Post by rmcdra on Dec 8, 2013 11:53:23 GMT -5
As we get more in to the Christmas season, the second Sunday of Advent, we reflect on preparing for the coming of Christ. In our creation story, Sophia started the preparation for the Coming of Christ by bringing us the wisdom the recognize good from evil. It is through this wisdom that we can recognize Christ when he does arrive. Without being able to recognize good and evil, we would be unable to recognize who is our savior and who is our enslaver. This wisdom is not just useful, but necessary because Christ always comes unexpectedly.
In the traditional stories of Christ, he comes in the world as a humble child born in a filthy barn. Who would honestly expect the Son of God would come from such a humble birth. His birth was far from extraordinary. He was not the child of a great princess or queen, but of a young unmarried peasant girl. While this narrative tells us the birth of our Savior, it’s not a one time deal. As it is preserved in traditional liturgy, “Christ is born, Christ is risen, Christ will come again”. The birth of Christ is an event that happens in our life when wisdom is united with love. It is not just an event that happens in the story, but it happens within us. When our wisdom is tempered by love and understanding, we bring Christ in to our world.
So how does one prepare for the unexpected? By being vigilant, we are called to be sober minded. This is because we need to be able to recognize good and evil so we can recognize Christ. Just as the magi saw the signs of Christ’s coming so can we (and no, I’m not talking about Bible prophecy or astrology sort of way) because we have that wisdom inside of us, every person does. Sophia prepared us so that we have the potential to recognize Christ. Now we prepare by being alert for the coming of the bride groom, in whatever humble and unexpected way Christ reveals himself to us.
In the traditional stories of Christ, he comes in the world as a humble child born in a filthy barn. Who would honestly expect the Son of God would come from such a humble birth. His birth was far from extraordinary. He was not the child of a great princess or queen, but of a young unmarried peasant girl. While this narrative tells us the birth of our Savior, it’s not a one time deal. As it is preserved in traditional liturgy, “Christ is born, Christ is risen, Christ will come again”. The birth of Christ is an event that happens in our life when wisdom is united with love. It is not just an event that happens in the story, but it happens within us. When our wisdom is tempered by love and understanding, we bring Christ in to our world.
So how does one prepare for the unexpected? By being vigilant, we are called to be sober minded. This is because we need to be able to recognize good and evil so we can recognize Christ. Just as the magi saw the signs of Christ’s coming so can we (and no, I’m not talking about Bible prophecy or astrology sort of way) because we have that wisdom inside of us, every person does. Sophia prepared us so that we have the potential to recognize Christ. Now we prepare by being alert for the coming of the bride groom, in whatever humble and unexpected way Christ reveals himself to us.
