It’s Advent Again

The word “advent” is not an English word we use very commonly these days. It comes from the Latin word, “adventus”, which means “coming”. In Christian terms it means, “The coming of Christ our Savior”. Interestingly, the Greek word for “coming” is “Parousia”, which we may recognize as the term used for the second coming. The similarity in the two has made the traditions that surround Advent to include continual readings and reminders for Christians to consider the dual nature of the waiting that Hebrews endured as they expected a coming messiah and the waiting we endure as we live expecting a second coming. For centuries Christians have formed traditions of readings that fit various themes in Advent. Below is a traditional Advent responsive reading that we will use today in our service. I thought it is especially appropriate as we consider those around us who are poor and needy and tend to have especially difficult times at the holidays.

Psalm 146
ALL: Blessed are the poor and needy, for God’s kingdom surely is theirs. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!
ALL: I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
ALL: When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
ALL: Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
The Maker of heaven and earth, The sea, and everything in them-The Lord, who remains faithful forever.
ALL: Blessed are the poor and needy, for God’s kingdom surely is theirs.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free,
ALL: The Lord gives sight to the blind
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; ALL: The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the aliens (strangers);
ALL: And sustains the fatherless and widow; But he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!
ALL: Blessed are the poor and needy, for God’s kingdom surely is theirs.