We have expectations, but are often met with a reality that looks much different than we hoped. The good news of Jesus Christ is this: Who he really is, the reality beyond our expectations, is very good news for us.
This advent we discover who Jesus is and what he is promised to be through stories of the Old Testament. There a promise was made and expectations began. From the Old Testament to now, we learn Jesus is much better than we expected.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. The light no darkness can overcome.
Jesus, open our eyes to your light and our ears to your words of hope. Come, O long-expected Jesus. Our hope is in you. Amen.
Word: Genesis 33:10
“For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me.”
Meditation: Seeing the Face of God
Today’s meditation is written by Megan Roegner
One of my favorite musicals is Les Miserables. In high school I was seriously obsessed with it—I think I still know all the words. Les Miserables, both the musical and the book by Victor Hugo, is an expansive, long story, but in short, it is about the power of mercy. A man named Jean Valjean is forgiven and shown kindness in a crucial moment and is forever changed. Because of this one act of mercy shown to him, Valjean himself lives a life driven by mercy for others. In the musical, as Jean Valjean is dying, he hears voices singing, “To love another person is to see the face of God.”
Reading about Esau’s response to Jacob in Genesis 33 made me think of those lines today. Jacob knows that Esau has many reasons to be angry with him. He is also aware of Esau’s power. But, surprisingly, Esau chooses mercy. He chooses love for his brother over holding on to bitterness. Jacob says that seeing Esau in this moment is “like seeing the face of God” (Gen. 33:10). And Jacob would know—the night before, he had wrestled with God and said, “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered” (Gen. 32:30).
To see the face of God… When Jacob uses this simile, I understand that it’s an acknowledgment of power, thankfulness for mercy. To be the recipient of love and forgiveness from our neighbors gives us a taste of divine grace. But how can we see the face of God through our love and care for others? Granted, despite what my adolescent self believed, Les Miserables, blockbuster musical, is not a sacred text. But maybe there’s something there worth considering.
I think it’s fairly common to identify with the “main character” of Biblical narratives. But in the stories of our own lives, we’re not always Moses, sometimes we’re Pharoah. We’re not always David, sometimes we’re Saul. And sometimes we’re not Jacob, we’re Esau.
Sometimes we’re just a hairy, hungry guy who’s not too bright. A guy who feels mistreated by the people who are supposed to be closest to him. A guy who may feel the temptation to get revenge. Maybe what pulls us back from the edge in those moments is the ability to see the face of God in our brother, to know that this is a person who is known and beloved by that great power who knows and loves us so completely. Perhaps the act of loving someone selflessly and sacrificially gives us the ability to look beyond the material and see the divine at work.
Victor Hugo did not write the words “To love another person is to see the face of God.” But in the end of his novel, as Jean Valjean dies, he writes something similar: “That is the way God apportions things. He is there on high, he sees us all, and he knows what he does in the midst of his great stars. … Love each other well and always. There is nothing else but that in the world: love for each other.”
Father, thank you for knowing us and loving us completely. Thank you for letting us see your love at work when others know and love us. Help us find you in our neighbors and love them well in return. Amen.
Prayer for the World
· For my city, state, and country.
· For leaders: mayor, governor, president, congress.
· For those who serve the public: police officers, firefighters, teachers, first responders, medical personnel.
· For the nations of the world, for world leaders.
· For good government, good schools, good business.
· For justice, especially for the oppressed: minorities, immigrants and refugees, orphans, widows, the very young or unborn, the aged.
· For creation: for the care of land, air, wildlife, and sea.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, the condition and problems in my life require a miracle. Thank you for the miracle of the incarnation of your son Jesus. Continue to work the miracle of your salvation and redemption of the world each day. Amen!