Isaiah 64:1-11. When will those promises come real? A reflection on the Advent theme of silence of heaven from Rev Roddy Hamilton, Scotland. “We had a shoe theme running through Advent and our advent candles were hidden in shoes spread across the worship area. Each week more shoes (all painted white) were added to the space. It reflected the journeys made in Advent of Mother to Bethlehem, Joseph to stable, shepherd to manger, Travellers across the country, Herod from despot to… despot and finally, on Christmas Day, Heaven to Earth.”
Promises
They are made in Baghdad and in Washington
They are spoken in Kabul and in Whitehall
promises of peace
agendas of justice
rhetoric for a new world
They echo every promise made
because we live in a loop
of recurrent ancient tragedies
When, O God, will you rip open heaven
and step down to earth
and give birth to a new world?
When will your promises be made real?
And there is silence
a great shush from heaven
And God’s people
hold even tighter to the promises
and with heads bent low
against the silence of heaven
what can we do but put on our shoes
and find a path to walk
trusting beyond all reason
a God who remains silent
and so we set out on the journey again
carrying a hope
carrying a promise
carrying a child
It is so easy to let go
to find a safe place
to settle down
to dumb-down the ancient prophecies
when heaven is silent
trust at lesser cost
in more manageable possibilities
When O God will you step out of heaven
and come to us
But there is silence
a great shush from heaven
but we carry on
with some manic belief
that even in the silence
there is a chance
and so with an instinctive intent to journey
we find our feet in a pair of shoes
and against all reason
cradle hope
cradle promise
cradle a baby
trusting that not long now
just a breath away
just one more journey
one more moment
heaven’s silence will break
but for now
in the ssshh of heaven
we slip into earthly shoes
and join the journey
of the universe
of creation
of time
of hope
of promise
of a star
of a God
of a mother
a father
and of a baby
destined by a promise
to meet
on a journey
into this world.
Roddy has shared his work freely for use in worship with attribution.