Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
My wife is a smart lady. I know what you are thinking, “He must have done something wrong.” But no I didn’t. Today’s readings just brought to mind all of the times that she cuts through my concern or stress with very penetrating common sense. It could be a number of issues that are occupying my mind and attention, but one in particular rang out loud and clear because of the first reading.
Here’s the scenario: I’ll be concerned about getting enough help for a specific project. I’m worried how everything is going to come together. After I finish telling Bess all of this, she’ll ask if someone, (we’ll call him Jimbo) is helping with this project. I’ll look at her confused, trying to figure out if she is trying to change the subject, and respond with a tentative “No”. Then she’ll say, “Did you ask Jimbo if he can help you?” “Oh, no, I mean he is really busy and I don’t know if he’ll want to.” “Maybe he’d like to help, and you don’t really know unless you ask, besides he is good at these sorts of things.” “Eureka!” In about 30 seconds I’ve gone from a mess of stress to Homer Simpson going, “D’oh!”
So what is the point of this little anecdote? Too often we say no for other people by never asking them the question. Not only do we do this to others, but we do it to God. We say no for God when we don’t seek the help of the Lord.
Now we might want to defend ourselves by claiming, “God knows what I need, I shouldn’t have to ask!” But I believe that God wants us to ask. Not that He is suffering from some form of inferiority complex and just wants to “feel” needed. Rather, He knows how important it is for us to recognize how much we need God and how interested He is in being in relationship with us. Too often I don’t treat God like a communion of persons, but more like a thing or an object. I treat God more like spell-check – underlining my mistakes and helping me correct them – than a loving Father, caring Brother, and wise Counselor.
God wants to be involved in our life, he wants to help us be free, find peace, experience joy, and to love with His own infinite love. He wants to encounter us relationally. This is why God tells Ahaz in Isaiah today to ask for a sign. Instead of accepting, Ahaz takes on a posture of false humility, saying, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” The Lord wishes to deliver him, but Ahaz says no for God, by never asking.
Unlike Ahaz, this advent season, and especially as we move into Christmas, let us invite the Lord. “Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory” the Psalm tells us. Let us go to God in prayer, not fearing to ask the tough questions, not because we think we’ll get everything we want, but because we know God will provide what we truly need. I am confident that Gabriel did not show up uninvited. Rather, I imagine Mary spent years praying for Israel’s deliverance, and when God offered to bring our deliverance into the World through her, she responded not as Ahaz, but with the words, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Lord, we invite you into the beauty and messiness of our lives. Please, help us know that you are with us and that we can trust you, so that today and every day we can respond, “I am the disciple of the Lord. May I be led according to your will.”
- Spencer Hargadon