Today, as we enter the Advent season and begin a new Church year, we can reflect on the different ways that we experience Christ.
We look back in time to Jesus’ first coming – the child in the manger, God incarnate, who took on human flesh in order to be one with us, to walk with us, to teach us, to heal us, to save us.
We look forward in time to Jesus’ second coming – our King who will bring all things to fulfillment as we achieve our ultimate destiny as children of the Kingdom.
And maybe most importantly we look at our daily lives and reflect on how Christ is present to us in so many ways every day of our lives – present in both our joys and in our hardships, celebrating with us in those most uplifting moments, holding us up in those most difficult moments.
In today’s scripture we hear voices from the past that can apply to our faith lives right now in the present. Just like Isaiah (Isaiah 63: 16-17, 19; 64: 2-7), we approach God with humble trust and joyful hope in God’s plan for us. Just like the Psalmist (Psalm 80) we are confident in God’s care and protection. Just like St. Paul (1 Corinthians 1:3-9) we are thankful for all the gifts that God has provided us. And just like Jesus instructs us (Mark 13:33-37) we remain watchful – we open ourselves to God so that he might nourish us, and sustain us, so that He might live in us, and we in Him.
Humility, trust, joy, hope, confidence, gratitude, and watchfulness. We bring all of this to our Advent journey, and beyond. And as we go forward, our faithful God continues to do his work in us and pour his love into us. And then we go out to do God’s work and pay his love forward.