Celebrating the Now and the Not-Yet by Rachel Mumaw-Schweser, Pastoral Resident

I see him but not now; I behold him but not near – a star shall come out of Jacob, and a
scepter shall rise out of Israel …

Numbers 24:17a

Who do you think is the star and the scepter when you read this verse? Since it’s Advent, I wouldn’t be surprised if your first thought was “Jesus!” And I bet it was the first thought of the lectionary writers, who decided to make these verses an Old Testament Advent reading. But although we can see its connection to Jesus now, would we be able to do so if we were hearing Balaam’s proclamation for ourselves and not reading it in our Scripture? Maybe we have some idea of a future Messiah, but the description is vague and could apply to many leaders of the Hebrew people throughout the Old Testament. Even now, there are other figures in Scripture to which we could connect this passage, not the least of which is King David. But here in the 21st century, and especially during Advent, we see Jesus.

In multiple places throughout Scripture, we see a foreshadowing of Jesus’ arrival here on earth. The reason we can is because we know that Jesus has already become Christ Incarnate, and we can see the similarities between the prophecies and Jesus. For us here and now, it’s both a prediction of the future, a reminder of something that has already come to pass, and our present reality—God is with us.

Advent is a celebration of the now and the not-yet. It’s a time when we get together with our friends and family, remember the holidays of the past, and look forward to what the future may bring. Above all, I hope you can live in the here and now during this season, with all the joy, hope and promise that it has. For Immanuel has already come to dwell with us.

RACHEL MUMAW-SCHWESER

PASTORAL RESIDENT