Advent Devotional: Dec 22
Luke 1:46b-55 | Isaiah 33:17-22 | Revelation 22:6-7, 18-20
“He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” (Luke 1:54-55)
There’s a modern Christmas song that begins, “Mary, did you know?” I find it unlikely that Mary didn’t know her son was sent to fulfill the promises of God as she sang the Magnificat to her cousin Elizabeth (Luke 1:46-55). It seems improbable that the Virgin Mary was unaware of the difficulty which lay ahead when she heard the words of Simeon: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35) Years later, Mary went to Jesus for help during a wedding feast at Cana. Jesus performed his first miracle in response to Mary’s request (John 2:1-11). Yes, my friends, Mary knew!
Mary’s life was not easy. She was poor. She was likely scorned when she became pregnant before her wedding day. She became an immigrant who fled her home to seek asylum in Egypt when Herod threatened her child. She watched her son suffer and die. But through it all, Mary found peace in the knowledge that God was fulfilling his promises to Israel. God the Father prepared her to be the mother of God the Son and was with her always. The same God is with us! God prepares us for our future, walks with us in our struggles, and reminds us that he is true to his every word. The grace of God in Jesus Christ can fill us with joy in every circumstance as we await the return of the Lord. Come, Lord Jesus!
Prayer Response: O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Word and Revelation of the Eternal Father, come, we pray Thee, take possession of our hearts, and reign where Thou hast right to reign. So fill our minds with the thought and our imaginations with the picture of Thy love, that there may be in us no room for any desire that is discordant with Thy holy will. Cleanse us, we pray Thee, from all that may make us deaf to Thy call or slow to obey it, Who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, art one God, blessed forever.
- William Temple (1881-1944)
Readings from the Revised Common Lectionary
Scripture taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica, Inc.
Prayer of Dependence by Williams Temple from The Oxford Book of Prayer, George Appleton (Ed), Oxford ;
New York : Oxford University Press, 1986, ©1985, p. 55.
Reflection by Rev. Serena J. Wolfe
