The Fourth Week of Advent
We Read…
What does it mean to have peace, even when it feels like everything around us is chaotic? Micah tells us that the ruler coming will be a shepherd and one of peace. Psalm 80 tells us that God, our shepherd, will restore us. Even when our lives don’t feel at peace, even when we look outside and see a world at odds, we know that Jesus offers peace to us. God is our shepherd; God walks with us, knows us, and guides us, and God’s presence brings us peace.
When Mary accepted the call to carry baby Jesus, I can imagine that she felt a lot of different emotions: fear, worry, excitement, wonder, questioning, overwhelmed, and so many more. Her head and heart were probably swirling around as she thought about what this would mean for her future marriage, family, and reputation. But when chaos threatened to reign, Mary turned to someone she trusted (Elizabeth) and God and rejoiced. She found peace knowing that God would be with her, no matter what. It didn’t change what she would walk through in the coming days. She still had to navigate conversations with her family, judging stares from her neighbors, prepping for a baby…but she knew God was there.
Micah 5:2-5a
2 As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
though you are the least significant
of Judah’s forces,
one who is to be a ruler in Israel
on my behalf
will come out from you.
His origin is from remote times,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore, he will give them up
until the time when
she who is in labor gives birth.
The rest of his kin will return
to the people of Israel.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name
of the Lord his God.
They will dwell secure,
because he will surely become great
throughout the earth.
Psalm 80:1-7
1 Shepherd of Israel, listen!
You, the one who leads Joseph
as if he were a sheep.
You, who are enthroned
upon the winged heavenly creatures.
Show yourself 2 before Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh!
Wake up your power!
Come to save us!
3 Restore us, God!
Make your face shine
so that we can be saved!
4 Lord God of heavenly forces,
how long will you fume
against your people’s prayer?
5 You’ve fed them bread made of tears;
you’ve given them tears
to drink three times over!
6 You’ve put us at odds with our neighbors;
our enemies make fun of us.
7 Restore us, God of heavenly forces!
Make your face shine
so that we can be saved!
Hebrews 10:5-10
5 Therefore, when he comes into the world he says,
You didn’t want a sacrifice or an offering,
but you prepared a body for me;
6 you weren’t pleased with entirely burned
offerings or a sin offering.
7 So then I said,
“Look, I’ve come to do your will, God.
This has been written about me
in the scroll.”
8 He says above, You didn’t want and you weren’t pleased with a sacrifice or an offering or with entirely burned offerings or a purification offering, which are offered because the Law requires them. 9 Then he said, Look, I’ve come to do your will. He puts an end to the first to establish the second. 10 We have been made holy by God’s will through the offering of Jesus Christ’s body once for all.
Luke 1:39-55
39 Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. 40 She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. 43 Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
46 Mary said,
“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
47 In the depths of who I am
I rejoice in God my savior.
48 He has looked with favor
on the low status of his servant.
Look! From now on, everyone
will consider me highly favored
49 because the mighty one
has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
50 He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.
51 He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant
thoughts and proud inclinations.
52 He has pulled the powerful
down from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry
with good things
and sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has come to the aid
of his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
55 just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s
descendants forever.”
We Think…
What stands out to you in these verses? Does anything confuse you or not make sense?
How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or the church? What are you considering?
What questions come to mind?
What do you think of when you hear the word “peace”?
How is God’s peace different than the world’s peace?
We Feel…
What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
Where have you seen God today or this week? What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, a friend or adult that cares for you)?
What has God made new in your life? In your heart?
When have you experienced God’s peace?
How can you share peace with people around you?
We Believe…
God could have chosen any way to come to earth. God could have sent a fully grown Jesus on a chariot of fire to proclaim what God was doing; we could have received a mighty king who came to overthrow every earthly authority; we could have seen Jesus fly into town on a private jet and collect millions of dollars before heading back off to the Bahamas…okay you get the point. But instead, we watch as Jesus is born in a manger as a lowly baby. God came in an unexpected way, and Mary’s proclamation in Luke 1 reminds us of this. Mary shows us that God has come to do great things in unexpected ways. God has pulled the powerful down, fed the hungry, and sent the rich away. God’s upside-down kingdom is here, and Mary is the first one to give words to what is happening! We believe that God came as a baby, that Jesus walked among us and lived a real life next to us, and that God chose to do this purposefully. It wasn’t an accident, and it wasn’t the only option. Advent and Christmas reveal our God's love, humility, grace, and intentionality.
We Practice…
This Advent season, take time each day to reflect on what Jesus’s birth means to you. Share this with a small group or a friend who can reflect alongside you. End with this prayer from The Revised Common Lectionary:
O God of Elizabeth and Mary,
you visited your servants with news of the world’s redemption
in the coming of the Savior.
Make our hearts leap with joy,
and fill our mouths with songs of praise,
that we may announce glad tidings of peace,
and welcome Christ in our midst. Amen.*
*This prayer, along with other resources for Advent and other seasons of the church year can be found at https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/prayer/?y=384&season=advent&d=4th_sunday_in_advent.