Monday of the Fourth Week in Advent
Advent is a time of anticipation for me and I find my mind flooded with memories of Christmases while I was growing up. I have discovered this a very a common experience for others as well. There were many moments of wonder and joy and for that I am so grateful. In recent years, I find myself pondering these moments in a different way. I have been looking for how God was present in those moments I remember and I find myself in awe. Although I didn’t see it at the time, God was present and active in each moment. It is a precious gift that draws me closer to God in marvelous way.
Today’s first reading from Judges and the Gospel reading from Luke both relate encounters with angels announcing the imminent birth of sons to be born to women presumably barren. Both will be consecrated to the Lord and both walk in the Spirit of the Lord. Manoah’s wife gives birth to Samson and Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth will bear John the Baptist. Both foreshadow the annunciation and the birth of Jesus in circumstances full of wonder and felt experiences of the presence of God. In Scripture, these direct experiences of God’s active presence in people’s lives is not surprising. What is surprising is that evidence of God’s presence and active participation in my own life is so easily revealed. Yes, if I am paying attention, I can see God at work every day. But God’s gift of memory reveals a lifetime of God’s involvement and precious care in a new and different way and I need only ask God for the grace to see it.
Memory is a sublime gift that can easily be taken for granted. But Advent is the perfect time to reflect on how important memories are and consciously associate them with the God who gifts us. If I ask God for the grace of awareness, memories can become touchstones in my spiritual life revealing how God is active and present in each moment of my life. Claiming such personal moments through the gift of memory can change my perception of God in a most powerful way and lead me into deeper friendship with God. This day, as I anticipate the birth of Jesus, I thank God for the gift of memory and beg for the grace to become ever more aware that God is, and was, with me always.
--Gail Lyman