{"id":19050,"date":"2024-12-06T15:03:36","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T21:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transformingcenter.org\/?p=19050"},"modified":"2024-12-09T15:47:05","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T21:47:05","slug":"advent-week-3-a-time-for-courage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/transformingcenter.org\/2024\/12\/advent-week-3-a-time-for-courage\/","title":{"rendered":"Advent Week 3: A Time for Courage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lectionary Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18
\nAdvent Calendar\u00a0(Cycle C) and guidance for using the lectionary<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

In The<\/em> Voyage of the Dawn Treader<\/em> by C. S. Lewis the Pevenzie children undertake a harrowing sail into darkness \u2013\u201csmooth, solid blackness.\u201d\u00a0 The hungering dark sapped hope, flooding hearts with fear.\u00a0 There was no future, no escape \u2014 only the haunting dark.\u00a0 But as hope drained into despair there came a sign \u2014 an albatross.\u00a0 \u201cIt circled three times round the mast\u2026 and called out in a strong sweet voice what seemed to be words; though no one understood them… except Lucy.\u00a0 Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, \u2018Courage dear heart,\u2019 and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslan\u2019s and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each year at the darkest time of the year Advent comes reminding us that ancient promises and enigmatic prophecies really do come true. God\u2019s timing may challenge our credulity \u2013 we may have to wait.\u00a0 But \u201ctake courage dear heart\u201d: the darkness Adam and Eve\u2019s sin dragged into this world will be undone.<\/p>\n

It may take time.\u00a0 Dark centuries may come and go.\u00a0 Lives may be riddled with terrorism and violence. \u00a0But prophets like Isaiah and Zephaniah keep reminding God\u2019s people that though warfare, financial downturns, disappointments, loss, and oppression seem to be our reality, \u201cthe Lord your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory\u201d over all these things.\u00a0Watch and wait for the Advent.<\/p>\n

Advent Past, Present, and Future<\/h3>\n

From our vantage point in history we know the prophecies did come true.\u00a0 In the fullness of time, in a small backwater town occupied by hostile Roman forces the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace was pushed through the birth canal of Mary.\u00a0\u00a0 It was the Advent of God with us \u2013 Emmanuel.\u00a0 God with skin on.<\/p>\n

But the Advent of Emmanuel isn\u2019t the only Advent.\u00a0 \u00a0Zephaniah paints an astonishing picture of another future and another Advent.\u00a0\u201cSing O daughter of Zion\u2026 Be glad and rejoice with all your heart\u2026.\u00a0 The Lord, the King of Israel is with you; never again will you fear any harm\u2026.\u00a0 The Lord your God is with you.\u00a0 He is mighty to save.\u00a0 He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love.\u00a0 He will rejoice over you with singing.\u201d<\/em> (3. 14-17)<\/p>\n

Really?\u00a0 There is a time coming when we \u201cfear no harm?\u201d\u00a0 A day when God is actually rejoicing over us with singing<\/em>? \u00a0\u00a0It sounds about as likely as being struck by lightning \u2013 unless you look back and remember the baby in the manger.<\/p>\n

The Practice of Remembering<\/h3>\n

Remembering is such a central part of our faith journey that God reminds us scores of times to remember.\u00a0\u00a0 And the Holy Spirit uses memory to help God\u2019s redemption story come alive to us.\u00a0 \u00a0We are to remember God\u2019s track record so that in the darkness we can hope.<\/p>\n

How<\/em> we remember what God has done opens us up or closes us down to the \u201cimpossible.\u201d \u00a0Zephaniah\u2019s words about the advent of a New Jerusalem can seem unlikely \u2013 but the impossible has happened before.\u00a0 This gives us reason to hope and trust that a new world order, where God\u2019s delight in us is as palpable as the air we breathe, is on the way to us.\u00a0 It is coming even now.<\/p>\n

So how are you remembering that God\u2019s plan is bigger than any darkness you face? How is the memory of God\u2019s goodness and delight in you providing healing passage into the future?\u00a0Moses taught Israel to sing songs that helped them remember.\u00a0 They sang of how the angel of death passed right over them and how they had experienced God as a warrior in their midst. Their Exodus Song resounds with the personal pronouns.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI<\/strong> will sing unto the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and rider thrown into the sea.\u201d The <\/em>Lord is my<\/strong> strength and my<\/strong> song; he has become my<\/strong> salvation.\u00a0 He is my<\/strong> God, and I<\/strong> will praise him, my<\/strong> father\u2019s God and I<\/strong> will exalt him. <\/em> (Exodus 15. 1-2)\u00a0\u00a0 Through songs of remembrance, Israel remembered how God came to their rescue in the darkness of slavery.\u00a0 And they sang with delight.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just God\u2019s people who sing to him.\u00a0 God sings over us<\/strong> with delight as well. Advent is a season where we remember the sacred duet between God and his people \u2013 the duet of delight.\u00a0 Remembering God\u2019s story in your life is the antidote to dark memories that metastasize like cancer.\u00a0 God\u2019s story is a bigger, sweeter story than any story ever told.\u00a0 And we are part of it.\u00a0 Remember.<\/p>\n

As you make out shopping lists and are drawn into the season of busy cheer, name the many ways in which God\u2019s goodness is evident in your life. Retell your story of God to those you love.\u00a0 Recount God\u2019s presence with you.\u00a0 Let your life be shaped, not by darkness, but by the Great Delight.<\/p>\n

Fruits Worthy of Repentance<\/h3>\n

But remembering and savoring God\u2019s goodness to us personally is not enough. In this week\u2019s Gospel, John the Baptist calls us to kingdom living in the present even as we remember God\u2019s gifts to us in the past. \u00a0\u00a0Through practices of repentance, fairness, integrity, generosity, and contentment we prepare the way for Christ\u2019s Second Advent\u2014his future coming in glory\u2014even as we find ways to open to the reality of the kingdom of God among us now. This requires its own kind of courage. While we wait for the fullest expression of Christ\u2019s kingdom at a later time, we can be those who ease Christ\u2019s coming into our world now through concrete action in our personal lives, our neighborhoods and communities.<\/p>\n

The practice of remembering God\u2019s bigger story changes everything about our own inner orientation.\u00a0 The practice of living in ways consistent with the values of God\u2019s kingdom makes us all prophets who prepare the way of the Lord, not just through our words and prayers but through our actions.<\/p>\n

And all the while we live in the truth that the Lord our God is with us.\u00a0 He is mighty to save.\u00a0 He is taking great delight in us. He is quieting us with his love.\u00a0 He is rejoicing over us with singing.<\/p>\n

Lord of Light, help us remember that you come.
\n<\/em>You come singing over us.
\n<\/em>You come laughing and crying over us.
\n<\/em>You come day after day, hour after hour, year after year.
\n<\/em>Help us not forget that you came. \u00a0You come. \u00a0You are coming.
\n<\/em>Day after day, hour after hour and year after year.<\/em><\/p>\n

During this Advent season hone our minds to redemption\u2019s story.
\n<\/em>In the darkness of this world open our eyes to Your light.
\n<\/em>In the wee hours of this year, crowd our memory with gratitude.
\n<\/em>Let us number Your goodnesses, Emmanuel, even as we number our days.
\n<\/em>In the name of the God who comes; Father, Son and Spirit.<\/em><\/p>\n

Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a9Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, 2012.<\/p>\n

\n

What action is God inviting you to take this Advent as you remember that God’s plan is bigger than any darkness you face in leadership?<\/h4>\n

Leave a comment below and join the conversation.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Strengthening<\/p>\n

Discover surprising invitations with our special podcast season<\/h4>\n

Don\u2019t just listen, but practice and pray. Exclusive content for patrons on Patreon:<\/strong>
\nFor our $10\/month patrons we are providing guided practices and deeper conversations related to the episodes to help us discern and respond to the invitations God has for us this Advent. Start a free 7-day trial on Patreon to access the first practice<\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to the new season<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

How will you cultivate your spiritual leadership next year?<\/h2>\n

Explore our newest offering, Haven: An Experience of Transforming Community.<\/em> This community will meet alternately online and in person to create space for leaders to forge a stronger connection between their souls and their leadership.<\/p>\n

Take the first step<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lectionary Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18 Advent Calendar\u00a0(Cycle C) and guidance for using the lectionary In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":19058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beyond-words"],"yoast_head":"\nAdvent Week 3: A Time for Courage - Transforming Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/transformingcenter.org\/2024\/12\/advent-week-3-a-time-for-courage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Advent Week 3: A Time for Courage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lectionary Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18 Advent Calendar\u00a0(Cycle C) and guidance for using the lectionary In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. 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