My family was asked to light the Advent candles as few years ago.. We were picked for the second week of Advent which is the “Faith” candle. Laurel, who was 8 at the time, had asked me once how families get to light the candles.
“You have to be asked,” I replied.
“Do you think someday we can do it?” she inquired.
“Sure, if they ask.”
“Who does the asking?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe the Director of Family Ministry.”
The Phone Call
Well, Laurel must have started praying to God that night because a few days later sure enough the DFM called me.
“Would your family like to light the Advent candles/” she asked.
What else could I say? I told her yes with a heavy sigh.
I informed Laurel and Holly of our “luck” on the walk home from school that day. Elated, they both skipped all the way home chanting, “We’re lighting the Advent candles. We’re lighting the Advent candles.”
The DFM’s email arrived by the time we got home. I printed up the script. One line at the beginning was perfect for Holly who was in Kindergarten and Laurel chose two parts. I would read the Bible verse and narrative. Then we decided Tom, whose not one for public speaking, could just light the candles and Matthew could read the ending prayer. Then I read the bottom of the script: “Please briefly tell the congregation what faith means to you.”
What does faith mean to me? I pondered. What is faith anyway? As Christians aren’t we a walking example of faith? My mind went blank. This was a tough one.
The girls informed Tom and Matthew of our candle-lighting fortune over dinner that night.. Tom remained silent. Matthew rolled his 11-year-old eyes.
“Yes, you have to,” I said before he could say a word.
Practicing and Contemplating Advent
The girls joyously practiced their parts over the next few days. I, on the other hand, was not so joyous. I kept thinking about faith. Then I remembered a line from the movie Miracle, on 34th Street, (the original black and white one starring Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, and Natalie Wood): Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to.. l saw the script lying on the coffee table and glanced at it again. The meanings of the five candles were at the top of the page: 1st week – HOPE, Prophets Candle, 2nd week – FAITH, Bethlehem Candle, 3rd week – JOY, Shepherds Candle, 4th week – PEACE, Angels Candle, and Christmas – LIGHT, Christ Candle.
The Bethlehem Candle: a reminder of the journey of Mary and Joseph. Without a doubt, a great example of faith. They embarked on a strenuous journey when Mary was about to give birth to the Messiah. Then the light bulb went off in my head. Of course, why hadn’t I thought of that before?
My Advent Story
Once upon a time, I was a somewhat young but very pregnant woman at Christmas time. Tom’s parents moved to Sun City, Arizona from the Midwest to live out their Golden Years. Tom’s siblings all still lived in the Midwest so it was up to us to travel to Arizona and spend Christmas with the in-laws.
To put it bluntly, the drive was awful. We left on December 23, and it took an extra-long time due to heavy holiday traffic and frequent potty breaks for me. Also, I was miserable from excruciating back pain and Braxton Hicks contractions. Finally, we arrived late at night, tired and hungry. That night, sleep was elusive and tears ran down my face from all the pain. The next afternoon my water broke and Matthew was born in the dark, early hours of Christmas day.
Now I don’t want anyone thinking that I’m trying to compare myself with Mary, because I’m not. But what I went through to give birth to Matthew was a whole lot easier than what Mary experienced.
The Journey
Mary’s journey was on unpaved, hilly trails and through the Judean desert. It was difficult and highly dangerous with the possibility of confronting wild animals and desert bandits. She was constantly exposed to the elements and the journey took anywhere from 3 to 10 days. Also, she probably walked the whole time because there’s no mention of her riding a donkey in the Bible.
Whereas my journey was in a climate controlled automobile with all the conveniences we could afford at the time. While we did go through the Sonoran Desert and mountain passes, the “trail” was a four-lane highway and took only hours. Several very long hours but still only hours.
The Arrival into Town
Mary and Joseph probably arrived late in the day or evening as there was no room at the inn. But it was probably more of an upper guest room at a relative’s or another Jew’s home because food at the inn would not be kosher. So the couple stayed in the adjacent stable or cave.
In contrast, Tom and I stayed in the guest room at his parents’ house even though we arrived late at night.
The Birth
The birth of Jesus took place in dirty, smelly and possibly noisy conditions. Since it was the time of the Roman census, there may have been many people in that stable and she would have strangers assisting her with the delivery. And the animals’ feeding trough was Jesus’ crib.
Likewise, I was surrounded by unfamiliar doctors and nurses. But I was in a sterile, sanitized, and clean hospital with all the latest medical, life-saving equipment ion hand. And Matthew had his own crib in the nursery.
Until that moment I never realized how treacherous the journey was and how much faith Mary must have had. She entrusted her husband and her God to get her safely from Nazareth to Bethlehem so that her child could be born where and when He was supposed to be. In the same way, I trusted Tom and God to get me safely from California to Arizona so that Matthew could be born where and when He had planned. Not my plan in California, but God’s plan in Arizona. My faith showed when I went against my doctor’s orders and traveled to Arizona “too close to my due date.” My faith now, and maybe always has and I just didn’t realize it, lies in the fact that I trust God to get me where I need to be at the time I need to be there.
Our Advent Day Arrives
When our momentous day arrived, it was pretty much a normal Sunday for us. We barely arrived in time; making it during the last chorus of the song before the candle-lighting ceremony. Holly recited her line perfectly but Laurel got stage fright and refused to speak and stood slightly behind me clinging to my dress. I passed the script to Tom hoping he would read her part but he pushed my hand away so I read it. Then flustered, he light the pink Joy candle and the Christ candle instead of the two purple candles marked “1” and “2.” And Matthew decided to entertain everyone with his own special Faith prayer:
I received many congratulations from the church members that day.. They smiled and said nice words. But I know what they were thinking and it’s okay. I know our faith got us through that day. And that’s all that mattered.
Your story touched my heart. I’m sure all of us moms appreciated your alignment with the virgin birth, especially ones who were very young at the time.
I wasn’t a young mom but when I think about what Mary endured, mine was a piece of cake.