A reading from the second book of Samuel (7:1-5, 8-12, 14-16)
Once the king had settled into his house and the Lord had granted him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a cedar-wood house, while the ark of God is housed in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.’ But that very night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus says the Lord, Are you to build me a house for me to live in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you wherever you went; I have cut off all your enemies for you. I am making your fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I am providing a place for my people Israel; I shall plant them there, and there they will live and never be disturbed again; nor will they be oppressed by the wicked any more, as they were in former times, ever since the time when I instituted judges to govern my people Israel; and I shall grant you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also tells you that he will make you a House. And when your days are over and you fall asleep with your ancestors, I shall appoint your heir, your own son to succeed you, and I shall make his sovereignty secure. I shall be a father to him and he a son to me. Your house and your sovereignty will ever stand firm before me and your throne be for ever secure.” ’
The decision of David to build a ‘house’ (bayit) for the Lord is the context for a long speech of the Lord transmitted by the prophet Nathan. No clear reason is given why David should not build the temple, except that it is God who builds him a house. The promise of God’s solidarity extends to David’s son, Solomon, who will indeed build a temple, but the text is quickly understood as a foundation for the messianic promise.
Psalm 89 (88) The Lord makes a covenant with David, his servant (‘ebed), and promises his enduring love (hesed).
A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (1:67-79)
Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and set them free,
and he has established for us a saving power
in the House of his servant David,
just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
salvation from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our ancestors,
and remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to grant us, free from fear, delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and righteousness
in his presence, all our days.
And you, child, shall be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare his ways,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by forgiveness of their sins,
by the heartfelt mercy of our God
by which the dawn from on high will visit us,
to give light to those who live
in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into
the way of peace.’
This final gospel of Advent is appropriately a song of thanksgiving, the Benedictus, which is prayed at Morning Prayer throughout the church. Zechariah provides words for God’s people to acknowledge that God has ‘looked favourably on his people and set them free’. The ‘saving power’, literally ‘horn of salvation’ (keras soterias), is clearly a reference to the coming Saviour. God has demonstrated mercy (eleos) to the ancestors in the past, but a new deed is being prepared. Specifically, Zechariah thanks God for his child John and for his mission of going before the Lord ‘to prepare his ways’ (Isaiah 40:3). The ‘dawn from on high’ (anatole ex hupsous) will visit God’s people, bringing light to those ‘in darkness and the shadow of death’ (Isaiah 9:1), and guiding our feet ‘into the way of peace’.
How do the two canticles invite our response to the Advent readings?
We stand now on the brink of the fulfilment of all God’s promises.