Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Sunday, Dec. 1
Mark 6:30 – 7:23 Click here to read
Today begins my favorite season of the year: Advent.
I like Advent for a lot of reasons. Once upon a time I appreciated that it was one of the few Christian observances that hadn’t been corrupted with commercialization, but some time when I wasn’t looking online stores blossomed with “Advent calendars” that count down to Christmas with daily treats, ranging from chocolate to toys to perfume to tequila.
This has painful irony, for Advent started as a season similar to Lent—a time of solemn reflection and repentance.
On Wednesday this week we reflected on the word “incarnation,” which is a term for something that is not human taking on human form.
To the Christian world, the ultimate incarnation happened on a lonely night in Bethlehem, when a young couple welcomed their child who was so much more than that.
But Christmas isn’t just a baby shower.
And it’s Advent that puts it into perspective.
Advent is about light coming into darkness. It’s about God creating a world and calling it good, only to see his creation turn away from him into sin and idolatry. It’s about God making the incomprehensibly loving decision to take on the pain and limitations of the human form to show us what we should have been doing all along.
This time of the year can ring hollow when we think of it as just a season of mandatory happiness where sadness is a moral failing. We each carry some memory of the holiday that is less than joyous—that’s part of our observance, too.
And, as we are in the literal darkest days of the year, approaching the time of reflection that typically comes with the turning of the calendar we can’t help think of the challenges ahead and the uncertainty 2025 will bring.
This year we also face a new presidential administration. Some look forward with anticipation and some with fear, but all agree that it will be a year of change and challenge.
Jesus is the light in the darkness and the voice of calm in the storm.
Turn your eyes on him rather than the wind and rain and waves, and you’ll find that he can handle them.