In a powerful and tender manner, Advent uncovers God’s dream for his creation. God created people from love, because God wanted love to be their life’s focus. Then he placed them in the world hoping love would stir their lives.

In other words, as love motivated God’s interactions with his people, God believed that love would do the same for their interactions with each other. As Saint Francis De Sales offers, “Everything through love and nothing through fear.”

While Adam and Eve made some wonderful choices, one completely shattered God’s dream. Advent offers a glimpse into the depth of God’s love for creation, and his relentless dream that creation can live the good – in the way God created them to demonstrate.

Advent also shows us God’s willingness to modify his dream with the gift of Christmas. God’s modified dream is by sending his son into creation with God’s thought: Surely, they will listen to my son, the incarnate word of God?

Sending his son, God the Father shows his irreversible commitment to his people. God recognizes that if Jesus becomes one of them, he is forever bound to us. This is God’s majestic gesture of love and determination for creation.

Jesus’ introduction comes through Mary, a poor Jewish girl, who becomes God’s endless source of hope that spans language, culture, and race. It elevates Mary as creation’s loving advocate and protector, with her son as the forgiving savior.

On Christmas morning, God’s adapted dream presents Jesus as the way, the truth and the life, leading creation to the Father. Mary, his mother, then becomes creation’s cheerleader urging everyone that this time creation can do it with both Mary and Jesus as our helpers.

Later, on the same day keeping watch over their sheep, shepherds make an early visit to the holy family. They come bringing love, adoration, and gratitude with a brief message for all who celebrate this day.

God chose shepherds to show that he sees and loves equally. God wants us to know that from his powerful and mighty throne he sees and loves everyone. We, that is everyone, belong to the flock, even the three kings who will visit Jesus later.

The Advent season illustrates that when Jesus later teaches the greatest commandment, love God and love your neighbor, he is preaching the wisdom his Father taught him.

The Advent message demonstrated in the Nativity scene highlights the love Jesus and his Father demonstrate when it comes to how they love us. They encourage us to love all creation equally and without exception.

Advent reveals God’s dream and his hope that we complete his dream during our lifetime. God understands fully what he is asking, but God practices it everyday with us. Perhaps we can practice the same love with the next person we encounter. It will help keep God’s dream alive.

O Come O Come Emmanuel And Ransom Captive Israel.

Painting: “Annunciation” by Henry Ossawa Tanner