This brief season is for me a time when names become more important than ever. It is part of my Advent ritual to listen to all of the Handel's Messiah. God is named Wonderful, Counselor, mighty God, Everlasting, Prince of Peace. This passage of music reminds me that I am not a clothing size, or a music or reading preference, or an address in a book, or anything else that limits me. I am the beloved of the Lamb.
Advent is care, concern, compassion, connection.
He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed. Mary is our model for connection with all who are forgotten, rejected, despised, pushed aside. The times in which Mary said yes to God were not peaceful times. It would have been easier for her to say no and continue her life like every other woman of her era. Mary's choice to participate in God's plan has made all the difference for us.