This Advent, Iowa Annual Conference Communications invited members of the newly formed Bishop’s Leadership Team to share reflections based upon the themes and scriptures of “Unrelenting Grace.” We pray that these devotions meet you where you are in the midst of this season.
Sunday, November 26, 2023
“O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!”
Advent begins with the evocative plea of Isaiah 64. Most Biblical scholars agree that these words were likely written between 550 and 539 BCE. At that time, the people of Judah were in exile in Babylon, and the writing reflects the longing, hope, and prayers of the exiled community for God's intervention and deliverance.
Like contemporary displaced peoples, they encountered immense hardship, including being separated from their homes and loved ones. They find themselves in a foreign land, facing uncertainty and despair. Amidst their suffering, they cry out to God, pouring out their deepest longings and hopes for comfort, salvation, and renewal.
For contemporary United Methodists, the season of Advent prepares us for the birth of Christ, a time when God answered the cries of humanity. We believe the incarnation of Jesus was a response to the world’s deep longing for God's presence. And today, Christ's arrival continues to bring hope, redemption, and transformation to our lives. We know because we’ve experienced the redemption and transformation of God's unrelenting grace.
Prior to my life as a pastor, I was a floundering artist and rock musician living in Iowa City. As I wrestled with significant addictions and mental health crises, I felt separated and isolated from the rest of the world. Thank God I met Don Secrest, the man that introduced me to West Branch United Methodist Church.
In the following years, the people of that church manifested unconditional love, including? full acceptance, without qualification, of who I am as a person. They stood by my side and helped me navigate the hardest moments of my life. I knew the love of Christ because I experienced the love of Christ. My dramatic turnaround, including appropriate and timely treatment, was the result of the unrelenting grace of God. Put simply, my experience with West Branch United Methodist Church literally saved my life.
Jesus saved my life! I cried, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,” and thankfully, I survived to confirm that God really answers prayers in concrete and tangible ways, specifically through people like you, me, and Don Secrest.
Naturally, within that context, the cry of Isaiah 64:1 is not just a passive plea for resurrection and life; it's also an active expression of hope. Throughout history, we’ve witnessed individuals that have responded to their deep longing for God's presence by actively working for change and justice. As a church, we believe that all people have holy potential, specifically as agents of positive change in our broken and hurting world. Collectively, and for the sake of us all, we need all people to realize their God given potential.
We know because we’ve experienced that God responds to the cries of the people. We know because we’ve experienced how God listens and answers our deepest longings with unrelenting grace. Today may we rejoice in the answered prayers of our past, including God's faithfulness and willingness to come down and meet us in our moments of need.
At the same time, the call to "tear open the heavens” isn't limited to the past or the distant future. The incarnation of Christ remains an invitation for today, specifically in the practical ways we engage with our faith, community, and the world. Advent is not only a time of waiting, but a season of active hope, where we both anticipate and participate in God's redemptive work.
As we begin Advent, may the plea of Isaiah 64:1 resonate in the hearts of the Iowa Annual Conference. May we go to God with our deepest longings and needs. And may that experience kindle an active hope that inspires us to engage with our world. In this way, we both experience the unrelenting grace of God and participate in the divine act of "tearing open the heavens.”
Rev. Mark Johnson is an Elder in the Iowa Annual Conference serving Carson and Mt Hope UMCs in the Aldersgate District. Previous appointments include the UMC of Mt Vernon and Broadway, Council Bluffs as associate pastor. He graduated from Central College with a degree in classical piano performance and attended seminary at the Iliff School of Theology.