A hand outstretched. A child in the womb. Hope starts small and overtakes us, stretching the borders of what we had known. One 'yes' to an angel and Mary becomes a revolutionary. Mary pours out a song, a cry of hope that echoes the one raised by her foremother Hannah after giving birth to Samuel.
Hope starts small, even as a seed in the womb, but it feeds on outrageous possibilities.
It beckons us to step out with the belief that the action we take will not only bear fruit, but that in taking it, we have already made a difference in the world. Today we begin the third Sunday of Advent. It is a season of watching and waiting. But our waiting is nearing its conclusion, and we feel the expectancy of the one who is to come. Our watching is almost complete and the level of anticipation is rising.