Happy Advent! We have
begun a new church year, and the very first season happens to be my
favorite.
Advent: If the little
Latin I learned serves, the word comes from ad
veni – come into or come toward.
This is the season that gears us up for Christ’s coming.
Normally when we hear those words, “Christ’s coming,” we
think of Christmas. Advent is the time
that prepares us for Jesus’ birth. That
is good and fitting. This season is a
time for preparing our hearts and minds to celebrate that the Savior of the
World has come. This is a time of
anticipation. It is reflective of the
Old Testament when the people of God waited for the Messiah to come, and we
long for the Christ Child to come to us, too.
It is good to yearn for Jesus’ presence.
However, Jesus is not going to come to us as a child
again. Make no mistake, however, Jesus
is coming! He comes to us even now in
the Word and Sacraments. He will come
again, though, as King and Judge, riding on the clouds, escorted by angels and
saints, announced by trumpets and we will meet him in the skies. Advent is also a time to prepare for that
coming when He brings our salvation and gives us eternal life.
Yesterday we started a sermon series titled, Baby Makes
Three, in which we are looking at how Mary and Joseph prepared for their family
of two to become a family of three, and we’ll compare that to how we prepared
as parents to welcome our children into our families. We observed that one of the first things we
want to do when we find out we’re having a baby is announce the good news. We want to share our joy.
The same was true for Mary when she found out that she was
going to be the mother of our Lord Jesus.
However, her situation as an unwed mother was much more complicated than
the picture perfect scenario so many of us experienced. Nonetheless, she received God’s Word in
faith, “I am the Lord’s handmaiden. Let
it be to me as you have said.”
Why did God choose Mary?
Was she somehow less sinful than other people? Was she more theologically astute than other
girls in her village?
It was out of God’s grace that God chose Mary. And she responded with joy to the honor she
had been given. She sang, “My soul magnifies
the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
Mary is a wonderful example of faith that responds to God’s mercy.
Think about this for a moment. Why did God choose you? Why did He call you and make you His own in
Baptism? Because of His grace!
Now we too can respond, “My soul magnifies the Lord, my
spirit rejoices in God my savior!” He
has had mercy on us and sent a savior to redeem us in the most remarkable,
unimaginable way. He gave his only
begotten Son to take on human flesh and die our death so that we might have
life and forgiveness in His resurrection!
So how will you magnify the Lord as you prepare for
Christmas? Don’t be sucked in by the
siren song of the marketers, and don’t be lulled by songs of Santa Clause. Keep Jesus at the center of your
preparation. Remember that Jesus dwells
within you by His Spirit and, similar to Mary, you now bear Him into this world
to bring peace and joy to the world.
What a joy! What an
honor! What grace we have received! No wonder we sing, “Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!”
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