Greetings Glen Mar,

Last week we talked a bit about how the season of Advent is not just about how Christ came in the past, but also a season of preparing for Christ to come in history, mystery, and majesty. I did a little digging this week and I found that this beautiful framework is credited to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). In his sermon, “The Three Comings of the Lord,” St. Bernard wrote:

“In the first coming he comes in the flesh and in weakness; in the second, he comes in spirit and in power; in the third, he comes in glory and in majesty.”

Since we reflected last week on Christ coming in history, this week we turn our attention to how Christ comes in mystery. What exactly is meant by this word, mystery? It is a question that feels a bit mysterious itself.

St. Bernard helps us again when he writes,

“In case someone should think that what we say about this middle coming is sheer invention, listen to what our Lord himself says: If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him.”

When we speak of mystery in this sense, we are not talking about solving a puzzle. No, we are saying that Christ visits us now in ways we cannot fully explain but can deeply experience. This is holy mystery, Mysterion in Greek, which refers to a revealed secret that we can know only because God has made it known. As Methodists, we affirm this in Holy Communion as we believe that Christ is truly present at the table and in our hearts, even if we cannot explain exactly how this is possible. Christ’s present presence is beyond words, yet God has revealed it to be true.

For those who know…they know. They know Christ is with them, in their own hearts, but also in the heart of the Church who are the people of God. Likewise, the Church is found wherever Christ is and wherever compassion is lived out: among the hungry, the thirsty, those without clothes, the imprisoned, the lonely, and the sick. To love those who bear God’s image, which is every person, is to love Christ. To obey Christ is to open our lives to his presence. Not only in the past, and not only at the end of time, but right now.

I love how St. Bernard sums this up:

“Because this coming [mystery] lies between the other two [history and majesty], it is like a road on which we travel from the first coming to the last. In the first, Christ was our redemption; in the last, he will appear as our life; in this middle coming, he is our rest and consolation.”

And don’t we need that? As we journey through life, we need Christ’s rest and consolation along the way. The Advent season is no different. This season of rushing to get ready for Christmas is often when we most need to slow down and let Christ meet us.

So, what would it look like for you to let Christ meet you in mystery this Advent? How might you lean into rest and consolation, even as the world would push you toward stress and distress?

Advent is about preparing for Christ’s coming, but the good news is that Christ is already here. Yes, it is a mystery, but even if we cannot explain how he meets us, we trust he does because he promised he would.

So, get ready and rejoice in the good news:

Christ has come. Christ has died. Christ will come again…and Christ is with us now.

Is there any better news? I don’t think so. How about you?

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Chris