December 1: Isaiah 7:14 / Matthew 1:23-25

Into the darkness, the prophet Isaiah heralds the promise of God: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall be called Emmanuel. God with us. It is the angel of the Lord who repeats this promise to St. Joseph on his own darkest night. Take heart, the angel seems to say, in what appears impossible is the quickening of salvation.

This astonishing salvation breaks upon us even now. In Advent, we are welcomed into refreshed assurance that God is indeed with us, gathering up the impossible and pursuing the heart of creation – the hearts of each and every one of us. As the cold earth of winter quietly prepares the blossoms of spring, the stillness of these days prepares us to welcome again the One who is always already seeking us: our beloved Emmanuel, Jesus Christ.

St. John of the Cross (1542 - 1591) wrote of God’s passionate pursuit. In The Living Flame of Love, John writes:

            How gently and how lovingly

            Thou liest awake in my bosom,

            Where Thou secretly dwellest alone;

            And in thy sweet breathing,

            Full of grace and glory,

            How tenderly Thou fillest me with Thy love.

It is here in the center of our hearts where God finds us, season by season. It is here where He is always close to us. In Advent, we are called into a renewed and earnest passion, turning everything over afresh to the Lover of Souls. Let us use this very hour to garland our hearts in prayer and eagerly prepare a place for Him.

Mother Brit Frazier
St. Luke’s Episcopal – Sister Bay



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