Expectations can be slippery and sly little beasts.

Perhaps you can relate to this. I often feel I’m being so straightforward in my expectations with those I love; then I discover what I really want is something else. Or I’m generous in my lack of expectations from them, but in the end I can’t shake that longing for more.

My expectations of myself get even more skewed. And, my expectations of God…Do I expect too much? Do I not expect enough?

This week we’re going on a Journey of Expectation, looking at an ancient people’s expectations of God (a People of Promise), along with our own expectations of God—-especially in those times when God seems silent and all hope seems lost.

SACRED READING: Malachi 3:16–4:6. These are the final words in the Old Testament. Approximately 400 years would pass between these words and Jesus’ coming. Consider: What could this people expect from God? What was God expecting from them?

THE LORD’S PROMISE OF MERCY
3:16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.
 17 “They will be my people,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.18 Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

THE COMING DAY OF JUDGMENT

4:1The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says, "The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all.
 2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
 4 "Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant—all the decrees and regulations that I gave him on Mount Sinai* for all Israel.
 5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives.6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

ANCIENT ORIENTATION: Here’s a look at the context of Malachi’s words spoken to a People of Promise.

It is the 5th century BC.

And a silence is stirring as the world conversation is just about to erupt.

A new power is on the rise in the West. A gathering of shepherds has started a revolution in Italy and the Roman Republic will soon become an empire.

Greek philosophy is gaining a sense of self, though Socrates will soon be tried and executed in Athens. Shortly after his death Greek culture will course through the known world – yet, not by the lips of a philosopher but by the hand of a military leader.

But right now, it is the East that has the spotlight.

For the past millennium one superpower after another has marched across the stage. Egypt climbed north to try to capture the Fertile Crescent. Assyria scrambled south to try to dominate the International Coastal Highway. Then Babylon spread it wings only to be hunted down by the Persian Empire.

In the middle of the madness have been a People of Promise. Their God, Yahw-h, made a covenant with a shepherd named Abraham. He promised Abraham he would be the Father of a Nation, the Patriarch of a People. This people would live in a land given to them by Yaw-h. He would be their God; they would be His people. And, all the families of the earth would be blessed through them.

But the plotline for the People of Promise hasn’t been so straightforward. They landed in slavery in Egypt. Yahw-h sent them a leader, Moses, to miraculously lead them out. And after a 40-year detour they emerged from the Wilderness with a new generation and a set of laws on how to live in relationship with their God, with each other and with the foreigner. They then entered their Promise Land.

They divvied up the territory. They begged for a king. They built a Temple for Yaw-h. Then many of them forgot about their God. They broke into two kingdoms; they married foreigners; and they didn’t give much space for Yahw-h’s laws. God sent prophets, such as Elijah, to expose their betrayals, and call them back to relationship. Some repented, many did not. But most still saw themselves as a people of Promise – a people with a land and an inheritance.

Until.

Until, in 722 BC the Assyrians captured the northern kingdom and some of the People of Promise got taken to foreign lands. And then, in 586 BC the Babylonians captured the southern kingdom. And the worst thing that could happen, happened. The Temple of Yahw-h in Jerusalem—place of God’s presence—was destroyed. And the People of Promise were scattered – scattered and seemingly abandoned by their God.

And, then a re-gathering began. In 538 B.C. Persian king Cyrus let some exiles return to Jerusalem. The temple began to be rebuilt. By 516 BC it was completed. But much of Jerusalem was still in ruins. The prophet Nehemiah rallied the people to rebuild the walls. Yet, while the bricks were being laid and people were coming back, not all was being restored.

A restoration of hope was needed.

See, a sense lingered that God had forgotten His people. Though the temple had been rebuilt, there seemed to be no signs, no indicators, that God had returned. There had been no miracles, no tribute to His glory.

People were going about their religious duties, though the priests were quite corrupt. And people were identifying themselves as Jews, though they were marrying foreign lovers.

But where was the hope of their faith? Where was the God of their ancestors?

A silence was stirring.

THIS WEEK’S PROVISIONS FOR YOUR ADVENT JOURNEY

REFLECTION: In the midst of the motion of this Christmas season, Advent calls us to stop, reflect back, even while we’re looking ahead.

The ancient experience of power struggles and progress continues in our day. As 2009 dawned we got to see the first African American president inaugurated in our country. Dancing and chants of change spread from the streets in Chicago to villages in Kenya.

Yet, the economic crisis marched on; our unemployment rate rose, real estate still had its ups and downs, and businesses large and small faced peril. The war in Afghanistan seemed only to get more complex, while heartbreak hit at home in Fort Hood. This year as a nation we’ve had to sit with some of the hardest questions to come our way in recent history. How has our cultural expectations of “more” affected not only us but others across the globe? What is our role as a super power? Are our days of power limited?

So, where do we see God in global and national events? Advent invites us to look at the cultural context we live in. It also gives us an opportunity to survey our personal journey. I’ll share a glimpse of mine in hopes it will entice you to reflect on your own.

I ventured into 2009 knowing that change was chasing me down, but had no idea the specifics of how my life would be altered. In March I left my job as pastor of community at Warehouse 242. I had worked there for over 6 years – tripling my typical 2 yr stint at jobs. In a thousand ways my heart had both been broken and healed in my beloved church community. Income, calling, identity, home all seemed to be up in the air. I seesawed between totally freaking out and a curious hope that God was inviting me on a new adventure. In late spring a dream that had been dead and buried for over 15 years got resurrected. I became a TV producer getting to tell stories from abroad (with Halogen TV).

In the midst of it all I was on the precipice of falling in love, a relationship ignited but then got snuffed out. The rare expectation to hope gave way to a line-up of questions. A well in the desert became a mirage.

In late summer and early fall I trekked from Mozambique to Morocco looking at what the West can learn from Africa for a TV series I’m co-producing called Noble Exchange. I met extraordinary people en route but struggled with expectations of myself. I awoke in a dream, but did so blurry-eyed, fatigued and anxious at times.

So much has happened this year, but how has God been quietly at work? How does God want to heal and reframe my expectations in the throes of it all? What more is there to be discovered in the silence? I hope to get a glimpse of that this Advent.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU: What have been the major events of your year? Take some time to consider those this week, and think about your expectations of others, yourself, and especially God.

How might God have been working in the both those expectations met and unmet?

IMAGE OF GOD: As you look back on your year how—if any—has your understanding of God changed?

INVITE OTHERS INTO IT: As you spend time this week reflecting on your year, I encourage you to share your reflections with a dear friend. Perhaps you can meet for coffee or a meal to discuss this.

RESOURCES: Here are two books that you may enjoy going through and/or giving as gifts.
Holy Bible: Mosaic NLT (Meditations) by Credo Communications and Tyndale – This is a gorgeous bible that has art, ancient writings as well as modern reflections on Scripture, and it tracks with the Church calendar.

I leave you with Augustine’s words: “Yearning makes the heart the grow deep.” May your reflections at the start of Advent increase your yearning and deepen your heart.

Peace,
Tamara