In leading us to a table at a local restaurant the hostess led us past a booth that was decorated with a lovely bouquet of roses. I asked what the occasion could be, and she answered, “Oh, that booth has been reserved by a young man for later this evening. He said that he is going to propose to his girlfriend tonight.”

We were led to a table near by, but I couldn’t take my eyes off that booth for our whole dinner. The couple never arrived before we left, but the image stayed in my mind of the cozy booth where two people’s future would be taking a decided turn.

The Bible is full of messages of anticipation, of God’s promises and reassurances of things in the future, sometimes quite a distant future: I will raise up for them a prophet like you (Moses) from among their fellow Israelites and I will put my words in His mouth. (Deuteronomy 18:17)

Often in the worst of times the message came to the people of Israel that better times were ahead, that there would be one who would fulfill all of God’s promises: “He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time and forever. (Isaiah 9:7)

By the time the message was brought by the angel Gabriel to Mary, it was very specific. He told her, You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. (Luke 1:11-33)

I never saw the couple that had reserved the special booth. I never knew if they even arrived, or if he proposed, or what she answered if he did propose; but Mary knew the reality of the angel’s words when Mary visited Elizabeth, who confirmed them to her: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear. . . As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promise to her! (Luke 1:42-45) It was a covenant promise, and it was never broken, even though Mary never saw her son sitting on a throne, or being honored like a king. While most of the rest of the world saw only what was visible, Mary knew the truth about her son: Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus . . . both Lord and Messiah. (Acts 2:36) In Advent, we,too, know this truth and can live in anticipation of His arrival in our lives.

Love in Him,

Prue