The Culmination

AM: Psalm 97, 98 • Proverbs 8:22-30 • John 13:20-35
PM: Psalm 145 • Isaiah 44:1-8 • 1 John 5:1-12

After reading today’s Office several times and struggling to find a theme, I finally realized that these passages are telling us that Advent has been centuries in the making and is the logical culmination of the long history of God’s calling His people. In doing so, they deepen the appreciation of the holy event and enhance the awe surrounding it.

Psalms 97 and 99, both enthronement hymns, proclaim “The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice” and “The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble!” respectively. They extol God’s power and righteousness, which suggests that we must be righteous also. Similarly, Psalm 145 begins, “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever” and includes the familiar lines, “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

In our selection from Proverbs, Wisdom is personified and proclaims that she was created by God “at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago.” In ancient wisdom literature, wisdom is equated with righteousness, and Proverbs is guided by the principle that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” or righteousness.

Isaiah goes on to assure us that God (“I am the first and I am the last”), in his righteousness, will not forsake us: “Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it?”

Our passage from John is familiar, poignant, and powerful, for it sets up the culmination of all of these aforementioned texts. The setting is the Last Supper, and Jesus has just sent Judas out into the night to complete his fateful errand: “Do quickly what you are going to do.” He then says to his disciples, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.” He goes on to give them a new commandment: that they love one another, just as He has loved them. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The circle is complete. The incarnation and resurrection is the is the ultimate righteousness delivered by a righteous and loving God.

And 1 John 5:1-12 offers a final reminder for this Advent season: “And this is the victory that conquers the world: our faith.” Amen!

Written by Grimsley Graham

Grimsley Graham is a retired public school teacher. He taught English and composition as well as social studies at Rogers High School for 30 years.