Monday of the Second Week of Advent

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Behold the king will come, the Lord of the earth,
and he himself will lift the yoke of our capacity. ~ Gospel Acclamation

Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you. ~ Isaiah 35:4

Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
They will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee. ~ Isaiah 35:10

I think it would be fitting for all of Scripture to be bolded and italicized, but, for this reflection, I wanted to let that third verse stand out as if I read the first two and then suddenly got my guitar out and sang the third one. The truth of the first two verses gives way to this amazing third verse: it is deductive reasoning at one of its finest points. If Jesus, our God and King, is coming, and if He is coming with vindication and recompense that will cancel out our sins, ransom us, and save us, then we have this astounding future prepared for us. As a student of practical theology, it is my tendency to think: "That sounds truly wonderful. Now, what am I supposed to do about it? How should this inform my practice?"

We hear the words "waiting", "watching", and "preparing" very often during Advent. We are to wait, watch, and prepare our hearts for the Lord's coming. In the Gospel of Matthew, we see two extreme reactions once Jesus does come. One example is the three wise men. Their reaction is to acknowledge Jesus as the new born King and to worship Him, laying gifts at His manger. The other extreme example is that of King Herod. Herod's reaction is to acknowledge Jesus as a threat to his power, and he carries out a decree to kill all of the boys in Bethlehem under the age of two.

It's difficult to think of another example where the choice is so clear of which reaction is best, but what does this look like at a micro level? I offer this line of thinking: each heart has a throne. The king/queen can be you, or the king can be Jesus. I used to side with Herod in the sense that I did not want to let Jesus be king over every aspect of my life. I simply wanted to do things my way. I thought I would be the best king because I knew what I wanted; I knew what was best. A different king would pose a threat to my happiness. However, after truly contemplating God's Word - I think of St. Clare here (gaze, consider, contemplate, meditate) - I came to see that there was another very clear choice: I could try to continue as king of my own heart, navigating each day with anxiety, a deep fear that I would never find my purpose in life, and a deep, deep fear of the unknown, or I could let Jesus be the king of my heart, abiding with Him each day, trusting in His promises, and, slowly but surely, looking forward to the unknown under His providential care. Door #2, please.

So, going back to the astounding future prepared for us, it is amazing to think that in handing over the crown of power and control we will be "crowned with everlasting joy." During this Advent, I will be waiting, watching, and preparing for opportunities to share the joy I have found in this crown exchange. I'm grateful for the opportunity to write this reflection as part of that sharing. Maybe the next time I pick up my guitar I'll learn "Heaven, Heaven," an African American Spiritual which includes this very fitting verse:

                    I've got a crown, you've got a crown, all God's children got a crown.

                    When I get to heaven, gonna put on my crown.

                    Gonna shout all over God's heaven.

Timothy Nagy

Assistant Director of Mission, Ministry & Interfaith Dialogue