Today and every day!

Advent Reflections, 2007

Tuesday, December 18 – Scripture Readings:
Psalm 45; Zechariah 2:1-13; Revelation 3:14-22; Matthew 24:32-44

“Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord…Be still before the Lord, all humankind, because God has roused himself from his holy dwelling (Zech. 2:10, 13).

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Rev. 3:20)

So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matt. 24:44)

Do you see the theme? Do you hear the musical score swelling? Do you feel that something amazing is about to happen? That’s Advent. That’s the anticipation, longing, and hope for Emmanuel, God-with-us. That’s what we’re invited to profoundly – and not just for a “someday,” but today and every day!

What if we understood each of these passages as a proclamation of that which we are to be anticipating and looking for today and every day? Our tendency is to interpret them through an “end-times” lens; words that tell of Christ’s coming again. I’m not denying that reality, but I’m wondering how we might be more prepared, know more desire, and live life more fully if we understood them as a way to seek out and invite Christ’s presence every single day. Read them again (with a bit of my editing):

“Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming today, and I already live among you,” declares the Lord…Be still before the me, all of you, because I have roused myself from my holy dwelling and I long to be seen, heard, and known – today and every day!

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock right now, all the time. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with her, I’ll dwell with her, I’ll celebrate with her, and her with me – not just some day but today and every day!

So you must also be ready, anticipating that God will show up – in the midst of your day-to-day life – because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. In fact, he’s already here – today and every day!

Do you see the theme? Do you hear the musical score swelling? Do you feel that something amazing is about to happen? I think Advent is but a taste of what God invites today and every day: the anticipation of and longing for God’s presence, the EXPECTATION that God has and will show up. I think Advent is a wake-up call to anticipate and expect God’s coming, not just celebrated at Christmas, or predicted to occur sometime in the future, but today and every day!

Would you live differently if those verses were written (interpreted) in present vs. future tense? I would. Today (and hopefully every day) I would shout and be glad because God lives in my very midst. I would listen for God’s knock, open the door, and celebrate! I would be ready, anticipating that God will show up any moment, in any place, in the face of any person.

Advent: Emmanuel, God-with-us, today and every day. That’s good news.

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