Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news.”  Luke 4:18

The season of Advent lays the foundation for the celebration of Christmas. Luke tells us in his Gospel (4:16-21) that Jesus proclaimed himself the fulfillment of the promise God made to restore the people. (See Isa. 61:1-4.) This is our hope. This is what we look forward to in the birth of the Christ Child. In the meantime, we enter into a time of expectation, a season pregnant with what is to come.  The scriptures show us how to receive again the Gift of Love that is to be born. The First Letter to the Thessalonians (5:16-24) tells a faithful community how to live expectantly: to rejoice and pray, to give thanks in everything, to cling to the good and reject evil. It is good counsel for us in Advent.  We have become a part of a sacred history, and we are called to live responsibly — faithful to the purposes of God. In Advent we have an opportunity to prepare to receive the Christ anew in our lives, refreshing and restoring our faith with ancient truth and future hope.

O God, make us ready to welcome, in the birth of the Christ Child, the hope and purposes of your vision. Amen.