Day Nineteen
Rev. Betty Landis
Pastor
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Evanston, Illinois
Psalm 42
Isaiah 29.17-24
Acts 5.12-16
In the In-Between
Rabbi and award-winning author, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, wrote a beautiful children’s story grounded in Jewish wisdom. God In Between tells the story of a poor, isolating village who desperately seek God’s help, and go to great lengths to find God. It is only after lots of frustration, confusion, searching, and disappointment that the “Ones Who Could See Out Windows” help each other put in more windows and build a road between their homes. When asked by the shocked and amazed townspeople how . . . why . . . what are you doing . . . continually saying Where is your God? [Ps. 42:3, 10]. They merely respond, “God is in the in-between . . . in between us.” Advent is the time we reflect upon how God continues to find surprising and comforting ways to be in the “In-Between” – our readings from Psalm 42, the prophet Isaiah, and the Acts of the Apostles encounter the remembrances of the past, the longing for the future, and the hope of the ever-present, saving God in Christ Jesus.
As we journey along the in-between of this beautiful Advent season, many of us are being pulled. Pulled away from the resolve we made on December 1st – THIS year, my Advent will be different; THIS year, I won’t cave in to the hustle and bustle and anxiety-causing overwhelmings of the culture; THIS year, I will remain steadfast in my Advent spiritual disciplines… Then, the parties begin; the presents must be shipped earlier and earlier; and the traditions MUST be maintained (visiting, cooking, baking, watching, attending, dressing, buying, making, etc…). Looking ahead to December 24th, we long for the realization of the Advent; looking back to the innocence and eagerness of December 1st, we remember the joy and thanksgiving the resolve with which we faced the Advent. How do we take the deep breath and fully embrace the Advent of this day – TODAY?
In between the remembrances and the longings, we rest in Hope. The prophet Isaiah, right before our passage for today, declares: God “will again do amazing things with this people, shocking and amazing.” [Isa. 29: 14] If we are too busy looking backward or thirsting for the future, we don’t give ourselves even the simplest openings to hear, see, obtain or exult in the Holy One of Israel in the hope-filled in-between of today: in the refreshing moment of waking to a new day; in the warmth of a coat or the cooling of a breeze; in the eagerness of a child opening an Advent calendar each day; in the imparted strength of an all-encompassing, surprising hug; in the quiet of a mindful moment of standing “in awe of the God of Israel” [Isa 29:23] who, because of the Advent of the Emmanuel, keeps doing “many signs and wonders among” . . . in-between . . . “the people through the apostles”. [Acts 5:12]
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God of grace, we praise you that we have joyful remembrances and, because your kin-dom keeps coming into our world, eager longings. We thank you for the Advent of Christ and this intentional time where we live out of the “in-between”. Keep sending your Holy Spirit to help us fully embrace this day with hope and tasks that reflect your guiding, empowering, healing, and comforting presence in the in-between your people. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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