ADVENT:
Sunday IV - year CPsalm 80:2-3,15-16,18-19
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45
The prophet Micah, in today's text, prepares ahead of time for Bethlehem to be the birthplace of a special ruler for Israel, whom we know will be Jesus Christ. Bethlehem is an unpretentious village, hardly the kind of place one would expect for the birthplace of a king. Prior to the time of Micah, King David was born there, and now the prophet predicts another ruler, whose "greatness will reach to the ends of the earth." our text also speaks of the Lord abandoning his people between the two births, but in true prophetic fashion speaks also of the security of the people when the promised new king comes to exercise his power. The final sentence of the reading is significant. After saying the new king's sovereignty will be over all the earth, he is given a name: "He shall be peace."
We have a wonderful response to this reading, Psalm 80, which is a community prayer asking God to come forward and make an appearance: "O shepherd of Israel, hearken, (listen) , shine forth (reveal yourself) . . . come to save us " (vs. 2 & 3) . So appropriate, as we are so near to commemorating the birth of the One who is the answer to this prayer. Verse 4 anticipates the answer as it asks that by turning to the Lord, and seeing his face, we will be saved. Salvation is the effect, the grace of recognizing God's revelation of himself in the person of Jesus Christ.
Restoration to the favor of God is sought in verse 15: "Look down from heaven, and see" us, and God's protection also: "Take care of this vine [this people] and protect what your right hand has planted" (vs. 16) . Israel is the planting of God in the midst of the nations of the world. Singled out by God. That grace is inherited by God's new people, the Church.
We skip a verse and move to verse 18, clearly a messianic text. Let me quote from a translation that differs from that in the lectionary and missalette. The translation is by H. J. Kraus: "Let your hand be over the man at your right hand, over the son of man, whom you have raised for yourself." It recalls the vision in the Book of Daniel, --the 'son of man' is led before the Ancient of Days (an image of God the Father) to be crowned and given power and dominion and glory over all peoples. Is there a hint, too, of the resurrection, in the phrase "whom you have raised up for yourself?"
This certainly contributes to our awareness of what we are about to celebrate, the birth of Jesus, son of David, who will be peace.
For hundreds of years Christians lived and celebrated their faith without an Advent season. In our time, many Catholics of the Eastern Churches spend their December weeks with no reference to Advent. The season is a western, especially Reman rite observance. Some of the earliest references appear in documents from fifth and sixth century Gaul