A single season of the Advent Journey to Christmas has all the markings of the journey of a full lifetime. It is compacted into a handful of weeks and so has a magnified experience — even like Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) in a way that one’s soul magnifies the Lord of life.
To magnify is to highlight a person, a thing, or an experience, like how a magnifying glass opens a new world often overlooked or overshadowed. Mary magnified the Lord who is in all and through all persons, things, and experiences.
Advent 2022 has been like that for many — a lifetime of experiences compacted into just a handful of weeks. There have been many changes in our lives, from jobs to homes to graduations to births to the deaths of loved ones. Woven through it all, there have been many who have given support, care, and joy when gathering for those memorial services and Sunday morning worship and shared meals around the table. Even the calls, cards, texts, and emails have been a part of the sustaining and blessed community, making life rich and magnificent.
When life becomes magnified into such a tight time frame, it can feel overwhelming. That is the time to look through the magnifying glass of faith and see the Spirit moving through it all; even in the loss, we can see the gifts of peace, hope, love, and joy.
In Christ’s Love,
