Witnessing hope and joy at Advent
By Tricia Bølle
With so much uncertainty in our lives, especially this past year, it’s easy to get discouraged and wonder how we can properly observe Advent and prepare ourselves for Christmas. Yet as the Prophet Isaiah foretold, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light (Is 9:2).” Truly, we have experienced this great Light, Jesus Christ Himself, shining brightly amidst our darkness. He dwells in each Christian, baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is Him for whom we wait in hopeful anticipation.
In the gospels of Matthew and Luke, attached to Jesus’ infancy narrative, we see that famous long list of names— Jesus’ genealogy—that we so often skip over. Yet if we unwrap the meaning behind these two quite different genealogies and the infancy narratives that surround them, we see that they all point to something very important: Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, the saviour king of all the nations of whom Isaiah prophesied.
Furthermore, through meditating on the opening chapter of the Gospel of John, we are able to enter more deeply into the mystery of just who Jesus Christ is: the Second Person of the Trinity, existing before all time as the Word, as God.
He is the one who, out of his great love for humanity, came to earth to live among us, sacrificing himself for our salvation, freeing us from our sins and every earthly thing that binds us and offering us the possibility of becoming children of God to share in his heavenly glory. It is he whom we await during Advent, for it is in Jesus alone that we find all that we truly seek in life: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.
It is he whom we are waiting for—Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, our great Hope, and salvation. And it is this Hope that we celebrate this Christmas, this Hope that we are called to share.
To allow this to truly resonate within ourselves, however, we must call to mind who Jesus truly is on a personal level. Who is Jesus to me? Who do I say that Jesus is? The answer is on the one hand, quite clear and personal and, at the same time, the deepest of mysteries.
Yet, as St. Peter exhorts, we must “always be ready to give an account…for the reason for our hope (1 Peter 3:15).” So, who is Jesus Christ to you? If we are truly waiting in hope, we will surely witness to this hope; and the Holy Spirit will grant us opportunities to share the Reason for our Hope with others. So we must be prepared to respond who exactly Jesus is.
It is he in whom we place our hope in times of distress, as it is he who offers us the peace, security, consolation and freedom that we seek in our lives. It is he who also reminds us that all is not lost, that no matter what desperate times we may encounter, God is truly with us, as it is he who always takes care of his children, even in the midst of utter darkness and despair.
It is he, above all, who loves us so deeply that he offered his very life for us, so that come what may, we may have hope and new life in him. It is he before whom we gather, falling on our knees in wonder and adoration, just as those wise men from Asia did so many centuries ago, to behold the Creator of the universe, the fount of all wisdom, the light of the world, who has come to us in the humblest of circumstances.
It is he whom we are waiting for—Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, our great Hope, and salvation. And it is this Hope that we celebrate this Christmas, this Hope that we are called to share.
Indeed, our entire lives should be one great witness to Hope—a living Advent—as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus is asking you to draw closer to Him this Advent. What are you waiting for?
