Daily Advent Reflection: December 9
Second Wednesday of Advent
Psalms 38 · 119:25-48
Isa. 6:1-13
2 Thess. 1:1-12
John 7:53--8:11
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)
In reading this passage from Isaiah during our season of pandemic and political turmoil, I’m struck by the conviction -- enthusiasm, even (note that exclamation point!) -- in the prophet’s response of “Here am I; send me!” to the Lord’s query. He accepts the call with no hesitation, no caveats or hedging, but merely a simple statement: “Here am I: send me!” In contrast, these days I frequently find myself dragging my feet, exhausted by even the idea of taking on one more responsibility, of leading one more virtual meeting, of masking up for one more stressful trip to the grocery store. I fear there are few exclamation points in my responses these days; certainly far fewer than I’d like.
In contrasting my own feelings of fatigue and reluctance with Isaiah’s enthusiastic declaration, I’m reminded of the story of another call, one that was received with hesitation, and even fear. In chapter four of the book of Esther, Jewish leader Mordecai begs his niece Esther, married to King, to plead for the lives of their people. But Esther hesitates; she is afraid to approach the King without a summons, knowing that it can mean death. It is then that Mordecai speaks these words, words that I have returned to over and over again during this pandemic: “Perhaps you were born for such a time as this.” Those words echo in my head when I wake up and struggle to get out of bed. When my to-do list feels overwhelming and never seems to get any shorter. When I fall into a spiral of self-pity, asking “Why me? Why us? Why now?” “Perhaps you were born for such a time as this.”
Perhaps we were all born for an Advent such as this. We are living through a season of pandemic and turmoil, but it is also the season of watching, of preparing, and of waiting in hope for the light that shines in the darkness. For that is what we are called to do as Christians, and whether we accept that call with the enthusiasm of Isaiah or the hesitation of Esther, it is our call nonetheless. God sees us in our struggles and our fears, and he is with us even -- and perhaps especially -- when we hesitate and doubt, calling "Whom shall I send” while reminding us, like Mordecai: “Perhaps you were born for such a time as this.”
Isaiah accepted God’s call, and ultimately Esther did too, saving the lives of the Jewish people with her courage and her strength. May God grant us all the courage of Esther and the enthusiasm of Isaiah, as we continue to live through these dark and uncertain days. May we all have the strength to respond to God’s call with “Here am I; send me!” and even when we cannot, may we know that we are still God’s beloved children, “born for such a time as this.”
Cindy Wilmeth
St. Boniface Episcopal Church, Mequon