The season of Advent is here! This year, I am particularly drawn to the song of Mary in Luke 1:46-55:
I’m bursting with God-news;
I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.
-Luke 1:46 [The Message]
Bursting with God-news! That is the particular message of Advent – the news of the one who is coming and whose coming ushers in salvation.
In the same way that Advent is about the one who is coming, the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15 that we are being saved. These words have the sense of an action begun in the past whose action is still going on and has not been completed. God’s actions are always ongoing, sweeping us up in God’s redemptive action on behalf of the creation that God loves.
That means that you and I are a work in progress. We are being saved as we participate with God in the ongoing redemption of the world, turning it upside down on behalf of those most forgotten and ignored in the world.
A favorite rendition of Mary’s song is “the world is about to turn.” It’s set to an Irish tune (Star of the County Down), and here’s a link to one of my favorite renditions:
credits: Canticle of the Turning – Rory Cooney posted by tranceseraph
“You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight.” God is in the world, acting on behalf of those who are denied justice by the world. I’m holding on to this hope in a season of profound disappointment and fear following election outcomes.
The Advent longing is not for any particular expression of political leadership but for God’s realm to become more real on earth. Mary understands that she is participating in this work as she brings Jesus into the world. She joins a song that has been sung before her (Hannah) and that goes on after her by all who know that the promises of God are beyond any political party or leader. Mary’s joy, the longing, and the knowledge that God is inviting us to join the redemptive work is the Advent longing. The world is about to turn!
Advent hope and joy to you,
Claire