The heart in waiting
In the name of God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The first part in Isaiah explores the theme of despair and judgement. The second part, which starts with this chapter, is more positive, focusing on salvation and hope for the future. Why should we be like this? Because of the mighty works of God and the mighty nature of God as sovereign of all peoples and nations, a conquering king and a shepherd. Though the Israelites are exiled in Babylon, there is still hope of a return and peace in Jerusalem, something that we need to hold onto in this present time, even if it feels impossible.
I wonder if you sang passages from Handel’s Messiah in your head whilst listening to Isaiah. Six of the movements come from this passage from Isaiah: Comfort ye my people, Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, And the glory of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord, O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, He shall feed his flock like a Shepherd.
If you think of these phrases from the point of view of people in exile – physical, emotional and / or spiritual, they have a profound effect. There are words of comfort to the people – ‘comfort, o comfort my people, says your God…your suffering is over’, ‘EVERY valley shall be exalted’, ‘Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken’. Comfort, hope, promise, longing, waiting, preparation. A bit like Advent.
Other phrases speak of the roles of Jesus and his cousin, John the Baptist. Jesus as shepherd: He will feed his flock like a shepherd. Verse 3, “A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God’.” Christianity teaches that this refers to John the Baptist and how he will prepare the way for Jesus.
These promises are all well and good but waiting can be frustrating. Think how it didn’t take long for the newly freed slaves to build the golden calf and moan to Moses that it would have been better to have been left in Egypt. Hearing these passages now, we can make sense of them more as we are interpreting them retrospectively, but they were lived with no date confirming when all of this would happen.
And I don’t know about you, but I’m not always very good at waiting. I can be very impatient. There is the occasional stamping of feet. There are different kinds of waiting. Waiting for test results – academic or medical - can be almost unbearable; waiting can bring despair, but it can also bring hope. There is also the excitement of waiting, for example looking forward to a holiday, a celebration, a new chapter in life.
To get to the birth of this Messiah, to be blessed by his saving powers, we have to wait. Advent tells us that waiting can be good. And it isn’t something to be endured in a passive way, but waiting is active. Why? Because we have to prepare the way in our hearts once again. How are you going to do this? Attend the Advent course? Pray more? Read the Bible more? Donate time, talents and money to good causes? Explore the Art in Advent exhibition? Play the BBC Music Magazine Christmas CD by Portsmouth Cathedral Choir? Where will Advent 2024 take you?
Now to the Gospel reading. Elizabeth and Zechariah have waited a long time to have children but are unable to do so. They are old and it is not likely to happen. It seems unfair because they are faithful people, described as ‘righteous before God’ and are both of priestly ancestry. It ought to have happened for them, but is hasn’t. Life can be like that.
I feel slightly ashamed that here we are witnesses to something that should have been private, but because of the social expectations of the time, was very public, and Elizabeth’s barrenness brought stigma and accusations that there must be a sin to cause it, and of course that sin is mostly hers. They were waiting for an unfulfilled promise. Why would anything be different now?
Yet, the Angel Gabriel’s message is clear, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard.’ It doesn’t remove the pain of waiting, but it redeems it. God is so much bigger than us. He can play with time. Here we can use a Greek word for time; it isn’t chronos, as in chronology, but Kairos, the fitting, appropriate time for something. God’s time, his Kairos, is what we need to explore in Advent.
Zechariah is faithful, but even so, he finds it impossible to trust completely in God. I don’t blame him. As such he is struck dumb until the event prophesied – the birth of John the Baptist – comes about. In contrast, John, in utero, recognises Mary’s voice when she visits Elizabeth, the child leaps in his mother’s womb. He acknowledges Jesus and witnesses to him from before he is born – I’ve got this, dad, you just stay quiet until I’m born!
We might feel our hopes and prayers have been ignored, that God has forgotten us. But, like Elizabeth and Zechariah, God does not forget. He is faithful, as seen in the birth of John the Baptist. And he is faithful to us. Jesus says to his disciples before the Ascension – I am with you until the end of the age. Zechariah and Elizabeth’s childlessness is redeemed. Whatever is holding us back can be too. Not necessarily in the way we want it to be. Whatever type of wilderness we find ourselves in, both readings tell us that God sees us, he loves us, he does forget his promises. He is coming.
The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus which means arrival or coming, particularly of someone or something important; in the liturgical year it is the season before Christmas, the coming of Christ. Adventure hails from the same root. Advent can be an adventure, especially if you listen to the Cathedral Choir’s new CD! I ask again, where will Advent 2024 take you?
And now to explore the rich text of the anthem, The Heart in Waiting by Kevin Crossley-Holland, painted beautifully in music by Bob Chilcott. Throughout the gospels, the followers and critics of Jesus ask him who he is. In John’s Gospel we have the seven ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus: I am the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth and the life, and the true vine.
Jesus won’t be pushed on saying who he is when people are seeking clarification. He responds with stunning imagery that requires us to think about our relationship with him. Is the way we live our lives different because we believe he is the good shepherd or the light of the world? What I love about the words of the anthem is the way that the world is responding to Jesus. How do we respond?
The Heart in Waiting by Kevin Crossley-Holland
Jesus walked through whispering wood:
‘I am pale blossom, I am blood berry,
I am rough bark, I am sharp thorn.
This is the place where you will be born.’
Jesus went down to the skirl of the sea:
‘I am long reach, I am fierce comber,
I am keen saltspray, I am spring tide.’
He pushed the cup of the sea aside
And heard the sky which breathed-and-blew:
‘I am the firmament, I am shape-changer,
I cradle and carry and kiss and roar,
I am infinite roof and floor.’
All day he walked, he walked all night,
Then Jesus came to the heart at dawn.
‘Here and now,’ said the heart-in-waiting,
‘This is the place where you must be born.’
I am Kitty Price, and my heart is in waiting. My Advent wish is that your heart is indeed in waiting to welcome the infant king once more. Amen.
PRAYERS
Let us pray.
We pray for parts of the world in conflict; for those separated from family, income, homes and supplies. For those who work to support them, putting their own lives at risk. We pray especially for those in Ukraine, the Holy Land, Syria, Sudan and the places where conflict rarely reaches our media.
A prayer about conflict and disagreement
Lord, your searing judgement
penetrates the hidden places of our hearts and minds.
Heal the injuries carried that would wound others,
confront the prejudices held that would restrict vision,
calm the fears that would strike those who challenge.
Transform us in your grace with humility and love,
for the sake of him who died to bring true peace.
Amen.
‘O comfort, O comfort my people, says the Lord.’
As we continue this season of waiting, we pray for those who are experiencing spiritual, psychological or physical pain; for those who feel stuck in limbo waiting for news; for the lonely, the anxious, the fearful. We pray that they may feel the comfort that can only be given by the Christ Child.
Come, Lord Christ, to restore all that has been lost through struggle and fear, in sorrow and in pain.
Come, Lord Christ, to restore the balance of hope for those oppressed and hungry for justice, overlooked and counted of little worth.
Come, Lord Christ, to restore to wholeness the image that is tarnished with sin and shame, neglect and distraction.
Come, Lord Christ, in poverty and humility to raise us to your eternal glory.
Amen.
We pray for Christians around the world as we strive to imitate the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist. In the Anglican Communion, we pray for the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan; in the Porvoo Communion for the Diocese of Chester in the Church of England and the Diocese of Kuopio in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
In the Diocese of Portsmouth, for Bishop Jonathan and Archdeacon Kathryn. The Cathedral is on the diocesan cycle of prayer and so we give thanks for the ministry and mission we are engaged in this Advent and Christmas.
In our parish, we pray for those who live and work on the High Street and John Pounds Church.
As the Cathedral of the Sea,
we pray for our seas and oceans:
for all helping to conserve our marine environment
and those whose livelihood depends on the sea;
for all who are at sea this night,
and those who serve to keep others safe.
Creator and Father of all,
we pray for those who go down to the sea in ships
and serve upon the waters of the world.
Bless them and all who minister to their needs,
that they may put their trust in you
and find in you a strong anchor for their hopes
and so be filled with your peace
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all, evermore. Amen.