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Friends,
We’re about to finish the first week of Advent and celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent this upcoming Sunday. Our Mass readings give us an image of what Advent – and what our faith as a whole – is all about:
God always exceeds our expectations.
Has this happened to you recently? Like you thought you were going to fail that environmental science test but you actually did way better than you expected? Or you and your teammates finally executed a play to perfection after you thought you’d never get it? Or you thought Thanksgiving was going to be entirely awkward or frustrating but you experienced a moment of true gratitude?
Even if you can’t think of a moment like that, that’s what this Advent season is here for. It’s here to prepare us to experience that earth-shattering truth: God always exceeds our expectations.
The ancient Jewish people expected a Messiah – an “anointed one of God” who was going to unite the tribes of Israel and serve as the King and Deliverer of Israel. But what the world experienced was far greater than that expectation. No one could EVER have expected that God would choose to be born in this world, in human flesh, as a helpless baby, in an obscure little town south of Jerusalem.
When God comes, our expectations are turned upside down.
In the First Reading at Mass, the prophet Isaiah speaks about a very unique figure: “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord…" (Isaiah 11:2). And when that figure comes into the world, Isaiah writes, our expectations will be flipped on their heads. He uses some powerful imagery to make this point:
“Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid (baby goat);
the calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hands on the adder’s (viper’s) lair…” (Isaiah 11:6-8)
We know that in the animal kingdom, all of this is unthinkable. We know that wolves and lambs don’t hang out together, children don’t guide lions, lions don’t eat hay like oxen, and snakes would harm a baby if they were near one another. But when Jesus comes – that is, when God chooses to enter into this world and become one of us – crazy things happen.
Now, those images from Isaiah haven’t literally happened. Isaiah is also speaking ahead to “God’s holy mountain” – an image of heaven, where “there shall be no harm or ruin.” But even on this side of heaven – here on earth, where things are complicated, dangerous, depressing, difficult – even here and now God is flipping and exceeding our expectations.
Advent is a time to step back from the ordinary, day-to-day parts of our lives and recognize that Jesus is present even in those unremarkable, day-to-day moments.
“I couldn’t possibly find Jesus in my school. It’s just so toxic there.”
“God isn’t relevant to PlayStation or college football or Netflix.”
“Mass isn’t for me because I haven’t really gotten anything from it.”
“God wants nothing to do with me because I’m not really active in my faith.”
“I’m just too messed up and broken for God to love me.”
If Advent and Christmas teach us anything… it’s that God comes exactly where we DON’T expect Him. Take this time of Advent to start ACTUALLY looking for God in every moment of your day. If you think that God is confined to the Church of St. Mary or that God is only interested in “perfect people” or that God is angry with you because of something you did… allow God to flip those expectations.
Jesus was born in a feeding tray for animals. The God of the whole universe CHOSE to be born into our world. The Lord of heaven chose to be born in literal dirt and hay for us. Who are we to say that God can’t exceed our expectations? Who are we to think that God couldn’t possibly want anything to do with us? Every day this Advent, let Jesus exceed your expectations. Ask God to surprise you. Ask God to be born in your heart.
Come to COR this Sunday to start this new Advent journey. We’ll have some food, games, and a chance to create your own “Advent Game Plan” to help you truly prepare for Christmas. I hope you can join us!
More in this newsletter:
- Candlelight Adoration -- December 9
- Christmas Party!!
- COR Christmas Movie Poll
- Advent playlist!
In Christ,
Chase Hawkins
Director of Youth Ministry
847-582-2503
chawkins@churchofstmary.org
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