Psalm 5, 6; Isaiah 1: 21-31; Luke 20: 9-18
| How long, O Lord, how long must we wait in the narthex of preparation, marking time until future’s procession is fully formed, only then to be released to step across the threshold and into the revelry of vocative destiny.Israel wanders forty years, Mary waits nine months, Jesus decays in the damp, dark tomb for three days, before promised land, and pregnant hope, and paschal mystery are delivered into the fullness of enfleshed satisfaction and purpose. And only then, when time has incubated sufficiently in the womb of peace and patience— which are the gifts of God for the people of God— can the embryonic promise become the parous reality of fulfilled joy, wrapped in swaddling clothes of divine hope and trust in us— only then can we say, Come, Immanuel, Come, and be born in our hearts. O Come, O come, Immanuel, come and be born in our hearts. Amen. The Very Rev. Dr. Steven L. Thomason, ’04 Dean and Rector, Saint Mark’s Cathedral Seattle, Washington 2014 Hal Brook Perry Distinguished Alumni Award Winner |
2014 Advent Meditations Front Page
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Steve was called to Saint Mark’s in the summer 2012 after serving in the Diocese of Arkansas, most recently at St. Paul’s in Fayetteville. Previously, he had served as Rector of St. Thomas in Springdale, Arkansas, and as a Canon Missioner for the Diocese. He was ordained in 2004 after attending the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, where he earned a Master of Divinity. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Arkansas. Steve is board certified in family medicine and in hospice/palliative medicine, and practiced for more than 20 years before turning to parish ministry full-time in 2012. He and his wife Kathy have been married for 28 years and have two adult daughters. He occasionally blogs at www.stevethomason.blogspot.com.
