Throughout salvation history, God’s plan has always been vulnerable. It has always been at risk. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the Christmas story. A poor, unwed teenager is pregnant with the Messiah. She is the definition of “at risk.”

Yet, this is how God wants to do his work in our world. God’s means and ends are never separate; they are always consistent. He will accomplish the salvation of the world through the weak, the vulnerable, and the “at-risk.”

Rick Bartlett wraps up our little video series on Advent. He does a masterful job covering the final readings, prepping us for Christmas! Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Kelly Chewning wraps up Advent with an excellent sermon on Christ, Emmanuel. (And she does it on very short notice, to boot! Well done, Kelly!)

Today, Paul has us reflect a little more about The Magnificat, and, with the help of Malcolm Guite, The O Antiphons. Here’s a link to Malcolm’s book of poetry, Sounding the Seasons.

Kelly leads us through a reflection on Mary’s Magnificat. As Kelly says, this is “Pink Week,” the Week of Advent Joy.

Isaiah 35:1-10 • Luke 1:46b-55 • James 5:7-10 • Matthew 11:2-11

John experienced joy at Jesus’ response. A response which seemed at first a little stilted, a little stiff, but the perfect response to the prophet in prison.

Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me. - Matthew 11:4

Jesus’ words sound a lot like a prophet that both Jesus and John were familiar with.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. - Isaiah 35:5-6

And what’s more, John probably heard this little line that Jesus himself didn’t repeat, but John’s familiarity with Isaiah would have brought to mind, one verse earlier.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God. - Isaiah 35:4

Perfect words for a prophet in prison, on the verge of being overcome by his own doubts and despair. Let us take the risk of hearing Jesus speak to us in ancient words, spoken to other people, yet, in Scripture, spoken for our sake.

Wheatland’s own, Alicia Phillips, does a fine job reminding us that the power of community doesn’t merely come from ourselves but from the one who has called us into community in the first place, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Enjoy!

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. - Romans 15:7

Isaiah 11:1-10 • Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 • Romans 15:4-13 • Matthew 3:1-12

Buffy leads us in thinking (and praying) through the prophecies of Isaiah and John the Baptist. This is an important reminder that Advent is about preparation and repentance. All of which is sourced in the love of God.

Isaiah 11:1-10 • Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 • Romans 15:4-13 • Matthew 3:1-12

Isaiah 6 pictures a land filled with nothing but burned-out stumps. Isaiah 11 pictures green growth emerging from that landscape of blackened stumps. A bleak witness that God is indeed with us, “Immanuel.” Isaiah and the story of Zechariah remind us that the way God accomplishes his work (through stumps, shoots, roots, and muted expectant fathers and unmarried teens) is never different, never separate from the work of God itself.

Continuing this week’s Advent reflections, Paul helps us think about how Christ’s Advent (both 1st, 2nd, and 3rd!) are opportunities for celebration and hope.

Psalm 122 • Isaiah 2:1-5 • Romans 13:11-14 • Matthew 24:36-44