The Fourth Sunday of Advent

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” — Mary, the mother of Jesus

Up to this point, we have been accompanying John the Baptizer in our Advent journey. We have been anticipating the coming of God to earth through the eyes and from the lips of John. We have observed his strange diet, his baptizing at the Jordan and his calling Israel to repent and bear fruit worthy of that repentance. We have observed his allegiance to the coming kingdom of God.

However, on this fourth Sunday of Advent, we are invited to experience the anticipation through the eyes and from the lips of Mary, the mother of Jesus. With Mary, the coming One is not simply being proclaimed, but she has actually become pregnant with this coming Reality! What does Mary say to us today? Might we also follow in her steps in birthing Christ into the world?

I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday! Peace.