“Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.” Luke 1:39-40

“I was on the mountain side when I looked down below,
And glory be I thought I’d better come and let you know,
We got company coming, company coming, we got company coming up the road.”

Anticipation of company coming can ignite hope; and it can also create dread. It is according to who the company is. We look forward to those people who show up with a fruit basket in hand. I’m not talking about apples and oranges, but the fruit of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Advent is a time of anticipating and hoping for the coming of Christ. This is reflected in the hymn, “O come, O come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”

He did come, and Heaven rejoiced at this gift of God’s Love wrapped up in the life of a baby. The angels said that Jesus’ birth was glad tidings of great joy to all people on the earth. That was a far cry from the arrival of Satan on this planet. That too was announced by the angels: “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth for the Devil has come down to you.” It is true, we do hope for some guest, and dread to see others.

Pay attention to how many times that Jesus visits different homes in the Gospels. His first miracle was in a home in Cana. Jairus begged Jesus to come to his house. He was a frequent guest in the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He told Zacchaeus that He must stay in his house. The two who walked the Emmaus Road with Christ said, “Abide with us because the day is far spent.” The list goes on, and there is not one person who dreaded the coming of the Lord; and all were blessed.

Advent reminds each one of us to make room in our heart for Jesus, to prepare the way of the Lord, and to pray, “Maranatha” (Even so, Come Lord Jesus). Amen