Jen Ostash-Gooch and Matt Brough talk about Isaiah 64:1-12, the lectionary text for the first Sunday of Advent, that starts with "O that You would tear open the heavens and come down." It is a prayer asking God to do something, to show up, to fix things. This text is for the Sunday of Hope, but often Advent emphasizes the darkness of the world as we anticipate the coming light of Christ. Most of us feel like we don't need more reminders of the darkness and want to just get to the hope and the light. This text tells us that while God addresses our hopes, God's way of doing so is often surprising. We need reminding that our hope must always be in God rather than in the things that we think God ought to do for us.
