A look at the gaps in the lectionary.
This week: the gap between Proper 29B and Advent 1C
The text: Luke 21
Our liturgical calendar ends with Proper 29 and begins anew with Advent 1 this week, which brings us out of the gospel of Mark and into the gospel of Luke. And yet, the theme, and the moment itself, are essentially the same.
Proper 28B offered the Little Apocalypse of Mark, and this first week of Advent returns us to that same moment, now told in Luke. So our focus remains on the apocalyptic, which for some of us, is our sweet spot. For others, we can’t get out of here fast enough.
The synergy between these gospels and this moment, however, lend us an opportunity to dwell in church in the lament, confusion, frustration, and anxiety that many people are wrestling with in the world. At a time when our institutions are struggling to work, to even function, we are invited into a vision of disappointment and division that matches our lived experience.
One hopes that this time, offered now in Advent, the season of anticipation, might give us a different valance for our interpretation. That we read of apocalypse through the lens of anticipating the glory of God, that the way out of this isn’t to rely on war to solve our problems, even a holy war. But only in God can we trust. And that trust will be rewarded soon.