Advent 1, Year C: Humility to Listen
Dong Hyeon Jeong
In this season of Advent, we are once again surrounded by the noise of consumerism. Once again, we purchase things we do not need, create massive pile of garbage we should not have created, all for the sake of keeping up with the so-called spirit of the season.
What if, for this Advent season, we keep up a different kind of spirit, one that is ecologically attuned to the needs of our time? What if we listen instead to the humming and cracklings of the leaves and the trees, to the chirping and flutters of the birds, and to the barking of our canine friends who invite us to welcome the divine in more-than-human ways?
After all, the Gospel of Luke declares that the more-than-humans welcomed Jesus too. Perhaps, it is time for us to listen on how the more-than-humans welcomed and still welcome/celebrate Jesus. It takes humility, letting go of our anthropocentric mind, to do so. This Advent season is a good time to do so as we ecologically celebrate this season of waiting.
Commentary
-
Reflecting on verses 14-16 requires an awareness of two important interpretative matters. First, just reading these three verses could inadvertently lead to supersessionist reading in which one assumes that the “righteous branch” that comes out of David is Jesus Christ. Second, a way to prevent supersessionist reading of this passage is to take into account the wider narrative and historical context of this passage. That is, verses 14-16 is a short pericope cut out of chapter 33, the second vision Jeremiah received from God. Chapter 33 promises the Israelites of their return to Judah (and Jerusalem) and the restoration of their fortunes (Miller 1994, 825). Here, verses 14-16 speak of the fulfillment of the promise that a righteous branch or a leader will emerge out of the line of David who will save them once again from the oppressors.
From the beginning to the end, the promise of return and restoration are geared toward uplifting the plight of the humans/Israelites. And yet, there are also glimpse of ecological regeneration in the midst of this anthropocentric promise. That is, verses 10 and 12-13 promise that Judah’s current desolation will be replaced with the flourishing of animals (alongside humans). Animals will inhabit the land once again. Shepherds will be pastoring their flocks.
Then verses 14-16 come into the picture. Here, the Israelites are promised that this descendant of David shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. Although there seems to be the primacy of the divine-human relationship in this passage, an ecological reading of this passage reveals the symbiotic inclusion of the animals and the land in this fulfillment of the divine promise. As mentioned above, the promise manifesting in verses 14-16 is a continuation of the promise in which the animals and the land will flourish as well. Emily Colgan even suggests that this promise opens up the possibility of re-imagining the relationship between the divine and creation: “Without the land [and animals], YHWH is ‘no god’ – much like the rival deities rendered impotent as a result of their inability to exert influence over the land’s fertility (cf. 3:3)” (2022, 145). In other words, an ecological reading of this passage reads between the lines where the flourishing of the animals is a sign of promise fulfilled. For God to be with us implies that the interdependency between the divine and creation extends to all of more-than-humans.
-
Psalm 25 is often used during Advent and even Lent because it invites a disposition of humility and trust in God. We are encouraged to seek God for refuge from our enemies (v.2-3), for forgiveness (v.6-7), and for guidance (v.4-5 and 8-9). This psalm of supplication is more than apropos for the season of Advent because we are invited to lift up our souls to God because God is merciful.
Among many lessons we could learn from Psalm 25, I would like to focus on the importance of humility. Verse 9 explicitly instructs that God leads the humble into the path of the divine righteousness. Ecologically speaking, humility is an integral disposition one has to have in order to care for the earth. I say so because humility opens the doors for the more-than-humans to teach us about life/death, the divine, and even of ourselves. In particular, the life, death, and regeneration of the plants invite us to be humble to the ever-regenerating manifestations of God’s creation.
Leah Penniman’s reflection on her visit to the Queen Mothers of Kroboland in Ghana resonates with my reflection on Psalm 25:1-9. That is, Leah shares her encounter with Ifa divination: “we ask permission of the Forces of Nature (Orisas) before any major undertaking” (2021, n.p.). Such asking is a mark of humility in the face of the mysteries. To trust and learn the ways of the more-than-humans reminds me that I am also part of the interconnected, interdependent matrices of life on this earth. And yet, we, humans, have acted like we own the world, unwilling to learn from the teachings of the earth. Such hubris against God trickles down to the abuse of the earth. If one does not trust and follow the divine, then to destroy and abuse the ubiquitous would be a given. That is why I encourage a reading of Psalm 25 that includes the hidden voices of the earth. Even though Psalm 25:1-9 does not explicitly mention the earth, we trust that God will guide us in our humility to listen and learn from more-than-humans.
-
Night and day, Paul and his company were concerned for the church of Thessalonica because some of the members of the church of Thessalonica are confused on when and how Jesus Christ will return (4:13-18). We find in 4:17 the infamous rapture passage: Paul’s explanation on how the second coming will happen. Until then, Paul encourages the church of Thessalonica to hold on to their faith by being sober (5:6-8) and working and living life continuously (5:12-22). In this context, Paul confesses that “It is their mutual yearning for one another that strengthens them in their capacity to endure and to remain faithful to one another and to the gospel” (Jennings 2006, 674). Paul finds his strength with and from the love he receives and shares with the church of Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 expounds upon this mutual yearning, the love that strengthens one another. In the end of verse 12, Paul adds a phrase that creates room for an ecological reading of this passage: “and for all.” We do not know exactly who are included (or excluded in this “all”); and yet, such murkiness leaves room for the neglected and silenced: the more-than-humans. Yes, the Pauline letters are not explicit with their concern for the more-than-humans (except for a few passages such as Romans 8:21-25). Still, extrapolating with ecologically creative reading of 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 helps us see the more-than-humans lurking and prodding in the background.
-
The coming of the Son of Man is supposed to be apocalyptic, shocking, and awe-inspiring. After all, the assumption is end of the world. And yet, Luke 21:25-36 speaks of the coming of the Son of Man with two ecological signs and warnings that are ubiquitous and recurring. These so-called signs and wonders make one wonder if they are signs and warnings of the coming of the Son of Man at all.
First, the Son of Man is coming when the people and nations see the signs in/from the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, and the roaring of the sea and the waves (v.25). I find it confusing to assign the apocalyptic signs to these more-than-human entities and phenomena. What is the sign that the sun does/gives? Lunar eclipse? Is the solar eclipse the sign for the moon then? The passing of the meteors for the stars? Earthquake for the earth? Tsunami for the seas and the waves? All of them are portending but none of them are apocalyptically signaling (Jeong 2023, 79). They happen every year or even quite often.
Second, for the fig tree and all the trees to be signs that the kingdom of God is near is also confusing. The coming of the kingdom of God is a singular linear event that culminates with the end or the renewal of the world. Heaven and earth will apparently pass away (v.33). However, the signs that the trees (including the fig tree) give are non-linear in their manifold expressions of life, death, and regeneration. A simple observation of a tree in their effusive changes throughout the seasons every year already complicate this supposed ecologically simplistic take on the coming of the kingdom of God.
The joy though of assigning the signs and warnings of the coming of the Son of Man and kingdom of God with more-than-humans is that for once humans are not the center of the narrative. Finally, we see the importance of observing and listening to the more-than-humans particularly on eschatological concerns. One of the most important lessons we learn in Luke 21:25-36 is vegetal temporality. I argued in my book that “Vegetal temporality maps an oscillating matrix of relationality (expansions and contractions) that interrupts the supposed obvious and predictable human timeline of the coming of the empire of God” (2023, 79). In other words, Luke 21:25-36 provides a clear but bewildering response to those who seek to know when the Son of Man and the kingdom of God are coming. The hearers were probably waiting for an anthropocentric response in which this king or that human event will happen as signs and warnings for their arrival. Luke 21:25-36 complicates the picture by providing signs and warnings that are ubiquitous and recurring; and yet, they are profound in their vegetal complexity. This vegetal lesson teaches that one could try to figure out when the Son of Man and the kingdom of God are coming; but they will have a hard time figuring out the exact time because they will look like any other natural events (a solar eclipse or the falling of the leaves). Like the heat that summer brings every year, we will know when they come (v.30). Also, we will be bewildered because summer heat is nothing new to us. Perhaps, the message of the passage is to let go of our anthropocentric desires to capture and colonize even the future. We are invited to trust in the ubiquitous and uncontrollable vegetality of the coming of the Son of Man.
Teaching and Preaching Ideas
Waiting with the Animals
Psalm 25:1-9 is a staple for Advent worship services. We are invited every year to set our hearts out to the Lord, to trust in God’s goodness and mercy. God’s steadfast love keeps us in the path of righteousness.
For this year’s Advent service, we could emphasize the importance of humility. To be humble means to trust in God’s guidance. Living in a world full of noise and self-aggrandizement make it difficult for us to make room for the divine and the mysteries of God’s creation. As we wait, celebrate, and reflect upon God’s goodness during the season of Advent, we could also wait by creating spaces for the more-than-humans in our lives. For example, we could wait or celebrate Advent with our animal companions. We could involve them in our services, our prayers, and/or our ritual(s). As the animals in the manger waited for the birth of Christ, we could observe and learn on how the animals wait for the divine.
Although this week’s lectionary is far from Christmas, we all know that the preparation for Christmas eve and/or day service has already begun. What if we plan to bring our more-than-human companions during the Christmas pageant? What if we actually have animals (and plants) welcome Jesus the savior of all?
When the World is Broken into Pieces
I grew up in the Philippines. We do not have fig trees and four seasons. So, reading Luke 21:25-36 is difficult to comprehend because we do not see or experience these signs that the passage depict. We have mango trees; we have two seasons (hot and monsoon). Leaves do fall but not because of cold weather; we have several months that are just immensely hot but it is not bracketed with colder seasons. I do understand though the passage’s emphasis on the roaring of the sea and the waves (v.25). The storms during the monsoon season cause severe damages and loss to many people and more-than-humans.
Climate change is a sensitive issue for many. However, many persons and communities around the world (like the Philippines) do not have the luxury of neglecting or dismissing climate change because we feel the change every year. It is visceral and extremely affective. Traditionally speaking, Advent season is not a time for ecological reflection. We usually leave that until April (Earth Day). And yet, perhaps this year we do not have to wait until April to care for the earth. In the US, we have just witnessed and even experienced at least two hurricanes that have devastated the South. The disasters that ensued with the passing of the hurricanes still linger with many individuals and communities.
Speaking of disasters, we should remember that Jesus was born in a time when their world was broken into pieces. They were colonized by the Roman Empire. They had to endure and avoid the hurricanes in their lives. What if our Advent season acknowledges and reflects upon the difficulties of our time? Whether it is about climate change or human problems, the Advent season could be a time for us to start caring for the earth as an expression of our social holiness. I say so because having an explicit and communal starting point helps. Advent could be a great time for the church to begin its new liturgical year with the promise to care for all of God’s creation. It could be a time to start picking up the pieces and mending the brokenness of our world.
Sources and Resources
Colgan, Emily. “Re-Viewing the Book of Jeremiah: An Ecological Perspective.” In The Oxford
Handbook of the Bible and Ecology. Edited by Hilary Marlow and Mark Harris. Oxford: OUP, 2022.
Jennings, Theodore. “1 and 2 Thessalonians.” In The Queer Bible Commentary. Edited by Deryn
Guest, Robert E. Goss, Mona West, and Thomas Bohache, p.669-683. London: SCM Press, 2006.
Jeong, Dong Hyeon. Embracing the Nonhuman in the Gospel of Mark. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2023.
Miller, Patrick D. “The Book of Jeremiah.” In The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in
Twelve Volumes, edited by Leander E. Keck, 553-926. Volume VI. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994.
National Council of Churches. New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue). USA:
National Council of the Churches of Christ, 2021.
Penniman, Leah. “The Gift of Ecological Humility.” Yes! Solutions Journalism. www.yesmagazine.org. Published on Feb 16, 2021. Accessed on October 25, 2024.
Contributor Bio
Dong Hyeon Jeong is the assistant professor of New Testament Interpretation at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (Evanston, IL). He is an ordained Elder with the United Methodist Church. His book is titled Embracing the Nonhuman in the Gospel of Mark.
Image
Mangos in the Rain by Fabcon used by Creative Commons BY-NC 2.0
In the foreground on the right third of the image hangs a cluster of eight green and yellow mangos spotted with raindrops. The remainder of the image show green leaves and brown branches against a misty grey background.
Are you enjoying this resource? Help us keep it going! With climate denial rampant in North American churches, this project is vitally important. Please give what you can to support free, accessible, climate-focused, biblical scholarship.
We are grateful to the organizations that partnered with us to make Wild Lectionary possible in 2024 and we are committed to keep offering this resource in 2025, but at this point we have no assured external funding for the project. To keep Wild Lectionary free, our initial goal is to raise $9100, half our annual costs.