At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:1-5‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

Today is the Advent Sunday of Love. Our journey through this season is drawing to an end. A few more steps, a few more days and the celebration will be upon us. 

But for now, we continue our journey as we remember the journey that Joseph and Mary took. From Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem, the city of David. 

Mary and Joseph travelled because a census was being taken and they had to go to Joseph’s home town in order to be counted. That was the reason they had for taking their journey. But we know that the real reason was that God had decided that Bethlehem would be the pace where Love would put on flesh and bone and become one of us. The prophets foretold it.

And so they travelled. Because the world needed Love. Not in some sentimental or schmaltzy way. The world needed the pure, unspoiled love of God to become human. To be one of us so that we could know him. So that He could teach and heal and save us. So that, putting our trust in Him, we could live with him forever. 

This Advent, may you know that Love came down at Christmas. May you know that Love crossed the universe for you. And may you trust in the Love that came to save us all. 

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:38‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

When I was younger, a friend of mine told me she couldn’t stand Mary. She thought Mary was weak – just another woman pushed around by the men in her world. Made to serve. Made to bear a child that wasn’t of her choice. 

But I saw it differently. Mary made her choice. She loved God and she loved the child God entrusted to her. She chose to serve because that’s what love does. 

I saw in Mary an incredible strength – maybe quietly expressed, but incredible nonetheless. 

Told unbelievable things by a Heavenly messenger, Mary chooses to declare that she serves God, and asks that it all might happen just as the angel said. That takes strength. That takes faith. That takes love. 

This Advent, may you choose to serve God with great love and quiet strength. And in doing so, may you find that God’s way is the best way. 

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail. ”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:34-37‬ ‭(NLT)

When God gets involved in our world new life happens. God speaks into the dark void, and the land begins to form, the heavens and the waters separate, plants and animals come into being. 

When the power of the Most High overshadows Mary, Jesus is conceived. Her cousin Elizabeth grows pregnant with a son. 

New life happens. 

The same thing takes place inside of us when we draw near to God – hopes and dreams are conceived. Courage to try what we never thought we couldn’t handle grows within. Generosity blooms and spills out to bless others. Relationships long abandoned are healed and reconciled. 

For our God is always doing a new thing. Always bringing new life into existence. 

This Advent, may you draw close to God. May new things happen in you and spill out to bless others. May you experience the joy of all this. 

An image for this Wordless Wednesday in this season of waiting.

 (It is a Wordless Wednesday simply because I feel Wordless and today happens to be Wednesday! When I am Wordless, I tend to get by wth a little help from other writers, and Fredrick Beuchner has always been an extraordinary writer. So take some time to contemplate this as we continue our Advent journey.)

“Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:29-33‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

The angel’s message must have come as quite a shock, but also quite a joy to Mary. After all, what mother doesn’t have high hopes for her child? And to be told from the beginning that her son would be unique – would be the Son of the Most High whose kingdom would never end. 

What a joy! What a wonderful piece of news. What a beautiful message to receive. 

And here we are, more than two thousand years later. Still telling the story. Still trying to get our heads around what it must have been like for her, what she must have felt and thought. 

Indeed, his Kingdom has not ended. His name is still above every name. He is still ruling over the faithful – bringing us freedom and  forgiveness and new life. What a joy to know this story. What a joy to hear it told again. What a joy to enter into its mystery and wonder and awe. 

This Advent, may you know the joy of this infant King who rules through eternity. May you be awed but the circumstances that surround his birth. May the message bring you new insights, fresh delight and abundant life. 

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:26-28‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

So begins Mary’s story. Those of us who hear these readings every December know what comes next – Mary was confused and afraid. Out of her depth and trying to understand. 

But these first angelic words are cause for great joy – Mary is favored and the Lord is with her. This is reason to rejoice. But here’s the thing about joy – it’s like so many of our human emotions. It comes in the midst of the mess of other things we are feeling. These words are cause for joy, but also confusion and maybe a little fear. 

 We are complex, in that we can feel a whole lot of things at once. And the story of God’s coming among us is full of all kind of emotion – surprise, wonder, joy, peace, sadness, confusion, anger. So many things to feel and to try to sort out. 

Still, I am thankful for the joy of this angelic announcement. Though it was not easy for Mary to hear, or to understand. And though it would not be easy to carry out all that God would ask of her. 

That’s the way of it when God calls any one of us to do something – there is joy in knowing that God cares and that God has a purpose for you. But all of the other emotions will enter in as well, as one tries to live out their calling. 

This Advent, as you try to live out God’s calling on your life – may you remember the joy of being called in the first place. May you experience the joy of knowing that God has a purpose for you. And may you pursue God with your whole heart. 

“Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return.
They will enter Jerusalem singing,
crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
and they will be filled
with joy and gladness.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭35:10‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

Today is the Advent Sunday of Joy. This day marks a turning in our Advent journey. We turn from quiet expectation to joyful celebration. The coming of the Christ draws near. The reason for all our preparation and celebration. 

For me it has been a long, busy and wonderful day. I am tired, but also reminded of how good it is when God’s people gather together. Once again I’m feeling a little wordless. So I leave you with the wonderful passage from Isaiah above, the image below and the wish that as you continue to celebrate, all your days would be merry and bright. 

“I have seen what they do,
but I will heal them anyway!
I will lead them.
I will comfort those who mourn,
bringing words of praise to their lips.
May they have abundant peace,
both near and far,”
says the LORD, who heals them.
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭57:18-19‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

Sometimes people who are far from God look at Christians (who, hopefully, are close to God) and think we have it all together. Sometimes we seem to – we arrive at Church on Sunday mornings dressed nicely, smiling at others as we greet them. Sometimes we look like people who’ve never had a problem in our lives. 

But I promise you, everyone in church is fighting some kind of difficult battle you know nothing about. They may carry shame for the things that have said or done in the past. They may be struggling just to find the strength to smile. Maybe the clothes that look so nice hide bruises and scars. Maybe they feel like everything is falling apart in their lives, or balancing on a knife edge of disaster. 

Maybe you’ve heard the saying that church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners. We go there because we know our own brokenness so keenly, because we know our need for God better than anyone. 

The very good news is that Jesus didn’t come for those whose lives were already together. He spent his time with the worst kind of people. And he called out of them the best kind of transformation. 

You see – God knows what we have done, but chooses to send his Son to heal us anyway. God knows our problems and our messes and our stains. He knows our need. And out of his great compassion he sent Jesus to be with us, to teach us and then to lay down his life for us. So we could be healed. So we could know peace. Whether we are near or far. 

This Advent may you trust the LORD who heals you. May you have abundant peace whether you are near or far. 

“You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord, the Lord himself,
is the Rock eternal.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3-4‬ (‭NIV‬‬)

Peace is elusive. Especially in a world like ours. Especially in times like these. 

It seems that every time we turn on the news we find our peace slipping away. Nation rages against nation. People wreak violenceupon each other. Even the weather seems to be getting worse all the time – the storms seem to get stronger, the disasters bigger. 

In times like these, does it even make sense to talk about peace, never mind to hope for it?

The story of the birth of Jesus was also filled with danger, with trouble, with a lack of peace. Herod wanted to kill the baby, and indeed – he killed many in the attempt to stop Jesus from fulfilling his destiny as King.

One of my favourite Christmas songs starts with these words: “It was not a silent night, there was blood on the ground, you could hear a woman cry in the alleyway that night, on the streets of David’s town.”

You see, as much as we love the silent, peaceful, pretty Christmas card images of the birth of the Messiah – it wasn’t really like that. 

It was real. Which means it was messy and painful and confusing even while it was beautiful and precious. Because real life is like that – all the things messed up together. 

So yes, it makes sense to talk about peace. At least, it does when we are focused in the right direction. When we are oriented towards the One who came to bring us peace. When we are centered on the Rock eternal, who keeps us in perfect peace. 

So, this Advent, may you remember that though it was not a silent night, it certainly was a holy one. And may you find yourself drawn to the One who is our perfect peace, for this moment and for every moment.  

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:14‬ (‭NKJV‬‬)

The thing is – it had never been done before. The immortal, omniscient, omnipotent Word becoming mortal and vulnerable and limited. The power of creation becoming one of the created. God becoming man. 

It had never been done before, and it has never been done since. In fact, it isn’t even imagined in other world religions. All of humanity’s thinking about God is that God is “wholly other.” Completely unlike us. On the other side of a vast and deep chasm. 

But the thing is, God wanted peace. For us. With us. God wanted to know us completely and wanted us to be able to say “God KNOWS what this is like.”

So God came down. Became human. Crossed the chasm. 

So that a way could be made for us.  So that God wouldn’t be wholly other anymore. So that the chasm would be bridged.

This Advent, may you know peace with God, who did what had never been done before – for you.