Unpacking the Mass with Keith Nester

Episode Summary: 3rd Sunday in Advent - Year A

Date: December 10, 2025
Theme: Letting God Restore Us – Recognizing the Need for Restoration, Embracing the Process, and Trusting the Restorer

Episode Overview

This week, Keith Nester guides listeners through the Mass readings for the Third Sunday in Advent, Year A, focusing on the powerful theme of restoration—how God desires to restore His people, and how we are called not only to recognize our need for this restoration, but to actively cooperate with God in the often difficult process. Drawing vivid analogies from home and vehicle restoration shows, Keith discusses how Advent is a time not for superficial changes, but for deep transformation—if we are willing to get out of God's way and allow Him to do the work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Restoration: A Deeply Personal Process

• Advent as a Season of Restoration
  • Advent is compared to a "restoration show," where God wants to transform lives, not just redecorate them.
    • “We’re talking about the restoration that God has in store for his people because they needed that and we need that.” (02:26)
• Home Improvement & Restoration Metaphors
  • Keith shares his love of shows like Vintage Harleys Restored and Bar Rescue to illustrate the difference between superficial fixes and true, in-depth renewal.
  • “What does this have to do with our readings? You’re going to see, because in today’s readings we’re talking about the restoration that God has in store for his people." (02:12)

2. Recognizing the Need for Restoration (06:50)

• Israel's Spiritual Decline as a Mirror to Our Lives
  • Just like Israel frequently fell into spiritual decay, so too do individuals need renewal.
  • Keith recounts moving into an old house: the previous owners didn’t see the need for change, a parallel to those who are blind to their own spiritual need for restoration.
  • “Sometimes you see people who…don’t recognize this need. They think everything’s great. They look at their lives even, and they go, I’m fine. I’m good.” (08:01)

3. The Two Stages: Admission and Allowance (10:15)

• Admit You Need Help, Then Let the Expert Work
  • God must be allowed to do the restoration; we cannot build spiritual renewal by ourselves.
  • “We have to allow him to do the work because it’s work that we can’t do ourselves.” (11:37)
  • Like a bar/restaurant owner on a reality show, it’s one thing to cry for help and another to let the experts tear things down to rebuild.

4. The Painful Process of Demolition (14:59)

• Attachments Make Demolition Difficult
  • The analogy of sentimental attachment to old features echoes our reluctance to let go of spiritual clutter.
  • “When it’s our own thing…then when the restorer comes in to do the demolition, ooh, that can feel painful.” (16:12)
  • Keith’s anecdote about being asked to "save the trim" (17:42) demonstrates how emotional attachments to “junk” can hinder true restoration.

5. The Call to Patience (Second Reading: James 5:7-10, 12:24)

• Restoration Is Not Instant
  • James' call to be patient like a farmer waiting for crops is likened to the spiritual life—transformation takes time.
  • “The work of restoration is not quick, and it requires patience…sometimes we have to be reminded of that.” (12:24)
  • Grumbling blocks patience: Complaining about others or circumstances is spiritual resistance.
  • “Grumbling and complaining is the quickest way to short-circuit a restoration.” (13:43)
• Trust and Patience Go Together
  • Allowing the “Restorer” to work requires us to relinquish control fully, just as you trust a skilled builder to handle a renovation.

6. Trusting the Restorer (19:17)

• Full Surrender Brings Full Restoration
  • “If you give him half your soul, then he’ll work in half your soul. If you give him all of it, he’ll work in all of it. You don’t want half a restoration.” (27:41)
  • God’s restoration is a return to our original goodness, not erasing us or making us someone else, but restoring us to His image.

7. Gospel Reflection: John the Baptist’s Questioning (Matthew 11:2-11)

• Restoration Is Jesus’ Portfolio
  • John sends disciples to ask if Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus’ reply is a list of restorative miracles: sight to blind, healing the lame, cleansing lepers.
  • “Restoration is happening. I’m at work, man. Look at my portfolio. Look at the work I’ve done.” (22:12)
• The New vs Old Covenant: The Power of the New
  • Even "the least in the Kingdom" (the New Covenant) is greater than the greatest Old Testament figure.
  • “The best black and white TV…isn’t as good as the worst HDTV today. That’s what we’re talking about here.” (26:23)
  • The New Covenant instituted by Christ offers a restoration and relationship that surpasses anything before.

8. Examining Our Resistance (29:20)

• Are We Clinging to Old “Trim”?
  • The Pharisees resisted Jesus because they clung to old ways and power.
  • “What are you keeping in the way of what God’s trying to do in your life?” (29:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We can’t armchair quarterback the Restorer. We can’t resist the Restorer." (27:47)
• “You have to take responsibility for your need for restoration, not blame everybody else for the condition that you are in.” (14:13)
• “Stop looking around at other people or other situations and blaming that or them for the work that God needs to do in your life.” (19:17)
• “If you give him half of your soul, then he’ll work in half of your soul. If you give him all of it, he’ll work in all of it.” (27:41)
• “Let him do his work and trust me—get out of the way. Stop letting your attachments to your old junk get in the way of the new thing I’m trying to build in your life.” (18:26)
• "Even the worst house that had to be restored after the restorer is done with it, it's better than the best before restoration." (25:59)
• "You can have patience when you have trust. So the question is, do you trust God? Do you trust the Restorer and what He can do in your life?" (20:06)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Introduction & Restoration Imagery – 00:21-02:26
• First Reading: Isaiah and Hope for Restoration – 02:26-06:50
• Spiritual Parallel: Recognizing Our Own Need – 06:50-08:59
• Admitting Need vs. Allowing the Work – 10:15-11:37
• Pain of Demolition / Emotional Attachments – 14:59-19:17
• Patience & Trust in Restoration – 12:24-14:13; 19:17-20:06
• Gospel on Restoration: John the Baptist’s Doubt – 21:25-24:43
• Old vs New Covenant Analogy – 25:59-27:41
• Are We Letting God Work or Resisting? – 29:20-30:45

Listener Takeaways

• Advent is meant to be a time of deep restoration, not cosmetic change.
• True spiritual renovation requires two things: admitting we need it, and surrendering control to God.
• The demolition phase—letting go of attachments—is often the most difficult part.
• Patience and trust in God’s process are essential; grumbling and blaming short-circuit transformation.
• Even the “least” participant in God’s New Covenant is transformed beyond the best human efforts before Christ.
• Reflection: Where are you resisting God’s restoration in your life? What attachments are you still clinging to?

Closing Challenge

Keith concludes by encouraging listeners to reflect throughout the week on ways they might be resisting God’s work in their lives and to allow themselves to be fully restored:

“What you will become after God's done with you is beyond your wildest imagination.” (30:33)

May we enter Advent not as a self-sufficiency project, but a time to surrender, trust, and become new through Christ the Restorer.