Advent Week 4 - Love
Entering Anamnesis
Over these weeks of Advent, we have been practicing anamnesis, a form of remembrance that is more than memory. It is remembrance that draws us into the living story of God. We began by waiting with the prophets, then listened to John’s cry in the wilderness, and last week we joined the joy of Mary, John, and the shepherds as the Light appeared.
Now the story comes to its fullness. The Word becomes flesh. Anamnesis brings us to Nazareth to hear Gabriel’s greeting, to Bethlehem to kneel at the manger, to the very heart of the mystery that God has chosen to dwell among us. In remembering these moments, we do not stand at a distance. The angel’s word becomes God’s word to us: “The Lord is with you.” The manger becomes an invitation for us to prepare room.
This is the depth of Advent anamnesis: the story is not simply behind us, it is happening now. Christ is born into our world, our neighborhoods, our very lives. To receive Him is to welcome Love Himself, who comes not in power or spectacle, but in humility, vulnerability, and nearness.
ScrIpture Readings (NLT)
Isaiah 7:14
All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
Matthew 1:18–23
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.”’
Luke 1:26–38
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
John 1:14
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
Reflect
The mystery of Advent finds its center in the Incarnation. God chooses to come close, to take on flesh and dwell among us. Gabriel’s words to Mary still resound: “The Lord is with you.” In anamnesis, we hear that greeting as our own. The invitation given to Mary to receive the Word and to make space for Christ is also extended to us.
Mary’s response is simple and profound: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” In her yes, Love enters the world. Anamnesis brings us to that same threshold. Each year at Advent, and each day in our lives, we are asked: Will we receive Him? Will we open space for His dwelling?
The Word became flesh and made His home among us. That home is not only Bethlehem long ago, but every heart, household, and community that says yes to His presence. In Advent, we remember until we recognize: Christ is here.
Consider
How do you hear Gabriel’s greeting—“The Lord is with you”—as a word for your own life?
What does it mean for you to prepare space for Christ’s presence this week?
Where is God inviting you to respond with Mary’s yes?
Prayer Prompts
Here I am: Pray Mary’s words (Luke 1:38) slowly. Offer your own yes to God.
Receive Emmanuel: Sit quietly with Matthew 1:23—“God is with us.” Let it sink into your heart.
Incarnate love: Ask God to show you one embodied act of love you can offer this week.
Abide: Spend two minutes in silence, repeating: “Word made flesh, dwell in me.”
Communal Intercession
Emmanuel, dwell among us. Let our network be a house for Your presence, ordinary and open. Fill our microchurches with embodied love for neighbors, especially the overlooked. Be born in us again, and let Your presence be known in Kansas City and beyond.