Lectionary blog for Dec. 7, 2025
Second Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19;
Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12
One of my favorite parts of Advent is the lectionary readings around the Advent wreath in worship. This is liturgy at its finest, when people who have not made their individual voices heard in services all year join the practiced lector in reading the old favorite passages that point to the expected birth of Jesus. I love a sermon as much as anyone. But it just doesn’t get any better than kids practicing reading Scripture in front of the assembled body of Christ with a parent or caregiver holding a microphone to their face. We need to hear those words again, and we need to hear them in new voices (and probably in diverse languages too). In the lectionary readings for this week, we hear all the old promises anew for this year, for the already-and-not-yet birth we are about to celebrate.
Paul in Romans says that everything written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance and encouragement taught in Scripture, we would have hope (Romans 15:4). We’ll return to Romans in a bit, but what endurance and encouragement do we find in the lectionary readings this week?
In the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist preaches the good news to the people. A call to repentance, remember, is good news. Repentance isn’t just acknowledging sins and apologizing, but making a transformation and putting things right. John is proclaiming in the wilderness—the kingdom of God is coming, so get busy turning away from evil and perform the actions of God-love and neighbor-love!
When John saw Pharisees and Sadducees come down for baptism, he did not mince words. He asked how they knew to come receive his baptism for forgiveness. And, indeed, if they knew they needed to repent, why act injuriously in the first place? Nevertheless, John told them what they—and what we all—needed to hear: “Bear fruit worthy of repentance. … Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:8, 10).
We need to see that this is grace on display. Even those, like us, who have knowingly and willingly done the wrong thing are graciously shown the waters of baptism and the path of repentance. John is angry, and he has every right to be. But in his anger, he tells the truth, essentially saying, “You’ve done wrong, but the messiah is coming to fix things. Here’s how you can get ready: bear good fruit!”
In the lectionary readings for this week, we hear all the old promises anew for this year, for the already-and-not-yet birth we are about to celebrate.
In Isaiah—which I always refer to as the fifth gospel, but maybe we should think of it as the first?—the prophet has great news for the people. A messiah from David’s family will come, and will not be like the other anointed leaders before him. Where they judged and ruled by their own opinions, the arriving messiah will delight in following God’s ways (Isaiah 11:3). This means that the poor will receive the justice they have been denied. For once, the oppressed will receive fair treatment (11:4).
The messiah will use his words to castigate the wicked who have been oppressing the poor and the humble (11:5). In shocking poetry, Isaiah describes how the messiah will change those who were previously abusive and injurious into docile companions (11:6-9). The snakes and wolves here are people, just like John’s “brood of vipers.” The takeaway is: “They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (11:9). In other words, the messiah will bear good fruit of justice for the oppressed, and peacefulness and righteousness for those who formerly oppressed others.
This vision of the messiah bringing justice to the downtrodden and those who trod upon them is not unique to Isaiah by any means. The psalmist longs for this time of justice and sings:
“May he judge your people with righteousness
and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor” (Psalm 72:2-4).
This desire for God to set things right, as we set our hearts and actions in accordance with God’s truth and grace, is the age-old dream of God’s people.
So, then, we return to Romans. Paul hopes for his people, “May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus. … Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:5, 7). The endurance and encouragement from Scripture are found in knowing that Jesus comes to set things right, and to welcome those who long for justice into the kingdom of God.
