Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
The people are filled with expectation for the coming of the Christ just as we are supposed to be. In this season is particularly easy to misdirect our expectations to something other than God. It is easy to set them on all the good and necessary things surrounding family and worship that this season entails. But John is not content to have us look at anything other than the Christ for our fulfillment.
I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John himself is definitely concerned about all of the things that go into preparing our hearts for Jesus. He tells us how to live in charity and justice. Yet Christmas is always more than the sum of our preparations. Even if we host great parties, pray more frequently than usual, give good gifts to our friends and charity to the poor the grace of Christmas is more than a sum of these parts. We tend to view Christmas as something achieved once a year and then set aside until the next Advent. But God in our midst changes everything forever.
The LORD has removed the judgment against you
he has turned away your enemies;
the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
If we were approaching this Christmas without the grace of the incarnation we would probably be overwhelmed by worry and anxiety. But now, even now, we remember that God is in our midst. This means that what we are doing is not repeating an annual occurrence but rather entering more deeply into something that always is. Because this is so, we need not be anxious and fearful. The LORD is in our midst. He makes it possible for us to rejoice. Indeed, it is so possible that he commands it.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Now the good and appropriate things we do to get ready for Christmas take on a new dimension, based on the LORD who is already near.
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Now even the most rigorous preparations need not deprive us of our peace.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
We might have trouble believing this, but perhaps some memories of Christmases past can bring to mind the extent to which joy and peace our possible. Because the LORD has been our savior we can be confident that this trip to the well of salvation will not be onerous but instead filled with songs of praise.
Most reassuring of all is that God himself longs to sing this song of joy over us, with us, and indeed from within our very hearts.
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
he will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.
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