My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. - Luke 1:46b-47
This Advent invites us all to reframe the way we look at the world. Rather than looking through an earthly lens of the daily tasks we have to execute, we will view the world through the sacred story of scripture, especially the Christmas story.
In some ways, we're tempted to think that Scripture is outdated because its science is inaccurate. Some of the social norms are confusing, and some of the stories are confounding. But like Dr. Seuss's stories, they're meant to break our brain and shake us out of a stupor, enabling us to see the world from a new vantage point.
The lens of God's activity in the world manifests most clearly through the birth of Jesus Christ and His presence. And so suddenly, time itself transforms.
With a worldly lens, when things are going poorly, we get distressed. We get weighed down with anxiety. We get confused, and we sometimes get frozen in place. But in fact, what Scripture tells us is when the world is going bad, that's when we should lift up our heads.
As Christians, instead of those moments weighing us down, the call from Jesus is to look to the heavens because God is right around the corner and is about to arrive. And that doesn't make us sit in a waiting mode; it's supposed to energize us into action.
Advent Hope
For Advent, part of it is waiting and expectation, but the waiting requires preparation. In times of challenge, hardship, and busy schedules, we look to the heavens. We remember that God is right on the horizon, so we have hope.
Advent Praise
John the Baptist calls us to repent. But this doesn’t mean feeling sorry, it means turning our life in a new direction. This happens most powerfully through worship and prayer. Because Christ is coming into the world, that leads us, like the angels, to praise God. And then, through that act of praise, we become aware of all God's blessings we have received which empower us to transform through God’s presence.
Advent Blessings
Thus, Mary pours out her soul that is filled with joy. Even though she spoke of hardship in her song—her heart for the poor, her heart for the downtrodden weighed her down—yet her song is not one of despondency. It is one of exultant hope.
That's how she begins her song because she knows that God shall deliver. This is the act of faith. It's not only about a feeling inside your gut but a bold proclamation in the midst of apparent facts to the contrary that God has won the victory.
Advent Awe
These blessings then lead us to awe—an awe at the preciousness of life. In fact, oftentimes, it's only in those hard moments that we're fully aware of the wonder of God's love, the gift of the Christ child. Like the shepherds, we stand in awe—that this is the length that God is willing to go.
Then, we discover something more powerful and deep about the nature of God than we possibly could have imagined or conceived on our own. The story of Scripture is not one that we could predict, or even the most creative minds could invent on their own. It's too improbable.
But we know for a fact that it has changed the lives of millions and billions. The evidence of its truth is found in the lives of the believers, the martyrs who sacrificed, the servants in churches, and the prisoners who are set free.
Prayer of Confession: Lord, the Christmas story is filled with fond memories and offers us deep comfort each and every year. But we confess that sometimes we fail to see its challenges. Your servants in the midst of the greatest story ever told made hard journeys, faced hunger, faced the oppression of rulers, and the neglect of friends. Through Your spirit’s power may we never forget the deep sacrifices made for our sake so that we might be willing to see the faces of the people for whom the Christ Child came – the poor, the tired, the hungry, and the forgotten. Amen.
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