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Big Book of Advent Devotionals – Year 1 Based on the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Worship Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s “Big Book of Advent Devotionals – Year 1” gives you a valuable resource for personal and corporate Spiritual formation during the Advent season. From Day 1 through Christmas Day, each section includes multiple biblical passages from the daily lectionary, reflections based on those passages, and accompanying prayers based on each reflection. Members of the Seminary community since 2008 have contributed to this resource as a means of blessing you not only in this Advent season but also in those to come! Pittsburgh Theological Seminary www.pts.edu 1 Year 1, Day 1 Isaiah 1:1-9 1The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. 3The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. 4Ah, sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, offspring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the LORD, who have despised the Holy One of Israel, who are utterly estranged! 5Why do you seek further beatings? Why do you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they have not been drained, or bound up, or softened with oil. 7Your country lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence aliens devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners. 8And daughter Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a shelter in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. 9If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we would have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. Allison Bauer ’05 Isaiah, son of Amoz, describes a desolate scene: people rebelling with eyes that cannot see, forsaking and despising the Holy One of Israel. “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint” (v. 5). Pittsburgh Theological Seminary www.pts.edu 2 Things haven’t changed much, have they? Still we rebel; still we forsake the Holy One. It is the human condition, this being mired in a pit of sin. But the hope of salvation persists. As the Israelites waited for the Messiah to descend, we eagerly anticipate the return of the Messiah who will deliver us from evil. Now we sing “Love came down at Christmas/ Love all lovely, Love Divine.” But then we shall sing “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (Rev. 5:12). The hope of salvation persists. Living with one foot in heaven and one on earth is demanding. And frustrating. We pray for the “already” while living in the “not yet” of Christ’s reign. But we persist because the hope of salvation, “Love Incarnate, Love Divine,” came down at Christmas—and, we believe, will come again. Prayer Gracious God, strengthen us in our waiting so that our rebellion will cease. Hold always before us the hope of salvation as we await the day when Love will come down again. In Love’s name we pray, Amen. Matthew 25:1-13 1”Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Lisa Dormire ’86 The theme for this year’s Advent Devotionals from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is “Expect the Unexpected.” The Scripture reading from the 25th Chapter of Matthew presents us with a very good start. This is a story about a wedding. In these days the bridesmaids carried little oil lamps as part of the procession. These were festive lamps meant to lead the way for the bride and groom. They were also necessary illumination in a time when there was no electricity. You could not have a wedding reception without lamps and the oil to fuel them. In this case the bridal party consisted of ten young women, half of whom Jesus describes as wise, the other half are called foolish. As we all know, the wise are the ones who had not just their lamps but extra oil just in case. For reasons that aren’t made clear, the bridegroom is late for the wedding. And after waiting and being bored, the bridesmaids nod off to sleep. Sometime later they are awakened by the cry, “They’re coming, and they’re coming.” Great—the wedding can begin. But while they have been asleep, the lamps have run out of oil. The wise women refused to share with the foolish, sending the foolish scurrying off to the seven-eleven to buy more oil. They get their oil, rush back to the house, and furiously knock on the door. The groom opens it a crack as Pittsburgh Theological Seminary www.pts.edu 3 he peers out overtop the little security chain. “I’m sorry,” he says, “do I know you?” And then the door slams shut. It sends a chill down the spine, doesn’t it? I think that this story is meant to send a chill down our spine. Jesus really wants us to be prepared. None of these bridesmaids were bad people. Half of them simply were unprepared. Jesus tells his disciples to keep watch. You never know when the bridegroom is going to arrive—so be ready. In our day to day lives and in our faith lives, we tend to get sloppy. At least I do. Getting by seems good enough. Just keeping my head above water seems good enough. I don’t usually think to carry extra oil. Literal or spiritual. But in this parable, Jesus calls us to a higher level of consciousness. Think ahead. Read Scripture. Pray. Take time for feeding the spirit. Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with God. Keep your oil reserves full—and then watch, wait, live expectantly. Don’t shuffle through life unaware—Look up—and be surprised once again by Christ among us. Expect the unexpected. Come Lord Jesus, Come! Prayer O living Christ—you were—you are—you come. Fill our lamps that we may be prepared for the feast of your reign. Keep us wakeful that our lamps may ever burn. Give us sight that we may recognize you among us. Give us strength to stand in your presence. So may all these things be, through your gracious spirit. Amen. Hetz Marsh Jr. ’68 The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins was used by Jesus to respond to a question about the arrival of God’s Kingdom on earth, and the final victory on earth of God’s Son. In this parable and in many other teachings, Jesus tips God’s hand. He tells us how the end will be. He doesn’t tell us when he will return, or how he will achieve his final triumph, but he leaves no doubt that it will happen. Usually when someone writes a novel he or she does not let the readers know how it ends. The end of the salvation story is sure and under God’s complete control. God does not leave us in suspense. God wants us to know. We don’t know how, we don’t know when, but God wants us to know that someday God will be victorious. We need not worry about the outcome. Our human drama will not end with a dark cloud and stench of defeat. I will end in light and glory. Bertolt Brecht wrote, “A ship will sink—that’s what we must resign ourselves to.” Pascal had another view. He said, “life is like a voyage on a ship which may be tossed by storms and waves, but a ship which we know will reach it harbor safe and warm.” Jesus reveals a view of life that confirms Pascal. Storms and waves are allowed in our lives but God will work the final victory, of that we can be certain. Someday there will be a shout and the bridegroom will arrive. And then we will see how humankind is finally led not a funeral but to a wedding. Have an alert, expectant Advent.

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