Advent Novena Year B

Isaiah – A Prophet for Hard Times 

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Emmanuel, God with us, in which we prepare our hearts to both receive the Christ and to birth God in our own time and situation.

In the busyness of our world, especially in the lead up to Christmas, it can be very hard to enter into the spacious uncertainty, the yearning and desperate need for a saviour, and the hope and anxiety that our time provokes, in the keeping of a true Advent. This year I am exploring with you a contemporary version of Novena – the discipline of praying for nine days – or as many as you find beneficial - the same prayer as a way of preparing our hearts for the coming of God. (If you spend more than nine days wonderful but at the least it should be a sufficiently “bite size” spiritual discipline that even busy persons can keep!)

Advent is not only the start of the church new year but can be the beginning-again of our own spiritual journey and practice. It is a time to slow, to rest, to breathe, to notice and reflect on what we notice. And it is a time to be curious about what the Divine might be inviting us to?

Over the nine “days” of this Novena we will explore a part of the message of hope and challenge from the prophet/s Isaiah. Last year we focused on the narrative according to Matthew’s gospel and other texts. And in doing so we had an opportunity to discover just how earthy the Holy One’s heritage was! This year the gospel on which the lectionary focuses is the gospel of Mark. But Mark does not talk about the birth story so I have chosen to focus on the prophet Isaiah who we always hear from in Advent and at Christmas and the messages of hope in the long-ago time of exile and to see if this speaks to how some of us are feeling at this time.

This Advent Novena is intended to be prayed for, at least, the nine days you designate. With a Novena you set an “intention” for your time in prayer. This may be as open as “preparing my heart for the advent of the Christ more fully in my life” or quite specific such as “what is mine to do in my family situation?”

For each of the nine days I will provide a brief reflection on a portion of the words of the prophet Isaiah for you to then take into your prayers. Use what is helpful, let go of what is not.

Blessings, Reverend Sue

Advent Novena

Gracious God:

Creator of all that was before, is now and might yet be;

Creator of the dark and the light,

Make yourself known to us in the darkness and the light;

open what is closed and reveal your will to us;

set our desire for you and the things of you

on fire with love and hope.

Hear our prayer.

Quietly notice your breath in and then out for three or more cycles. No need to change your breathing, just notice it.

Open our minds and hearts that we might make room

for you and all your dreams and gifts.

Tend new shoots of the desire for justice and integrity,

that love and hope may spring up in us like a garden.

Hear our prayer.

Quietly notice your breath in and then out for three or more cycles. No need to change your breathing, just notice it.

Comfort all that is broken and desolate in us and in our world.

Shepherd us to shelter and safety,

and grant us rest and restoration,

until we hear you call us:

“My delight.”  “The Wedded.”

Hear our prayer.

Quietly notice your breath in and then out for three or more cycles. No need to change your breathing, just notice it.

Open us to your dreams and gifts, your presence, your love and healing touch.

Grant us patience and trust,

until we recognise you as “Counsellor”,

“Prince of Peace”, “Messenger of Joy”.

Quietly notice your breath in and then out for three or more cycles. No need to change your breathing, just notice it.

Please feel free to stay in this receptive state longer if you wish.

Amen. May it be so.

 Day One:

Read Isaiah chapter Nine verses 2-7

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.” Vs 2 This is one of the readings we often hear on Christmas Eve. I wanted to begin this Advent journey with a reminder of where we are going. The imagery of having walked in darkness into great light resonates at every level of being over the eons. Especially for any of us having had a sense of walking in darkness – politically, physically, emotionally – personally or collectively. Maybe some of us still feel that we are walking in darkness. If so, being reminded that a great light awaits us is a comfort, a great encouragement, news of help on the way. May this reminder give us courage, patience and sustenance for the journey still ahead of us.

This text, described as a prophetic poem, announces a new age with a new ruler. While Christians associate this with the coming of Jesus the Christ the prophet Isaiah almost certainly had more local events before him. (Many biblical scholars believe that Hezekia, who ruled Judah 715 – 687 BCE, is the object of the poem.)

The theme of a new age and a new leader rings true for us who have seen this to come to pass in the person of Jesus - the most complete revelation of the Divine which heralded a new age; an age still unfolding. We see this looking back to Jesus and his disciples, the life of the early church, and our own continuing work to become more fully the dream – or kingdom - of God upon this earth.

The light, the new age and the new ruler, are not simply the next “thing”, more of the same, but a new stage of development of a nation and a people, a new phase. This new age will herald joy like a festival after a good harvest. This new age is not associated with ongoing warfare. This new way of leadership is the way of peace.

These thoughts are encouraging and challenging to take into our prayers and reflections on the Advent journey. However, we are not merely praying for survival or the status quo but for the light, for joy, for peace – for ourselves and for the whole community!

It takes maturity and trust that God reveal the divine’s own self in the darkness as well as the light but such a prayer can help us experience the nearness of God even while we are yet in darkness. When the eyes of our hearts adjust to the darkness we may be able to discern tender new shoots of mercy and hope. And this can bring us comfort and courage for the journey still to come. So take a deep breath and slow your breathing and let yourself know the nearness of the God, no matter your state of mind, the weariness or distractedness of your heart, and let your soul enter into the spacious embrace of the Divine who calls you “My Delight”.

Gracious God:

Creator of all that was before, is now and might yet be;

Creator of the dark and the light,

Make yourself known to us in the darkness and the light;

open what is closed and reveal your will to us;

set our desire for you and the things of you

on fire with love and hope.

Hear our prayer.

Quietly notice your breath in and then out for three or more cycles. No need to change your breathing, just notice it.

Open our minds and hearts that we might make room

for you and all your dreams and gifts.

Tend new shoots of the desire for justice and integrity,

that love and hope may spring up in us like a garden.

Hear our prayer.

Quietly notice your breath in and then out for three or more cycles. No need to change your breathing, just notice it.

Comfort all that is broken and desolate in us and in our world.

Shepherd us to shelter and safety,

and grant us rest and restoration,

until we hear you call us:

“My delight.”  “The Wedded.”

Hear our prayer.

Quietly notice your breath in and then out for three or more cycles. No need to change your breathing, just notice it.

Open us to your dreams and gifts, your presence, your love and healing touch.

Grant us patience and trust,

until we recognise you as “Counsellor”,

“Prince of Peace”, “Messenger of Joy”.

Quietly notice your breath in and then out for three or more cycles. No need to change your breathing, just notice it.

Please feel free to stay in this receptive state longer if you wish.

Amen. May it be so.

This is my work informed by all that I have heard, read and experienced. I am indebted to the wisdom of others. I am grateful for commentary by David L. Bartlett & Barbara Brown Taylor (editors) in Feasting on the Work, Year A, Volume 1, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, 2010.

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