Second Sunday of Advent 2024

This is the second reflection in NETWORK’s 2024 Advent Series.

This Advent is calling us to accept God’s invitation to a new “homecoming” where forgiveness, mercy and justice take center stage. Where open hands and grateful hearts welcome all who take this journey. In the Appalachian region, “homecoming” is a special event in nearly every community, welcoming back all who had left. It is amazing how many return every year to be part of these gatherings.

God offers an even wider invitation to homecoming, especially to all those who are lost, those who are exiled, the outcasts, the foreigners, the imprisoned and the enslaved. Anyone who is excluded, as Megan McKenna, a well-known theologian in Catholic circles describes, “God is bringing them back, carrying them, ‘borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones!”

Having spent nearly 30 years working in the central Appalachian region, I was struck by Megan’s insight that, “The land itself will echo God’s homecoming to his people and their return to their long-lost dwelling place.” She goes on to suggest that,

“Their journey will be made easier because the land itself will aid them. The ground, the mountains, the hard places, the passes, the rivers and gorges – all will be leveled, filled in so that the people will be able to ‘advance secure in the glory of God.’ All creation will be shifted to serve them. The forests will form an honor guard, overshadowing them, shading them from harsh weather, bending to the people, and accompanying them with natural incense.”

While the readings for the second Sunday of Advent point out quite clearly to us that God is lighting the way for us even during these challenging times, God is telling us that we cannot sit on the sidelines. Rather, we are the ones who will help make the path level so that all God’s people and creation can flourish.

As Christmas nears, we are reminded of those who have no place to lay their head and limited or no access to nutritious food. In Gaza, Ukraine, and so many of our urban and rural communities, hunger and homelessness are at unbelievable levels. In my own beloved Appalachian region, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission, “Appalachia was home to an estimated 3.4 million food insecure residents in 2020, or 13% of its population, a higher rate than the national average of 11.5%. Central Appalachia has the highest rates of food insecurity among Appalachian subregions. While childhood food insecurity fell substantially from 2010 to 2020, one in six Appalachian children remain food insecure. In Central Appalachia it was more than one in five children.”

Donating to food banks and other organizations that are on the frontline of this crisis is essential. But working to promote and pass longer-range solutions to this epidemic, such as the Child Tax Credit and increases in the minimum wage, to help to smooth out the pathway for all to walk a more dignified life, is our call this Advent season.