Lonely Exile: A Daily Advent Devotional
Part Twenty Four: The Moment Before the Moment
In the silence of a midwinter dusk, there is a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the sound of the silence itself. You hold your breath to listen. You are aware of the beating of your heart. The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.
- Frederick Buechner
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.
Matthew 1:24-25, NRSVue
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room.
Luke 2:6-7, NRSVue
Here we are. The moment before the moment. It’s Christmas Eve, and tomorrow our journey of anticipation and hope through Advent will culminate in the birth of the long awaited Jesus.
Interestingly, the only two accounts of Jesus’s birth that we have, found in Matthew and Luke, skim over the actual moment of Jesus’s birth. Matthew does so completely, while Luke gives the least amount of information possible. “She gave birth to her firstborn,” is all he discloses about that moment. Six words to sum up the trauma of childbirth.
Mary has been a source of debate and schism throughout Church history as people have tried to figure out what doctrinal or dogmatic box in which to place her. I can’t imagine the Mary of history would have time or interest in such debates. She was a person of action, a person who embraced the invitation to participate in the birthing of a better world. By doing so Mary has become a lasting example and symbol of what is possible when we open ourselves to partnership with God.
In the words of the 14th century German priest, theologian, and mystic Meister Eckhart: “We are all meant to be mothers of God...for God is always needing to be born.”
This was not just the work of Mary, though she stands as a timeless witness to what is possible. This is a task—an invitation—for which we have all been born. May we, like Mary, have the courage to say yes to these moments.
Question for Reflection:
Do you think about yourself as being like Mary, invited to partner with God to bring about a better world?
How will you respond to this invitation?
What needs to be born through you?