December is probably the busiest time of the year, but at Queer Theology, December 2019 is a time to work extra hard from the backend to make sure that Queer Theology 2020 is LIT! So Brian and Shay are taking a break from the regular lectionary reading and instead, we will be showcasing some of our best Advent podcasts.
So this week, it’s all about the meaning of Advent and how counter-cultural it is. What can we learn from waiting and longing? How does the Christmas story go against our American sensibilities?
Brian: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast! Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of QueerTheology.com and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns B: And I’m Brian G. Murphy. FS: Welcome back to the Queer Theology podcast, Father Shay here. Brian and I are taking a bit of a break for the month of December. So we’re replaying some of our favorite episodes from Advent and Christmas’ past. We hope you enjoy them! This week, Brian and I are talking about the third Sunday of Advent and we’re gonna take a look at the Isaiah passage and the Psalm. So, Brian, you seem pretty excited about Advent this year. What is resonating with you in these passages? B: These passages remind me that I’m not crazy. I think every year I get less and less excited about Christmas and more, and more, and more over it. I recently read this article about Advent and Christmas on the Huffington post and I realized/remembered that we’re not in Christmas time yet, we’re in Advent. I really love Advent. Ever since I was a little kid, O Come, O Come Emmanuel has been my favorite Christmas song. There’s just something about Emmanuel – God with us that’s why I find the Christian stories so compelling. So as I was reading the Isiah and the Psalm passages I remembered the things that I don’t like about modern Christmas, modern Christianity are not the Biblical parts of the story. And that we don’t wait for Jesus to be born so that He can make up for our pitiful existence and get us into heaven. We wait for Jesus to be born because it’s God incarnate in a broken world. He is coming to heal it. And so I look at this Isaiah passage where they talk about: “The desert and the dry land will be glad. The eyes of the blind will be opened, The ears of the deaf will be cleared.” I look at the Psalm passage and it says: “The Lord: who makes prisoners free. The Lord: who makes the blind see. The Lord: who straightens up those who are bent low. The Lord: who loves the righteous. The Lord: who protects immigrants.” I’m like, “Yes!” this is the type of God that I believe in. Jesus was an immigrant, He was born to a single mother and we read at Psalm that we’re waiting for this Messiah and that is just really exciting to me. Especially as a queer person who spends a lot of time waiting for justice and equality. For the family to accept me. I understand the waiting and it’s also a really exciting time to be a queer person because lots of those things are coming to fruition. So these passages really resonate with me. FS: You know, at the church we’ve been reading The First Christmas by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, and that book really takes a look at the differences between the Matthew and Luke accounts of the Christmas story. But really, even more so, it takes a look at the ways in which the Christmas story is very much a setup in opposition to Rome. That all of the titles that Jesus was called in the gospels are the ones that were Ceasars’ title. So very much this idea that the Christmas story is really subversive. I think this idea of Advent is really subversive. It’s a time of waiting and I think for Americans were not very good often at waiting. B: No. FS: It’s a time of longing and a culture that’s very much “I’m gonna get what I want, and I’m gonna get it right this second”, the idea of longing for something is not something that we talk about very often. So I love those ideas and those themes of Advent. But I also love this idea that the story of Christmas isn’t just something that happened 2000 years ago, nor is it something that’s just were waiting around until Jesus comes back. Right? But there’s something really present about this story. The fact that God is with us means that we can still be about the business of standing in opposition to empire and we can be about building the kingdom of God now. That’s really exciting to me. Much more exciting than kind of a sanitized and sentimental manger scene. FS: We hope you enjoyed this vintage Queer Theology podcast. Just as a reminder, we are taking a break for the month of December so that we can regroup, and recoup, and head into the New Year feeling fresh. If you want to support us, you can go to patreon.com/queertheology. Your support is making all of the difference in making this work sustainable. We’ll see you next time. [outro music plays] B: The Queer Theology podcast is just one of many things that we do at QueerTheology.com which provides resources, community, and inspiration for LGBTQ Christians and straight cisgender supporters. FS: To dive into more of the action, visit us at QueerTheology.com. You can also connect with us online: on Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, and Instagram. B: We’ll see you next week. 
Episode Transcript
Today’s episode highlights:
- We take a look at Isaiah and Psalm and share what these passages mean to us in relation to Advent
- Traditional vs. modern Christmas celebrations
- How Christmas is a setup against Rome
Thank you for listening to this podcast. If this or any of our podcasts mean something to you, or you find the articles and videos transformative, engaging and inspiring we would like to ask for your support in order for us to continue with this work and touch more lives. It would mean the world to us if you can visit and support us at patreon.com/queertheology.
Isaiah 35:1-10
The desert and the dry land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus. They will burst into bloom, and rejoice with joy and singing. They will receive the glory of Lebanon, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the Lord’s glory, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and support the unsteady knees. Say to those who are panicking: “Be strong! Don’t fear! Here’s your God, coming with vengeance; with divine retribution God will come to save you.” Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be cleared. Then the lame will leap like the deer, and the tongue of the speechless will sing. Waters will spring up in the desert, and streams in the wilderness. The burning sand will become a pool, and the thirsty ground, fountains of water. The jackals’ habitat, a pasture;[a] grass will become reeds and rushes. A highway will be there. It will be called The Holy Way. The unclean won’t travel on it, but it will be for those walking on that way.[b] Even fools won’t get lost on it; no lion will be there, and no predator will go up on it. None of these will be there; only the redeemed will walk on it. The Lord’s ransomed ones will return and enter Zion with singing, with everlasting joy upon their heads. Happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and groaning will flee away.
Psalm 146:5-10
The person whose help is the God of Jacob— the person whose hope rests on the Lord their God— is truly happy! God: the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, God: who is faithful forever, who gives justice to people who are oppressed, who gives bread to people who are starving! The Lord: who frees prisoners. The Lord: who makes the blind see. The Lord: who straightens up those who are bent low. The Lord: who loves the righteous. The Lord: who protects immigrants, who helps orphans and widows, but who makes the way of the wicked twist and turn! The Lord will rule forever! Zion, your God will rule from one generation to the next! Praise the Lord!
Photo by Zach Lucero