Thursday, December 12, 2019

Contrast

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him,
and he will bring it to pass.
Psalm 37:5

As I start my drive the audio in my car begins to play random tunes. I didn’t realize I had it set to shuffle, but I decide to let it be. First it is U2, then Bach then Adele, next Vivaldi. I muse about this strange juxtaposition.

And then it is Jesus Christ Super Star. I am struck by how odd it is to be listening to a story about the way to the cross as I am headed toward Christmas. Certainly, hearing Judas sing about his doubts concerning Jesus is a stark contrast to the Christmas carols blaring all around me these days.

But then I realize the invitation is the same, then and now, headed to the cross or headed to the manger. It is the call for commitment to a way that holds mystery. A call to place my trust in One who is beyond my ability to grasp and who nevertheless holds me fast.

The Advent way is a way of contrast, full of the unexpected, suffused with the holy.



Image by Florian Kurz from Pixabay