Advent Day 8
Second Week of Advent
Sunday, December 8th
68“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn[a] of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:68-79 NIV)
Zechariah and Elizabeth thought they were well past the age of childbearing, but now the angel Gabriel announces they will have a baby. What a scandal. What a miracle. Elizabeth’s unmarried cousin Mary is unexpectedly pregnant, too. Imagine Elizabeth and Mary’s shared joy as they touch each other’s growing bellies, delighting in the surprise and wonder of what God was up to. These were not the plans they had anticipated for their lives. But here God comes to fulfill a promise not just for them but for the whole world, “because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us” (Luke 1:78)
A tender little Italian Christmas song celebrates this perfectly, Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle, written in 1744 by Saint Alphonso Liguori. With childlike simplicity, it sings to the baby Jesus:
You came down from the stars,
O King of heaven,
to a cave in the cold and frost.
O divine baby I see You trembling here.
Ah how much it costs You to love us like this.
You who are creator of all the world.2 (translation).
We have an opportunity during this season to sit in wonder and delight at what God has done and is still doing. The coming of Jesus is a fulfillment of a promise that the hungry will be fed, the hurting and suffering will find comfort and compassion, and justice will reign. The mighty reversal of the world has just begun, and during Advent, we are reminded to look for these promises being fulfilled, even if we only catch a glimpse.
Wherever you are in the world, whether looking up at the Big Dipper, or the Southern Cross, or at the moon sticking around during the daytime, let’s be together in this pause. Let’s look long and let the stars speak of the coming wonder. The beauty that will be. Promises that are still to come might look entirely unlike anything we might have planned.
O God, teach me to sit in wonder and awe of the marvelous things You have done and are yet to accomplish. Help me to learn to stand still long enough to let my eyes adjust to the darkness until the starlight begins to appear. Amen.
