Advent. Coming. The bringing of
hope. The discovery of peace. The embodiment of love. The beginning of joy.
This is the season in which we celebrate the greatest love God has ever shown us:
the arrival of Jesus. He is Emmanuel: God come to be with us. He is Messiah: God
our Savior. He is the Christ-child: the anointed one of God.
Even in birth, Jesus exalted the
lowly. A baby who will one day redeem us and reconcile us: born to a woman of
no consequence, made great by the blessing of our God. A baby of infinite
splendor: born in a barn and laid in a feeding trough. A baby who had been
praised by the angels: greeted on Earth by shepherds.
Even as a toddler, Jesus opposed
the proud. The mighty Herod: shown to be a jealous coward. The extravagant
Rome: shown to be worthless.
Thirty-three years later, mankind
would see all of this culminate in one glorious act of love. Jesus, the Anointed
One, the Embodiment of God, freely gives himself as the sacrificial Lamb, the
propitiation of sin, then rises from the dead to become our living Messiah. On
the cross, we see the proud and the lowly together. Even on the cross, Jesus
exalted the lowly, giving life to the condemned thief. Even in death, Jesus
opposed the proud, choosing to stay on the cross then rising to defeat death
forever. In Him, we hope. In Him, we have peace with God. In Him, we love. In
Him there is joy.
This is Advent: Jesus.
