1st. Sunday of Advent

Things were looking pretty bleak for Israel. 

About 150 yrs earlier the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel were carried off by the Assyrians

Never to be heard from again. 

Now the Babylonians have come for the last two, Judah and Benjamin. 

Soon Jerusalem will be conquered. 

And they will all be carried off  into exile. 

And in the face of such despair and destruction,

Jeremiah the prophet tells them, 

That God will raise up from the House of David,

A shoot from the tribe of Judah,

And Judah will be safe from harm,

And Jerusalem will be secure in Peace. 

Sort of hard to believe at first. 

Its like being on the Titanic as it is going down,

And someone saying everything will be fine. 

This is why prophets are hard to believe. 

They see things no one else can see. 

But it was fine 

Israel was set free from slavery in exile. 

Jerusalem came back to life

And the Temple was rebuilt. 

When troubles are breaching the walls of your life. 

When you feel as if you are being carried away by fear, suffering or whatever. 

When you worry where is the country going. 

What is going to happen to our small towns. 

And how is our parish going to survive. 

There is Hope. 

Advent is a time of Hope. 

Hoping against Hope 

For God is sending us Someone who will save us and bring us Peace. 

from the House of David

And the tribe of Judah. 

And His name is Emmanuel