B101 - Advent 1 (Isa 64:1-9; Mark 13:24-37)

The lectionary readings at the beginning of Advent invite us to ponder the inbreaking of God. What might it mean to live as watchful Christians, to raise our eyes above the fray and look for the presence of God in our world? We acknowledge that the cry for divine justice in Isaiah 64 is a cry of both lament and hope. It comes  from a colonised people and continues to echo in our current world. Mark 13 takes us into apocalyptic territory, inviting us to consider the coming of Jesus in power and glory with themes that look forward to the cross.  We refer to Robert Alter’s Translation of the Hebrew Bible , Ched Myers’ Binding the Strong Man, and an education initiative (including Advent bibles studies) from St Mark the Evangelist: Illuminating Faith