Readings:
Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Romans 15:4-13
Matthew 3:1-12

Collect:
Almighty God, purify our hearts and minds,
that when your son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour
we may be ready to receive him,
who is our Lord and our God. Amen.

Reflection

The season of Advent is rich with imagery to help us reflect on our spiritual lives, where we are with God, and what God might be calling us to: imagery of light and darkness, of turning, of preparation, of pregnancy, of longing, and so much more. This week’s readings contain some important and intriguing images which we might want to consider.

Our reading from Isaiah, full of striking imagery of God’s peaceable kingdom, begins with an image of plants: “A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” It is an image which finds resonances in our Advent customs: from the Jesse Tree with its visual reminders of the story of God’s people, to the great O Antiphons which traditionally punctuate the church’s worship in the final days of Advent:

“O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples;
before you kings will shut their mouths,
to you the nations will make their prayer:
Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.”

Plant imagery resonates all through scripture too: from the “tree planted by water” of Jeremiah and Psalm 1, to the grain of wheat which must fall to the ground, to the tree whose leaves “are for the healing of the nations” in Revelation, and many, many more. Plants are often a metaphor for our growth in faith: well-watered or dry, in need of pruning or mulching, providing fruit and shade and homes for all the birds of the air… I wonder what sort of plant might best represent your faith in this Advent season?

And then there is our gospel reading: John the Baptist, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” ’ Paths and journeys are another common metaphor for the life of faith. I wonder, if you picture your walk with God as a path, what sort of path it would be? Wide or narrow? Smooth or rocky? Twisting, turning, straight, dead-end… Steep climb, flat plateau, rapid descent… Probably it will look different in different phases of life. Advent is a good time to pause and see where we are, where we have come from, and where we might be going, in our walk with God.

Both of these images emerge from the prophetic tradition, another strong theme throughout scripture. Prophets are those who speak the truth, though they often do so through imagery, poetry, metaphor, story, or whatever other means will help people to hear and engage with what they have to say. Sometimes those truths are uncomfortable. Sometimes they shift our perspective on the world, ourselves, and God. I wonder who the prophetic voices are in our own times, to whom we need to be attentive?

Plants, paths, prophecy… there is much to be attentive to as we wait and watch this Advent, looking with eager expectation towards the coming Christ. 

Ruth Harley