A God of Possibilities

Nothing is impossible with God... That’s quite a statement, isn’t it? And yet, time and again, the stories in scripture, and perhaps the stories in our own lives, tell us that that is indeed true.

Advent is my favorite season of the year, and I think that’s because it’s a season of possibilities, or God doing the things that we think couldn’t ever happen.

This year, we’ll hear from the prophet Isaiah quite a bit on these four Sundays of Advent. To the people of ancient Israel and to us, Isaiah says:

“They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4, first Sunday of Advent)

“The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6, second Sunday of Advent)

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.” (Isaiah 35:5-6, third Sunday of Advent)

“Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, fourth Sunday of Advent)

A world without war, enemies living together in peace, healing for all, and God coming to live with us, Immanuel. That’s quite a picture that Isaiah paints for us, isn’t it? And a picture that doesn’t seem possible, especially with the world we’re living in now. And yet, Gabriel told Mary and us, “nothing will be impossible with God.”

Advent fires our imagination with what God can do in our lives. But Advent also doesn’t let us sit back and do nothing. Yes, it’s a season of waiting... waiting for Christmas, waiting for Jesus to return, waiting for God to come into our lives each day. But it’s not a season of passive waiting.

As Isaiah also tells us, we have to act like we think the impossible is possible. We have to turn our weapons of violence into instruments of life and flourishing. We have to take the risk of reaching out to our enemies in peace. We have to seek healing not just for ourselves but for others. We have to believe that God is with us in Jesus and in our everyday lives.