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This season, members of the Discipleship Team bring you a weekly Advent reflection. We pray that you will find your Advent journey meaningful and filled with promise.

Read: Week 4 Reflection 

Confusing Love
Luke 1:26-38 

28  When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Love can be confusing. Just the idea of truly unmerited unconditional love can be confusing for humans and yet it is fundamental to God.

Mary meets an angel face to face. That can be confusing. Hearing “Rejoice, Favored one! The Lord is with you” when you have had no previous conversation with God would be very confusing to suddenly find out you are “favored” one.

What Mary, of course, does not yet know is that she is about to become the mother of Love incarnate.  Talk about confusing.

Love comes at us in so many different ways. Sometimes it arrives on the lips of a total stranger.  Sometimes in the mail in the form of a hand written note from a longtime friend. Or in the sound of a ringing phone that for so long annoyed most of us, and after 10 months of isolation has become such a welcome sound for so many. It can be in the giggle of a little human or the wet nose of four-legged friends.

The Creator of us all has sent Love into the world in such an unexpected way.  It is a lonely and frankly confusing way.  It logical to ask why a small town for from home, in a stable initially with only his parents and later with random visitors and animals?

This year Love will also need to look different.  Love may mean staying far from those we love most.  Love may mean not traveling and gathering with our beloved ones.  For some it means not having physical gifts or Christmas traditions because of life changes as a result of this difficult season of life.

In the midst of that confusion one thing that remains true and consistent is the God chose to send Jesus into the world. God chose humanity. God chose to send Love in a form so real that it could be swaddled, hugged, heard, and felt.  In this season of Advent we anticipate that renewed birth of Love.  That Love can be confusing.  And that Love is born anew within each of us over and over again.  

Let it be so once more this Christmas.

Personal Reflection
•    How do I need to make manifest God’s Love?
•    How can living into God’s love for all bring about God’s Justice?

Prayer:  God of Love, continue to surprise and confuse us. Help us to recognize your love in our midst and to become even more fully your love in the world for others and for all creation. Continue to confuse us with your messengers to do more than we could ever imagine, when we act in your Love.

Advent Blessings,
Ryan Gackenheimer
Executive Director, Silver Lake Conference Center


Listen: What Her Heart Remembered
From the Promise by Michael Card 

 

 

From the United Church of Christ Advent Toolkit

In this fourth week of Advent as we anticipate Christmas, may your days be filled with and focus on love born anew within.

Watch: This Week 4 Video Reflection from the UCC
A Reflection on Revolutionary Love
by Rev. Dr. Marilyn Pagan-Banks

(Link and watch on FB posted by K. Ziel on Monday 12/21/20)

 
 
 

Southern New England Conference
Discipleship Team

Debby Kirk
Debbie Gline Allen
Kristin Putney
Karen Ziel

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