Reflection on the Second Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 11:1-10        Romans 15:4-9        Matthew 3:1-12

The days are getting darker, still, and will for another two weeks.  It gives me hope in these dark days of winter to know that the darkness is cyclic, that all the earth comes around to the winter solstice and then it turns to light again. And even though the change is only gradual, even though at the beginning it’s only fractions of a minute of extra daylight, the days do get brighter. We need only wait a little bit longer.

The times are getting darker too, and will continue to darken, maybe for a good while yet. A recent poll reported that a sizable majority of 18- to 29-year-olds experience instability — financial, political and interpersonal — as a defining feature of daily life. These findings make me remember when we were under 30, we also felt that the nation was falling into darkness, with racial strife, the war in Vietnam, multiple assassinations and corruption at the highest levels of government. Is it possible that times of national darkness come and go in cycles, like the annual solstice? If so, it isn’t clear that social-political cycles can be counted on to move certainly toward the light. For the dark times to turn, something more than just waiting is required of us. And for us to respond, we need presence beyond our own selves.

What we need is the Spirit of God to rest upon us as the Spirit rested upon Jesus, Jesse’s offspring – we need the Spirit of wisdom and understanding; the Spirit of counsel, fortitude and knowledge; the Spirit of piety and fear of the Lord. The presence of the Spirit means the presence of this very familiar list of gifts which, long ago, we learned are ours as confirmed followers of Jesus. 

These gifts that we’re reading about are not just gifts to celebrate our day of baptism or confirmation, not just gifts on the annual Feast of Pentecost. The Spirit of wisdom, understanding and counsel rests upon us on every day of our need. The Spirit of fortitude, knowledge and fear of the Lord is an abiding presence, our help in time of need.

What does it mean to give a helpful gift? If you give me a good pair of sunglasses, do you intend that I’ll keep them stored away so they won’t get scratched? Of course not. When the good God gives us gifts, could it be any different? Gifts are meant to be used, to be worn out in the process of living fully.  

You could say the abiding presence of the Spirit is the gift that keeps on giving, helping us deal with life’s ups and downs, meant to carry us through the cycles of life. When times are dark and difficult, when hope wavers, the gifts of the Spirit are there to lift our spirits, to encourage and enable us to go forward, trusting in the light. In the confident, lighthearted times, the gifts of the Spirit add depth and substance to life, strengthening our ties to one another and to the Source of our joy. In bright times or dark, we don’t have to wait for the winter solstice or for Christmas; the presence of the Spirit is already with us, lighting the way.