participate

I was sitting in the basement at our small group meeting listening to a friend lead us through a beautiful moment. The kids were all sitting on the floor surrounding her while she spoke about the Prophets and how they were a part of Jesus’ birth. She was teaching us about the Advent story, and I had never experienced anything like it. Watching their enamored faces, with the five candles sitting on a simple plate with one candle glowing, I was captured by the simplicity of it.

Up until this point, I'd only known Advent to be this thing that was done at the front of the church, where someone came up up and read from the Bible, lit a candle, and that was that. I had no idea that Advent was something that I could participate in at home, with my family and my friends. I called my friend and asked her and her sister to tell me everything they knew about Advent. Her family has this very rich tradition of celebrating together every year and it was beautiful. I loved the ease of it, that you could do it in any fashion that worked for your family.

But most of all, I loved that it was something that my family could participate in together and that it could become a tradition in our home, too. So we stepped in. We chose as a family to celebrate the coming of Jesus year after year. To celebrate the Prophets, Angels, Shepherds and Wisemen in the story of the birth of Jesus. 

When I look at today's picture, I see a few things. I see my little family in our home or in our friend’s home, remembering the Angels or the Shepherds and how they played a role in the birth of Jesus. 

But I also see how Jesus, God of the Universe, chose to step in and Participate in this human condition. 

How he came to earth as a small infant, born into vulnerability, resting in Mary’s arms. 

Luke 2:40 tells us, “The child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”

In this verse, we see the humanity of Jesus. 

He grew. 

He became strong. 

He learned and increased in wisdom. 

The Savior of the world chose not to bypass the process of life but to embrace it fully, participating in all that it means to be human. In this we can know that He felt all the same things that we feel. 

But also Mary participated. She carried Him, fed Him, and cared for Him, her heart filled with awe and uncertainty. She said yes to God’s plan, yes to this holy, messy, beautiful calling. She reminds us that participation in this life often comes in simple, sacred acts, like showing up, holding close, and paying attention to the moment.

In this Advent season, we are invited to participate as well. God’s grace is at work all around us. In the joy of a child, the stillness of prayer, the quiet moments of love shared with those we hold dear. Like Mary, we don’t have to understand the fullness of God’s plan to say yes to it. We don’t have to be strong enough or wise enough on our own. It can be as simple as gathering at a friend's home to be quiet, to remember. His grace is enough. His love is sufficient. 

As you prepare your heart this Advent, pause to participate in the small moments. Look for His presence in the mundane. Hold close what matters most. For just as Christ grew in wisdom and strength, so too can we grow in becoming vessels of His love for the world.