Advent - Where Is The Love?

Preparation, expectation, longing… Hope. Peace. Joy. Love. These profound sentiments and holy themes are my companions, guiding my reflections through this Advent season. As we approach the final theme of our Advent series I am helped, of course, by none other than The Black Eyed Peas and I am joining them in asking Where Is The Love?

Well… here it is. Picture the scene… a baby born to a teenager, in a stable, in difficult circumstances… Sometime later, the family flee to Egypt, to escape persecution and death threats, refugees on the run… no place to call home. Fast forward to the present-day… Displaced families, people seeking asylum, refugees escaping persecution... border crossings, another country, another land… Rejection, suspicion, hostility, fear-mongering, negative narratives from governments who should know better, and should definitely do better.

Too often, too quickly we judge, and fail to realise that these individuals leave whatever ‘home’ means to them in the hope of finding something better – often to find themselves enduring something far worse and inhumane. Many of us know of individuals, even families, who have left their homes because of war, famine, family challenges, personal need or far worse – my own family and some members of my community have found themselves in such situations. We hear of others leaving, because what’s ‘out there’ seems much more enticing than the opportunities and possibilities on offer at ‘home’. Too often, we fail to appreciate that in the process, each person, literally leaves some part of themselves behind in the emotional, psychological, spiritual and very real physical ties they have to forsake. And while some undoubtedly succeed in their pursuits - for others, the story will be far more complicated.

This is all too close to home… But perhaps that’s exactly as it should be, close to home and much much closer to our hearts.

So, what does love look like for you when you arrive at the manger scene with its cast of familiar characters...?

I am reminded of the God whose extravagant and unconditional love drew close to us, who refused to walk away, who sought out those living in the margins, who listened to the oppressed, who fed the poor, who generously released the gift of love to all through Jesus.

As we journey towards Christmas day, perhaps we can be an expression of God’s love in both our familiar (and unfamiliar) and communities, a heart-shaped response to the question Where Is The Love?

Christ-mas blessings to you.