The gentle throbbing, I wonder: Is it normal?
When I finish brushing my teeth these days, I notice it – capillaries rhythmically rushing blood to the soft tissue of my gums. This sensation, the gentle throbbing, ends within a minute or two. Still, it’s clear my mouth is getting a cleansing workout (one that it’s not at all accustomed to) from my recently acquired Sonic-Fusion toothbrush.
Fancy that: My dentist and oral hygienist might actually know what they’re talking about. On a recent visit, they both recommended that I upgrade my oral care equipment. Odd advice, I thought, given the fact that they routinely provide a “free” old-school toothbrush at the conclusion of every check-up.
But what the heck, I figured: we’re seeing technological upgrades in many other areas of life these days. Why not see if the lowly toothbrush might also benefit from a little extra “tech.” Or a LOT of extra tech, in this case. The contraption I purchased combines “sonic” cleaning (“up to 62,000 brush strokes per minute!”) with a water-pulse flossing action. Hence the term “fusion.” You’re getting two beneficial actions in one, or so the theory goes.
All I know is, I feel a gentle throbbing in my gums for a bit when I’m done. And I’m hoping that’s a good thing for the long-term health of my teeth and gums.
As I ponder this change in my daily routine – this fusion-powered upgrade – I couldn’t help but notice how odd pairings, unexpected pairings, emerge as kind of a theme in the scripture readings we’re given on the Second Sunday in Advent.
First, the prophet Isaiah startles us with his vision:
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the young lion shall browse together…
Then in the gospel passage from Matthew, another great prophet – John – is disturbed by this scene:
…he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism…
…which is to say: Pharisees and Sadducees, these theo-political enemies, coming together in an odd alliance … conspiring perhaps to take the Baptist down a notch.
John doesn’t seem fazed by the threat. If anything, he turns the tables on this pack of posers from the temple: “You brood of vipers!”, he calls them. And in the process, I hear him calling me to considering changing up my routines: “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”
Why repent? Because the Mighty One is coming, John says. Coming, with power, to upend all my assumptions and raise my expectations. Will I be prepared for the salvation – the entirely-new cleansing workout – He offers?
O Wisdom
Lord and Ruler
Root of Jesse
Key of David
Rising Sun
King of the Nations
Emmanuel
Come, Lord Jesus!
Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy & Merciful One.
IHS
With Us Still 