Readings: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 2 Samuel 7:18-22; Galatians 4:1-7

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?  

[2 Samuel 7:18, NRSV]

Who am I? Why should you pay any attention to me and mine? What value did you see in me that prompted you to touch my life with such blessing?

I’ve asked these questions many times over the years, not because I expected an answer but because I needed to express my deep joy and grateful surprise. It’s a miracle to be alive; it’s a miracle to be loved, and to love. That this fragile, limited, holy life is mine to live -with all its joys and flaws – astounds me.

Thousands of years ago, half a world away, sitting before God, David must have felt the same. With all his flaws, he wasn’t so short-sighted that he lost sight of this among his accomplishments and acquisitions. That in itself is a miracle and a gift from God.

Perhaps that’s what Advent is about: giving us a time and place to ask these questions, and sight clear enough to recognize in Jesus the one to whom we address them.

[Three Rowhouses, 2018-2019, by Colin Fredrickson]