Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 • Jeremiah 1:4-10 • Acts 11:19-26
Jeremiah was a prophet called from a priestly family that had a history of conflict with the indulgent house of David. His family had long advocated for a return to God’s ways, and Jeremiah is called to make this critique public in what will be a time of upheaval and transition for Israel, her kings, and her people. God promises that Jeremiah will speak God’s words and that God will be with Jeremiah, but there is no promise that his work will be easy or well-received. Jeremiah faces hardships and persecution for his message, and he watches his nation conquered and his people taken in exile. Through it all, God is indeed with Jeremiah, and Jeremiah remains faithful. I am writing this in October and finding I have much uncertainty about the world we will be living in when you read this in December. But I am certain that God will be with us and that if we put God’s words in our mouth, God’s faithfulness will not fail us even if we find ourselves in a time of upheaval and transition. Indeed, upheaval and transition as God’s will breaks into the world is at the core of Advent hope. Advent calls us into a season of new birth, but a new birth that comes from pain and uncertainty. Let us, with Jeremiah, stand confident that God is delivering us into the new world God is creating.
God of Jeremiah and of Jesus, give us confidence that you are with us, help us to hear your voice and to speak your words.
The Rev. Hope Benko
Director of Enrollment Management and Admissions
Seminary of the Southwest
Listen to Hope read her meditation and prayer:
The Rev. Hope Benko is Director of Enrollment Management and Admissions for Seminary of the Southwest. In this role, she also administers several student services including financial aid, both internal grants and federal student loans, on-campus housing, and the seminary’s on-campus (work study) employment program. Hope was ordained in the Diocese of Missouri in 2006. Before coming to Southwest, she served in parishes in the dioceses of Missouri and Western Louisiana and as a school chaplain in the Diocese of Fort Worth. A lifelong Episcopalian, she relishes building relationships throughout the wider church to welcome new students to our community. She is a graduate of Stephens College and of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. Hope is married to the The Rev. Dr. Andrew Benko and together they are have two children and a labradoodle.
The Advent Meditations and Prayers are a gift to our seminary community and are made possible through gifts to our Annual Fund. Seminary of the Southwest appreciates the support of its friends, alumni, and the communities around the world that its graduates serve for the glory of God. This support ensures that Southwest, as an institution made of individuals dedicated to service to God and their fellow members of the body of Christ, can continue doing its part to build the body of Christ.
