call on a topic with a Canadian voice of wisdom. For the season of Advent, we will be featuring a few of our writers and making space to reflect together on the Advent Reader articles. Join us for the interactive sessions on Thursdays at 1:30 pm (Eastern time) or sign up and view the recordings of the sessions afterwards. SIGN UP for the Learning Centre Advent sessions.
