 Prepare to listen. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
Prayerfully Read Matthew 4:17-22 17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect The brothers immediately left everything and followed Jesus. What do you imagine they saw in him that made their response so radical? It’s significant that the call to follow him begins with Jesus’ demand: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Repent is an important word, often misunderstood. It isn’t the same as confession, admitting we’ve done wrong and seeking forgiveness. It literally describes “a primal change of mind, worldview, or way of processing,” [1] which will result in changing how to live, what to believe, to whom and to what to be loyal. Repentance, when from the heart, is an essential practice for Jesus’ followers since it has to do with change. Jesus changed everything for these four men. One day they were loyal to fishing for their livelihood. In a moment, their loyalty changed. They left it behind to become “fishers of people.” This isn’t a call to evangelize the lost. Fishing is a biblical symbol of God’s judgment on those who refuse to repent, that is make radical changes to bring life more in line with Jesus’ demands. The four men became loyal to Jesus’ mission to turn the world upside-down, or rather, right-side-up. His coming into the world wasn’t about warm fuzzy feelings we so often get at Christmas. It was to bring in radical change to everything. When we repent and follow the Jesus of the Gospels, not one of our imaginations, we’ll change our mind about how to live. Repentance isn’t a once-off action, but a regular practice, since we so often slip back into the comfortable ways of the world. Examine your loyalties, be that political, theological, social, or other. Where they are not in line with loyalty to the Kingdom Jesus ushered into the world, repent, change your mind and thus how you live. Prayerfully Respond Lord, train my heart to follow you more closely, courageously making all the changes I must for the sake of your Kingdom. Amen. Live obediently. Repent and follow Jesus his way. [1] Rohr, Richard. The Universal Christ. New York, NY: Convergent Books. 2021, p. 92.
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 Prepare to Listen. If using the Advent wreath, light the first purple candle. Be still and pray: Come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!
Helpful Background Mountain, in ancient times, was often used as a symbolic reference to the home of gods; the god who lived on the highest mountain was the supreme god. For biblical writers a mountain was symbolic of the presence of the God of Israel. In the passage for today, Isaiah describes God on ‘the highest of the mountains,’ signifying God’s Sovereignty over all gods, all nations, all people. Sovereignty (God ruling over all creation) is a key theme in the book of Isaiah. The LORD’s house (the temple) was built on Mt Zion in Jerusalem. In this passage, the Temple and Jerusalem are symbolic, not literal places that people will literally come to. Prayerfully Read Isaiah 2:2-5 2In days to come the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD! Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect This Isaiah lesson is a vision of what Messiah (Jesus) would do. What challenged, delighted, or surprised you the most? On the day of the LORD’s coming, people from every nation, will voluntarily seek the LORD, coming to his temple in Jerusalem to be taught God’s ways in order to walk in God’s paths. War and violence will cease; weapons will be made into farm tools. This change is now possible because of Jesus, who desires we live his non-violent way now. On that day, says Isaiah, all the nations will cease their oppressive threats, hateful and divisive ideologies, give up their me-first agendas and instead learn to practice peace with all the diverse peoples of the world. What will make them do this? What will make Jerusalem the magnet to draw all nations to God? According to Walter Brueggemann, it will happen “when the city has become a place commodious for widows and orphans, when the city is marked, as it surely will be, by faithfulness, justice, and righteousness.”[1] This is what Jesus came to bring into the world and thus how the church should be today. Supporting the poor, the oppressed, the widow, the orphan and the immigrant is what will draw people to God. It will be the light that attracts the world. Therefore, “Come let us walk in the light of the LORD.” Embrace this vision of peaceful unity between all nations and people. It’s the change Jesus possible. Live obediently now, practicing justice and righteousness because that will attract people to Jesus. How can you live today so that others are drawn to the way of the Lord, a way of non-violence and peace? Prayerfully Respond Sovereign Lord of all nations, may I live today in a manner that can be a magnet to draw people, all sorts, to you, a way that welcomes the poor and the alienated, a way that promotes faithfulness, righteousness, peace and justice, for no other reason than for your glory, Amen. Live Obediently. Walk in the light of the Lord. [1] Brueggemann, Walter. Isaiah 1-39. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 1998, p. 34  The theme for these Advent devotions is:
FOLLOWING JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING An introduction to the Advent Theme Jesus, not the church, not a nation, not any individual Christian, Jesus changes everything. It was Stanley Hauerwas' book, Jesus Changes Everything, that became the inspiration, in part, for these devotions. The change happens only when we follow him, thus I added the word, following. Following Jesus means embracing his changes. And since these are often in conflict with our personal or national desires, it takes guts, especially in this divisive culture with so many divergent views of what it means to follow Jesus. Sometimes we forget that Jesus changes everything and think it’s up to us. Thus, we try to make everyone live a life defined by our ideals, moral codes, beliefs, etc. That’s not our job. Instead, we must discern Jesus changes that he expects us to live, and that are very different. His way turned the world upside down, shaking everything to the core. It still does when we truly live his way of change. These daily Advent meditations are intended to help us discern how Jesus changed and continues to change everything. They will be on this site daily, through Christmas Day. Most of the lessons are from Matthew’s Gospel, but I’ve also included lessons from Isaiah and the Epistles, as per the Revised Common Lectionary. Read with a discerning heart, a courageous mind and a willingness to change to keep living more like Jesus in the world today. As you read reflect and wonder about Jesus and the changes he has made and about how you can live the new way of Jesus today. The format for these devotions is based on the ancient discipline of lectio divina.[1] I use five movements in each devotion:
[1] If you would like to read more on lectio divina, read my article "Reading the Bible for all You're Worth": https://www.storymakerlife.com/reading-the-bible-for-all-yoursquore-worth.html Note: I use the New Revised Standard Version throughout. By Jackie L. Smallbones ©2025 Not to be copied without permission from Jackie. |
Hullo, I’m Jackie Smallbones, a retired professor and ordained minister of Word and Sacrament. I believe reading the Bible, often and consistently, is not an optional extra for followers of Jesus. Hence these Advent meditations are prayerful reflection on various Bible passages. I invite you to reflect on Scripture and be changed. Archives
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