Sometimes we watch too closely, pay attention to too many details and get ourselves in trouble. Not only to do we miss the forest for the trees, we get increasingly anxious about things we can’t control. Parents sending their children to school for the first time often do this, and it can happen to me when I am on an airplane sitting on a runway, or trying to help a friend work his way through a troubling or difficult personal situation. Both situations, while understandable and for some unavoidable, remind us of something wise people have said for a long time: Watch but don’t stare.
Watch but don't stare is good advice as Advent begins. Advent is a time when the church, especially through the liturgy, encourages us to begin again, to let go of the past year, and enter the great mysteries of faith. A simple way to do this is to read the Daily Scriptures throughout Advent As we explore the history of salvation and prepare again to celebrate the birth of the God Man, the love God has for us, even when we sin, is never more manifest.
In today's text from Isaiah, the prophet asks God not to stare at his people and punish them. Rather, he suggests that God could have been more forceful in helping the Israelites remain faithful to the covenant. “Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?” I can only imagine God smiling at Isaiah's intervention. After all, the Israelites did not listen to God speaking through the prophets when they were warned to reform their lives. But Isaiah doesn't give up. Rather, he acknowledges the sins of the people, admits that they deserve condemnation, and finally reminds God that he is the potter and we are the clay. Surely, God must know that no potter ever discards her clay. Rather, she reworks it and shapes into something new. That is what Advent is all about, asking God to reshape and mold us into heralds of the Great King.
Watch but don't stare is good advice as Advent begins. Advent is a time when the church, especially through the liturgy, encourages us to begin again, to let go of the past year, and enter the great mysteries of faith. A simple way to do this is to read the Daily Scriptures throughout Advent As we explore the history of salvation and prepare again to celebrate the birth of the God Man, the love God has for us, even when we sin, is never more manifest.
In today's text from Isaiah, the prophet asks God not to stare at his people and punish them. Rather, he suggests that God could have been more forceful in helping the Israelites remain faithful to the covenant. “Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?” I can only imagine God smiling at Isaiah's intervention. After all, the Israelites did not listen to God speaking through the prophets when they were warned to reform their lives. But Isaiah doesn't give up. Rather, he acknowledges the sins of the people, admits that they deserve condemnation, and finally reminds God that he is the potter and we are the clay. Surely, God must know that no potter ever discards her clay. Rather, she reworks it and shapes into something new. That is what Advent is all about, asking God to reshape and mold us into heralds of the Great King.
Today, remember that no matter how often you have failed, God is ready, even anxious, to welcome you back into his love.
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