Posted by Jacob Heiss, Associate Pastor
The season of advent is all about preparation. We are told in the gospel according to Luke that when Jesus was born, his mother, Mary, had no choice but to wrap him “in swaddling cloths and lay him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (cf. Luke 2:7). Mary had just traveled many miles with her fiance, Joseph, but the inn keeper they encountered had no room–not even for a new born baby! What can we do to “make room” in our hearts for Jesus as we prepare to celebrate his birth during this holiday season?
Some of us struggle with distractions like what fancy new toy we might want or which holiday party to attend; on the other hand, many of us struggle with much greater challenges connected to the broken world in which we live. How can we make room in our hearts for Jesus when are hearts are so downcast by the never ending flood of bad news and hard times that afflict us–from the moment we wake up and hear the morning news to the moment we lay ourselves down again to rest? We find one solution to this very real problem near the very beginning of the Christmas story as the gospel writer tells it.According to Luke 1:26-38, that very same baby Jesus that Mary held in all his fragility was more than just a cute infant. As the angel, Gabriel, put it, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… of his kingdom there will be no end… For nothing will be impossible with God.” As we confront the challenges that face our world during this Advent season, let’s remember this truth. To lift a quote the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. liked to insert in his reflections on scripture, “Although the arc of the universe is long, it bends towards justice.”
May you receive and find encouragement in and celebrate the divinity of Jesus, our true King who will one day reign fully and forever.
If you missed Pastor Jacob’s message on 12/14, listen via podcast.