A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do one of my favorite things: serve communion. There are many things I treasure about the honor of hosting this holy meal, but on this occasion what struck me most were the children. The act of bending down to their level, looking them full in the face, speaking to them, and serving them ministers to my soul. Here these children come without fully comprehending the words or what this sacrament is all about, yet with fitting solemnity they dip their bread in the cup. Some come with a little trepidation and a supportive parental hand at their back, while others come eagerly, like the young man who decided to immerse the bread and most of his fingers in the juice. Thankfully, he quickly placed the soggy bread in his mouth before it dripped onto his clothes. The young girl with the beautiful white dress who so nicely dipped the bread wasn’t quite so quick. Maybe we all should wear white for communion, collecting stains as a remembrance of all our sinful imperfections for which God bent down to earth and gave his life as a redemption.
Because we are humans serving humans, our call isn’t to bend down, but to recognize our equality with others, crossing barriers so we too can meet people as they are, wherever they are, and share the good news about our Bending-Down God.
The image of God bending down, breaking the God/human barrier by being both God and human, is one of the most important themes of Advent. God bent down to become like us, to meet us as we are, where we are. Advent is a missional message. God’s first mission was to bend across a barrier and establish a covenant relationship with God’s people. Then, in the fullness of time, the incarnate Christ bridged barrier after barrier, bending to look people full in the face, serving humanity—the fearful, the eager, and the stained—equally. Advent is a missional message as we are called by the Holy Spirit to be Christ’s disciples, to emulate Christ. Because we are humans serving humans, our call isn’t to bend down, but to recognize our equality with others, crossing barriers so we too can meet people as they are, wherever they are, and share the good news about our Bending-Down God.
Those are the themes that can be heard throughout this issue—a barrier breaking, missional ostinato. We hear the theme in the worship series that speaks of the reckless love of God for the women in Christ’s genealogy—reckless only from a human perspective that placed little value on these women. It comes through clearly in the articles on “Advent and Mission” and “The Christmas Mission”. This Bending-Down God is the foundation of the bridge-building mission of the music group Sela, evident in the songs featured in this Songs for the Season. Bridging divides can also occur through the correcting of historical narratives as we expand our understanding of church history, learning from the 15th century church of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
While the theme may not be as pronounced in other articles and resources, if you listen carefully you will hear it there as well.
Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to build bridges. The work of crossing barriers and looking at the other full in the face with the same love that Christ has for them can sometimes seem impossible. In this issue we provide helpful suggestions for being bridge-builders and peacemakers that were learned by Christians in Ireland during their “Troubles”. During difficult times it is important to name those challenges and divisions and to lament, so we have also included a litany to use either with a Blue Christmas/Longest Night service in Advent or on other occasions where the church is called to lament.
This Advent, as you engage the familiar nativity story again, may you encounter this Bending-Down God anew, and may the missional theme of Advent permeate not just your worship, but also the hearts, minds, and actions of those you lead.