What we're Waiting for: Advent 2017

Isaiah 4

And Seven Women will clutch at One Man
On that day
And tell Him, 'we'll eat our own food. We'll wear our own clothes.
Just let us be called by your name!
Take away our disgrace!'

On that day
There will be a branch from God for radiance and magnificence
A fruit from the earth for honour
And splendour for Israel's refugees.

As for anyone abandoned in Zion
-- the leftovers in Jerusalem --
'Sacred' will come to be spoken upon him
(Everyone inscribed in the book of life in Jerusalem),

When my God scrubs away the grime from Zion's daughters
And the blood from Jerusalem -- sloughs it away from her core
With a breath of judgment
With a burning spirit.

Then God creates
Over the whole structure of the mountain Zion
Over the whole congregation
Cloud in the daylight, and smoke,
And the brilliance of fire: a flare in the night.
Over every glory, shelter.

And for shade from the scorching heat in the daylight
There will be a tent
A place to take cover and hide
From the downpour, from the rain.

Isaiah 6

It was the year King Uzziah died when I saw God. He was sitting on His throne: exalted and lifted on high, the folds of His mantle filling the temple,

The Burning Ones stationed above him — six wings! six wings on each one. With two they were covering their faces. With two they were covering their feet. With two they were flying.

And they called out, one to another, and said:
'SACRED SACRED SACRED GOD OF LEGIONS:
The whole earth is filled with His magnificence.'

And the doorframe was rocked with the voice of them, calling, and the building was filled with smoke.

But I wailed: 'doom. Me, I am dismantled, I a man of filthy lips among filthy-lipped people: my eyes see the King, the Lord of Legions.'

Then one of the Burning Ones flew to me. In his hand, an ember: he snatched it with pincers from off the altar.

He touched it to my mouth and said 'Look: this touches on your lips, and takes away your corruption; your sin is scoured away.'

And I heard the voice of my God. Saying, 'Whom will I send? Who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here: me. Send me.'

And He said, 'go. Say to this nation, "you listen and listen and comprehend nothing; you see and you see and you never understand."

'fatten these people’s hearts. Weigh down their ears; shut their eyes. Or else they would see in their eyes, and in their ears, listen, and understand in their hearts, and turn, and find healing.'

And I said, 'my God, for how long?' And He said, 'until the cities are ravaged, emptied of anyone living there, houses emptied of human life, and the earth lifeless, desolate.

'And God will drive humanity miles away, and the deserted territory will yawn wide in the heart of the earth.

'And if there's still a tenth left, then that again will be devoured in flame — like a terebinth, like an oak. When they are toppled, their stump remains, rooted. Their stump is the holy seed.'

Luke 2:25-32

See: there was a man in Jerusalem — Simeon was his name. And this Simeon was a just and and a reverent man, waiting for Israel’s consolation: the holy spirit was on him. It had been foreshadowed to him by the holy spirit that he wouldn’t see death before he saw the Lord’s anointed Christ. He came in the spirit into the sacred temple, and at the moment when Jesus’ parents were bringing their baby boy in -- to do what was traditional according to the relevant Law -- Simeon scooped up the baby into his arms and said:

'Now you release your servant, master, as you declared, in peace:
     these eyes of mine have seen your salvation.

'You prepared it in sight of all the world's people:
     A light of revelation for every race;
     The magnificence of your people, Israel.'

Isaiah 9:1-6 (or 2-7)

The people walking in the pitch black dark saw light, vast
Light: they were living on earth under death’s shadow when radiance burst over them.

You made our population grow;
     made their joy vast. 
The way they rejoiced in Your sight was like the joy at harvest-time, 
     like the celebrations when they pass out the plunder from battle.

This is why: the yoke of his burden and the bar across his shoulder, the club in the hands that were beating him down — You shattered them, like that day in Midian.

This is why: every boot stampeding on shaken ground and uniform soaked in blood is for burning now, fuel for the fire.

This is why: a baby has been delivered to us, a son given to us, and the rule of law is on his shoulder. 
His name is called out: 
     Miracle Mentor, Hero God, Father Forever, Sovereign Peace.

For expanding the rule of law, 
For peace without end, 
On David’s throne and on his kingdom,
To ground it and uphold it in justice and in righteousness from now until eternity,
     The fierce desire of the Lord with His legions is doing this.