Unpacking the Mass with Keith Nester

Episode: 2nd Sunday in Advent – Year A
Date: December 3, 2025

Overview:

This episode of Unpacking the Mass with Keith Nester delves into the readings for the second Sunday in Advent (Year A). The focus centers on hope emerging from hopelessness, the advent call to repentance, and the personal and communal preparation required to welcome Christ more fully into our lives. Through a blend of scriptural analysis, personal anecdote, and practical spiritual application, Keith encourages listeners to embrace true repentance that bears fruit, moving from spiritual stagnation to vibrant growth.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hope from Hopelessness: The Stump of Jesse

[08:02–13:09]

• Scriptural Context (Isaiah 11:1–10): Keith begins by painting the historical and emotional landscape of the Israelites, “a people in a time where they had lost a lot of hope. They had been conquered, they had been punished. And they looked around and they thought to themselves, have we been abandoned by God?” [08:02]
• Personal Analogy: Keith recalls the devastation of a derecho windstorm stripping his backyard trees to stumps, paralleling this with the condition of Israel: “I remember we went from having this beautiful park like setting in our backyard to having just nothing—a bunch of stumps.” [09:17]
• Hope in God’s Promise: He emphasizes, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots... When what once felt like a lush forest is now reduced to a bunch of stumps, God promises new life.” [11:26]
• Advent Application: The image invites listeners to anticipate restoration in areas of personal desolation: “Maybe a storm’s ripped through your marriage, through your family, through your body... Christ wants to restore you. He wants to bring life to you. Never give up, my friends.” [13:09]

2. God’s Plan: Inclusion & the Gentiles

[13:09–16:47]

• Keith links the Isaiah prophecy to God’s inclusive vision: “The Jews had a very narrow view of what the Messiah was to accomplish... but not for God. God’s will has always been to draw everyone to Himself, regardless of whether you're a Jew or a Gentile.” [13:33]
• He references Paul’s letter to the Romans (Romans 15:4–9) to reinforce this: “God requires us to prepare… His plan was always about to bring the world to faith. But we've got to repent.” [15:26]
• Noteworthy Quote: “His plan is often bigger than what we think it is, my friends. And we are included in that.” [16:47]

3. Preparation Through Repentance

[16:47–20:06]

• Keith identifies repentance as the theme uniting the readings, especially through John the Baptist: “Now, what was the message of John the Baptist? It all boils down to one word, doesn’t it? Repent. It’s not a popular word because we don’t like it.” [16:56]
• Repentance is clarified as more than sorrow: “The word repentance literally means to change your mindset, to change your thinking.” [17:23]
• He warns, “John didn’t come to reform God’s law; he came to reform the people. See, the people were the problem, not God’s Word.” [18:39]

4. Easy vs. Fruitful: The Cost of Real Growth

[20:06–22:32]

• Metaphor Extension: The new trees planted after the storm serve as an allegory for spiritual renewal. “What do I have to do this year that I didn’t have to do when the stumps were just there? I gotta rake leaves, man.” [20:06]
• Spiritual work comes with challenges: “Sometimes the work of the growth is tough... some of us are content to have an easy life when it comes to our faith than a fruitful life when it comes to our faith.” [20:59]
• Key Reflection Question: “Where have you opted for ease rather than fruit?” [21:05]

5. Corporate & Personal Dimensions of Repentance

[22:32–24:58]

• Repentance is both communal and deeply personal: “This call to repentance is a corporate call to the church as a whole, but it’s also a call to each of us individually, to our hearts.” [22:32]
• Keith connects this with the Mass: “That’s what I love about the Mass, the confiteor... That's a mini repentance in preparation for receiving Jesus.” [23:10]
• He stresses that, “Repentance doesn’t happen outwardly. It happens inwardly. And then the fruit of that is the change.” [23:33]

6. True Repentance Bears Fruit

[24:58–26:20]

• John the Baptist’s message is blunt: “He’s coming to bring judgment, my friends. But what did John say? He also said, you need to bear fruit that befits repentance.” [24:58]
• Outward signs of repentance include humility and seeking mercy: “Not presumption and arrogance, but a fearful recognition of our need for Christ and for His mercy.” [25:49]
• The confiteor’s language is highlighted: “‘Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.’ That humility is the fruit of that.” [26:20]

7. Advent: Expectation, Justice, and Urgency

[26:20–29:43]

• Keith cautions not to sentimentalize Advent: “We know Advent with joyful anticipation. But if we don't have Jesus, if we don't have repentance… He’s coming with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand.” [26:52]
• He warns with John’s imagery: “He will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. Merry Christmas.” [27:36]
• Preparation is compared to readying a home for a guest: “If he was coming over to your house, what would you do to prepare the outside? What about the inside? Let's get our hearts ready for him.” [27:49]
• Practical call: “Maybe you gotta go to confession this week. I probably do. Maybe that's where we get started.” [29:04]
• Final encouragement: “The stumps are easy but they're ugly. The fruit is sometimes difficult but it's beautiful and we want that beauty in our lives, my friends.” [29:43]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Hope Amidst Desolation:
  “When what once felt like a lush forest is now reduced to a bunch of stumps, God promises new life.” [11:26]

• On God’s Inclusive Plan:
  “God’s will has always been to draw everyone to Himself, regardless of whether you're a Jew or a Gentile.” [13:33]

• Defining Repentance:
  “The word repentance literally means to change your mindset, to change your thinking.” [17:23]

• Fruit vs. Ease:
  “It would be way easier if you just left it all as a stump, wouldn’t it? It wouldn’t be very beautiful... but it would be easier. And some of us are content to have an easy life when it comes to our faith than a fruitful life.” [20:44]

• Personal Challenge:
  “Where have you opted for ease rather than fruit?” [21:05]

• Corporate and Individual Repentance:
  “This call to repentance is a corporate call to the church as a whole, but it’s also a call to each of us individually, to our hearts.” [22:32]

• Application to the Mass:
  “That’s what I love about the Mass, the confiteor in the beginning, when we confess our sins. That’s a mini repentance and anticipation in preparation for receiving Jesus.” [23:10]

• On Humility as Fruit:
  “Not presumption and arrogance, but a fearful recognition of our need for Christ and for His mercy.” [25:49]

• Preparing for Christ’s Coming:
  “What do you have to do to prepare? Maybe you gotta go to confession this week. I probably do. Maybe that's where we get started.” [29:04]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 08:02 – Storm and stumps: Personal story and Isaiah prophecy
• 13:09 – God’s plan for all peoples and the Advent link
• 16:32 – Inclusion of Gentiles and Paul’s argument in Romans
• 16:47 – Repentance as essential preparation (John the Baptist)
• 20:06 – Growth vs. ease metaphor: “You gotta rake leaves”
• 22:32 – Repentance: corporate and individual call
• 23:10 – Confiteor as repentance in the Mass
• 24:58 – Bearing fruit as evidence of real change
• 27:49 – Preparing for Jesus at home and in heart
• 29:04 – Call to confession and practical repentance

Final Thoughts & Encouragement

• Keith ends with a heartfelt reminder:
  “God’s got a plan for you. Don’t give up on it. Pursue Him, because He’s pursuing you, my friends.” [29:43]

Summary:
This episode blends scriptural exegesis, practical spirituality, and vivid personal storytelling. Listeners are challenged to move beyond spiritual complacency. Advent is not just about waiting passively, but about active preparation—embracing the sometimes difficult, always beautiful task of repentance so that Christ’s presence may bear visible fruit in their lives and in the world.