Thursday, December 5 

One of the intense things about the first week of Advent is that the traditional gospel reading for the first Sunday in Advent depicts Jesus in the temple, during the week before he was arrested.  (On Sunday, we read these words from the Gospel of Luke, Luke 21:25-36.) It’s weird enough to start our preparations for Christmas by reading a story about grown-up, about-to-die Jesus.  But it gets weirder.  Because the words Jesus speaks aren’t just generic teaching or one of his famous parables.  The words we read at the start of Advent are what’s called apocalyptic literature – or, to put it directly, it sounds like Jesus is speaking about the end of the world. 

Why do we begin our season of preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus by reading about Jesus, shortly before his death, talking about the end of all things? Well, as we discussed in Sunday’s devotion, part of the reason is because Advent is a season when we are honest about how the world is broken and we need God to fix it.  And, it’s also a reminder that Advent isn’t just about a cute little baby – it’s about God stepping into the world.  Advent is about the promise that God will – that, in Jesus, God already has – intervene in our world to overturn injustice, to conquer hatred with the power of God’s own love. 

Advent is a promise that despair does not get the final word.  Advent is a promise that light shines on even the darkest nights.  Advent is a promise that God is making all things new, transforming our everyday way of doing things, and working for good, even when it feels impossible. 

God is at work.  God is bringing change. God is lifting up the downtrodden and setting the captive free.  That’s the story of Advent. And it’s Good News.