Krista’s Reflection for Advent III December 11, 2022 “Desert Bloom: Miracles of Joy”

Based on Isaiah 35:1–10 (The desert blooms and rejoices), and Luke 1:47–55 Mary’s Song of Praise (The Magnificat)

Do you believe in miracles?

I wonder who imagined a tiny baby could bring hope and joy to the whole world.

Who prayed for such a gift, a miracle of God?

Was it Mary? Or her mother? Or the prophet Isaiah 700 years before? As we heard last week?

Or maybe it was God’s idea – a revelation given through the Archangel Gabriel to Mary directly, a surprise, something miraculous, something so good it seemed impossible.

Today is the third week of Advent – this week it is a celebration of Joy, when the Christ child will soon be born in Bethlehem.

The Messiah will be born to a simple, unsuspecting woman, Mary, who dared to say yes to God. The baby, who we all know as Jesus, will become the greatest teacher, healer, savior, redeemer, who overcomes physical death and offers salvation to the whole world.

Isaiah talks about this coming of Christ, this salvation of Israel, as flowers blooming in the desert, the desert bloom. In other words, something so unexpected, miraculous, impossible, at the most difficult or challenging time of our lives.

Mary sings a song of praise, a great hymn called “the Magnificat” thanking God for blessing her with a miraculous pregnancy. The archangel Gabriel told her she would carry the Messiah, the son of God. In the gospel of Luke – Mary says – that this child will bring justice to the earth, helping those who are poor and

oppressed, and bringing hope to all. She says every generation will call her blessed because she is giving birth to the Son of God. Surely a reason for Joy. Both Scriptures we just heard, talk about this great miracle – something miraculous and unexpected that will bring healing, hope, and joy to those in need. But what is joy? Joy is different from happiness, it goes deeper, we can be happy because we get an Ice Cream cone, or because our favourite cookies are available this week during fellowship – it is something we can get from the world, but Joy is something that comes from God, it hits us in the heart. We can feel joy even amid sorrow or pain. Joy can happen at a funeral when we reflect on the life of a loved one, it can be an answered prayer, or it can sustain us in times of difficulty or uncertainty.

Happiness is fleeting but joy endures.

Joy can come to us when the silent prayers of our heart are answered in the most unexpected ways.

Like a phone call from a loved one we haven’t heard from in a long time. Or family members reconciling after years of distance. Or when someone is truly destitute, can’t pay their bills or find work – and they receive a generous gift to help them out – something completely unexpected that tells them – “hey, someone cares about me!”

A miracle is something so unexpected, almost impossible, that brings life, renewal, hope, love, joy – that you can never forget, that makes us feel awe or gratitude toward God.

That’s how Mary must’ve felt when Gabriel told her she was about to have a baby, not just any baby, the son of God, the Christ child, the long awaited and hoped for Messiah.

When Mary visited her friend Elizabeth, who was also pregnant with John the Baptist, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy. John knew who was to be born after him –John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus. They were apparently cousins. John recognized and foretold the great miracle that was about to occur. The Messiah would come after him. He was there to “prepare the way!”

That’s just like us. We’re all here to “prepare the way!” to announce the coming of a great miracle, to give good news to the poor, lonely and distressed. To give hope to all. We celebrate this at Advent, the “coming of Christ” into the world.

But this gift doesn’t just happen once a year. Christ is always trying to enter our lives if we are willing. Like Mary his mother, we must be willing, to say yes to God!

Have you ever had a “Magnificat moment” when you prayed or hoped for something, and something even more miraculous and surprising happened in an unexpected way? That made you jump for joy or couldn’t wait to call someone to tell them the good news?

STORY:

Once I was on retreat with a friend, and we were learning hands on healing, like they did back in the times of Jesus. We experienced many amazing moments. One of them happened just after we had done a healing session, and I asked God for a sign to see if this stuff was real.

I was standing in the bathroom about to brush my teeth, and I noticed my glass to rinse with was nearly empty. I got a bottled water from the fridge, and I poured it into my glass, and right before my eyes, a big crystal formed on the

inside, floating perfectly centred in the water not touching any of the sides just floating there.

I was so shocked I yelled for my friend Elizabeth to come and look, and she came in and said, “What is that?!”

We both stared in almost fear like, how could that be possible? I poured water into a glass. We were in a warm climate. The glass was warm. And the water was cold but not frozen.

There in the glass we counted a 21-point crystal. At first I thought something must be wrong with the water, but then we realized it was a sign of something impossible, a sign that I had asked for, staring us right in the face!

It slowly disappeared over a few minutes, but we were still stunned and didn’t even think to take a picture. But we knew what we saw.

I will never look at another toothbrush or water glass again in the same way again! Such a mundane moment…

Something unique and perfect formed out of what seemed like nothing…. Like a tiny plant blooming in the desert and surviving without water. Apparently, there is a such a MIRACLE PLANT THAT GROWS IN THE

DESERT – in the hottest, driest climate, with no water – and has survived for over 1500 years…

It’s called Welwitschia mirabilis. And it is the national plant of Namiba, in Southern Angola.

https://www.dw.com/en/over-1000-years-old-drought-resistant-and-unique miracle-plants-in-the-namib-desert/a-39952494

That plant survived and produced fruit to give life to insects, animals and people. Like a mirage in the desert, only it’s real.

Albert Einstein said you can look at life as if everything is a miracle or nothing is a miracle. That doesn’t take away from the truly miraculous gift if something unexpected something that makes us jump for joy or stand back and all. IT just causes us to appreciate the gift of life, even in humble beginnings – like Jesus a tiny baby in a manger – God hidden in a tiny baby – given to save the world.

It just makes us realize how precious life is. To appreciate the little things and the big things. The tiny miracles that bring us hope and joy, and the truly miraculous gift of God given in Jesus to lift us from our difficulties and bring us hope for the world.

God shows up in new and miraculous ways.

From simple things like a plant blossoming and producing fruit in the harshest of deserts, or a 21-crystal formed suddenly in a water glass, to snowflakes falling on your tongue as a child in winter….

…to BIG things like the Christ child born in the middle of the night under a Bethlehem starry sky, a bright light that would save our world from darkness and fill our minds and our hearts with light, truth, love, hope, and justice. AND Bring great joy to his mother, Mary, who believed it was possible and was bold enough to say yes to God.

Mary’s song reminds us to believe in impossible dreams. She gave hope to the Israelites who were awaiting a Messiah. They didn’t expect one so lowly and humble – not yet a great king. And Mary wasn’t expecting it all to take place in such unimaginable circumstances – among sheep and livestock.

She must have been overwhelmed with the magnitude of what she was bringing into the world. The archangel told her this would happen. And she agreed. Now what?

As she looked down at the child in her arms, she saw beams come off his face and her eyes shone with love. A baby not just for her to love, but a Christ child given for the whole world. This thought brought joy to her heart. She had great hopes for him – to bring justice to the poor people around her. To help the innocent and bring light into a world of suffering and fear. Ah! That was a lot to put on a little baby. But she saw the light around him and knew God was with him always. It was in God’s hands now. God will do what God will do. She had done her part. And now he was here… “Amen” she said under her breath, and deep in her heart she repeated, “Amen.”

We may wonder how we can we dare to hope and believe such miracles of joy are possible in our ordinary lives… Jesus says, Believe in me, and in God who sent me. If you believe, nothing will be impossible for you.

Let’s practice with Krista’s Three Things.

1. Dare to hope and believe that such miracles are possible – like Mary, say yes to God.

2. Look for “desert bloom” in your life – little or big gifts from God that show up in unexpected ways that bring joy to your heart.

3. GIVE. Bring someone else joy this Christmas, by being generous – Give so that it lights up someone else’s heart with joy.

Advent is a time of waiting. But God is waiting too. To come into our lives, for us to say yes and accept the gifts that are waiting for us.

May we have the faith of Mary and embrace the light of Christ coming into your life every day by being grateful for the gift of Christ.

May your life be filled with such little and big gifts from God that bless you and your loved ones, and all around you.

May we be light bearers for Christ’s coming into the world – bringing hope to the broken-hearted, the lonely and distressed, those who need a little Christmas miracle.

May we remember God is with us, even as we wait – bringing joy and light into our lives in new and unexpected ways – and of course squeals of delight from every child on Christmas morning.

May it be so. Amen.