Fourth Sunday of Advent - C3

Year C
Hebrews 10:5-10

"Sacrifices and offerings G*D does not desire, but a body has been given to me". "Sacrifice" and "body" are further contrasted with "law" and "will/desire" and a forgone conclusion that the former, in each instance must back off for the latter to come to fruition.

To have a body is to hold a promise of tomorrow, regardless of what the past has been.

At verse 10 things get turned around and it turns out G*D's will/desire is for the legal sacrifice of Jesus' body. Somehow to not have a body that was given cleans up a past which, each moment, is being added to by junk in the present.

If one follows the journey of Sisyphus, happiness with his eternally repetitive task can be achieved, but it begins to move some theorized once-for-all-ness of one sacrifice for being good for every subsequent need into question - G*D doesn't desire sacrifice and yet finally comes to sacrifice of "self".

In the schizophrenia of Advent we rejoice over bodies of babies given for facing toward tomorrow. We also recognize a body perpetually rolling away a rock, facing back at us, to judge what has been.

Generally we end up on one side or the other of the unspoken divide between the end of verse 9 and the beginning of verse 10. Often it is the space between our utterances that is the real crux of the matter. What happened in that mysterious moment between verses?

Advent may be the honoring of this space by waiting for it to turn round again.

= = = = = = =

good earth-birthed adam
male and female adam
named good
called blessed
called to name
coming one

good angel-sung jesus
shepherd and magi jesus
named freedom
called sheep and goat
called twelve and more
coming two

good sickle-bearing lamb
judge and jury lamb
named bright morning star
called bride and groom
called new jerusalem
coming three

good body-entrusted friend
saint and sinner friend
named tomorrow
called from past
called from present
coming four

and more