Jeremiah 33:15, 16a "In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety."

This Jeremiah text finds Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian armies advancing on Jerusalem. Despair and ruin rule throughout the land; many are already in exile and Jeremiah is imprisoned by the government for his foretelling of doom. The people are fearful that God is abandoning the promise that David's kingdom would be established forever. In the midst of this despair, Jeremiah has purchased some land as a statement of hope, much as Martin Luther is reported to have said, "I would plant an apple tree today," if he knew the world would end tomorrow.

And so Jeremiah, the prophet of doom, fully encompassed by the same darkness and despair that often swirls around us, booms out the message of hope and sets for us the first theme of Advent. For Advent is the season of contrasts: dark vs. light, despair vs. hope, the reality of the present vs. the anticipation of the future. The secular hyped presentation of the Hallmark Christmas tempts us to hide from the darkness rather than fostering in us a reflection on the darkness and why we hope and wait. Like the audience of Jeremiah, we can find ourselves devastated, scattered, uprooted, fearful. That is the reality of the present. With the uncertainty about God's promise to David, this passage became viewed as Messianic, fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus, the righteous Branch of eternal Kingship, through whom all are saved and can live in safety under God's justice.

Advent calls us to live like Jeremiah, speaking hope as we live in that gap between present circumstances and God's justice. As one commentator said about that gap, "It's the birthplace of hope and the canyon from which God calls us." Darkness does not have the final word. We are called to identify where that gap is between what is and what will be. If you prefer, we need to look for Leonard Cohen's "crack in everything where the light gets in," and then be that light.

We trust in the faithfulness of God to keep all God's promises. From all the messes we can make, God's promise is to be righteous--to make everything the way it should be. Are we letting the light in through our own cracks and then letting it shine toward justice to all around us? Live in Jeremiah's hope with good tidings of great joy!

Sharon Grabner