Over the course of a lifetime, we experience many disruptions. To disrupt is to cause disorder, turmoil or interruption. Routines shift in unexpected ways. Medical diagnoses catch us off-guard. Employment opportunities come and go.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, had a close relationship with disruption. She was engaged. She had a vision for her life. Then an angel showed up with an invitation into disruption. Mary was told she’d have a child, and that child would be God’s son. As Jesus grew up, the turmoil for Mary continued all the way to the cross.
In the midst of the many disruptions that Mary faced as the mother of Jesus, the Light continued to shine. Her openness to God’s invitation is revealed in her words upon hearing the angel’s news in Luke, chapter 1. Mary says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
Disruptions are a part of life. We can’t predict them or avoid them. But we can trust in a God who draws near to us in the midst of them. The Light reveals un-imagined possibilities as we navigate the difficulties of disruption.
This message is excerpted from “Advent: The season of illumination” by Emily Anne Carson in the December 2019 Café online magazine. Today we commemorate Katharina von Bora (“Katie”) Luther, renewer of the church, 1552.
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