Faithful Conversations #147

“Advent is the season of remembering, expecting, and waiting for the coming of Jesus into the world. But we cannot do so through the lens of historical or religious amnesia. Only when you begin to take into account the historical specificity of what leads to Advent are you truly able to understand the depth and breadth of this event. Only by remembering the history you might prefer to forget can you grapple with the wonder and beauty of the season.”
(Dr. Yolanda Pierce)

History is never just what happened “back there”; it is how we choose to remember. And, of course, we spend a good deal of time arguing over conflicting memories. In her December Christian Century article, Advent in all its Terror, Dr. Yolanda Pierce of Vanderbilt Divinity School confronts the raw realities of Jesus’ birth—poverty, political oppression, a refugee family desperate for shelter—and insists that memory matters, as unsettling as that may be. God entered our terror-filled world at precisely that moment and in that place, overturning worldly expectations of what a savior-king should look like — the word AWESOME comes to mind, an overused word in our day that in its origin meant something that inspires fear, dread, and great reverence. As the Fourth Sunday of Advent arrives and anticipation reaches its height, we are called not to sentimental escape but to courageous remembrance. The miracle of Advent is God dwelling with us in the midst of terror, reminding us that divine presence accompanies both suffering and hope. Much to think about.

Thanks for coming into this space again this week, and for your continued interest in tackling the Lectionary! It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. On Saturday, we commemorate Katie von Bora Luther, renewer of the church and wife of Martin, who died 473 years ago (20 December 1552). Her story is fascinating. Raised in convents from childhood, she escaped in 1523 with several other nuns—famously hidden in herring barrels—with Luther’s help. You can’t make that up! Two years later, she married Luther in 1525, and together they established a model Protestant household, raising six children while she managed the Black Cloister with remarkable skill in farming, brewing, and hospitality. (Sidebar: The Black Cloister was originally an Augustinian monastery in Wittenberg, later transformed into Martin Luther’s family home and the first Protestant parsonage). After Luther’s death in 1546, Katie endured hardship during the Schmalkaldic War, eventually dying in Torgau in 1552, remembered as a stabilizing force in Luther’s life and a significant figure in the Reformation.

My reflections this week will focus on the Old Testament prophecy and its connection to the Gospel. The musical meditation, Before the Marvel of this Night, captures the message of Advent well and I hope you enjoy it. I have also included the fourth installment of the interview I did with Pastor Jen Hatleli regarding the Malawi trip from October.

Common Themes Among the Readings

A Strategy for Reading

Focus Passages: Isaiah and Matthew

Reflections: “A King Refused, A Carpenter Obeyed”

As has been the case throughout Advent, I am intrigued by the connection between Old Testament prophecy and the story of God breaking into our humanity. This week’s Old Testament reading resoundingly echoes in the Gospel of Matthew. Seven hundred years before Christ — picture it, like us looking back to the year 1295 — Judah, the Southern Kingdom, was trembling. King Ahaz, a young ruler from the line of David, faced a dire threat: Israel and Aram had joined forces to pressure Judah into rebellion against Assyria. Isaiah urged Ahaz to trust God and even invited him to ask for a sign of God’s protection. But Ahaz refused. Why? Because he had already decided to rely on Assyria instead of God. Listening to Isaiah would have meant abandoning his political plan, and his heart was closed to God’s promise. Still, God gave the sign anyway: “The young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.” For Ahaz, this prophecy had an immediate horizon. It pointed perhaps to a child born in his own time—a living symbol that God’s presence would remain with His people and that the threat from Israel and Aram would soon fade. But the prophecy also carried a second horizon, stretching far beyond Ahaz’s day. Seven centuries later, Matthew tells us that these same words find their ultimate fulfillment in the birth of Jesus—the true Immanuel, “God with us.” What Ahaz could not see, the Gospel reveals: God’s faithfulness endures across generations, and the child born in Bethlehem is not just a temporary sign of reassurance but the lasting sign that God is with His people forever.

Musical Meditation: “Before the Marvel of this Night”

Before the Marvel of This Night by Jaroslav Vajda and Carl Schalk is relatively new. The text imagines the angels rehearsing their song of peace, bliss, and love before announcing Christ’s birth. Its refrain — “Sing peace, sing peace, sing Gift of Peace” — echoes the Advent longing for Christ as the fulfillment of God’s promise. On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, when the church leans into the nearness of Christmas, the hymn’s imagery of angels preparing to “tear the sky apart with light” mirrors our own anticipation of God’s breaking into history. In this way, the hymn becomes a fitting meditation for Advent’s final Sunday, inviting worshippers to join the angelic chorus in proclaiming peace and love as the world awaits the marvel of Christ’s coming.

Prayer Reflection: “Recognizing the Lord” (Nouwen)

Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) was a Dutch Catholic priest, theologian, and prolific spiritual writer whose work continues to inspire millions worldwide. After teaching psychology and pastoral theology at institutions such as the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School, he left academia to join the L’Arche Daybreak community in Ontario, where he lived among and ministered to people with intellectual disabilities. Nouwen authored over 39 books—including The Wounded Healer and The Return of the Prodigal Son—that explore themes of vulnerability, prayer, community, and God’s unconditional love, blending psychology with spirituality in a way that made faith deeply accessible. His legacy lies in his ability to speak with honesty and compassion about the human struggle for belonging and the experience of being God’s beloved.

“Be alert, be alert, so that you will be able to recognize your Lord in your husband, your wife, your parents, your children, your friends, your teachers, but also in all that you read in the daily newspapers. The Lord is coming, always coming. Be alert to his coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.”

Source: The Henri Nouwen Society Website. Daily E-Meditations, 14 December 2025.

Faithful Conversation Updates

Reflections On Malawi: Part 4

Since 1999, the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malawi have been companions in ministry. Recently, several NW Synod representatives, including Pastor Jen Hatleli and Patti Whitworth from ELC, traveled there and met with many of our partners in the region. During Advent, I am posting excerpts from my interview with her about the trip. In our fourth exchange, Jen shared information about the connection between the Northwest Synod of the ELCA and the ELC of Malawi. We also talked about what Pastor Jen learned about hope and perseverance from the people she interacted with in southern Africa.