Holy Disruption

 
 

Advent is a season of change -- a time to prepare our hearts and minds for the arrival of Christ. As the first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the Christian liturgical year, we enter a season of waiting and wonder. For four weeks, we focus on the profound mystery of Jesus’ first coming as a child in Bethlehem, even as we anticipate his promised return as King.

The prophets foretold Christ’s coming as a time of holy disruption -- an upheaval both joyful and jarring. Those longing for the Messiah anticipated hope and renewal, a reign of peace and flourishing for God’s people. Yet the prophets also warned that this divine intervention would challenge the status quo, confronting sin and injustice. The arrival of Christ would demand transformation, unsettling those who resisted God’s purposes.

Mary and Joseph experienced this disruption firsthand when the angel Gabriel delivered life-changing news to each of them: Mary would bear the Son of God. Even as their worlds were turned upside down, they received this divine interruption with faith, trusting in God’s plan for salvation. King Herod, on the other hand, responded with fear and hostility, viewing the arrival of a new king as a threat to his rule and power.

This Advent, we invite you to explore the Advent devotional Holy Disruption. Each day includes a Scripture reading, a brief devotional, and several reflection questions, guiding us to encounter the transformational power of Christ’s arrival both then and now. Written by faculty at Fuller Seminary, the guide offers space to reflect on the disruptions in our own lives, whether they come as unwelcome interruptions or long-awaited transitions. (For daily activities that accompany the Holy Disruption Advent Guide, see the interactive Holy Disruption Advent Calendar.)

Is it possible God is calling you to embrace a new beginning this season -- to let go of what was and make room for something new? Let’s enter this sacred Advent season together, ready to receive the holy disruptions God desires to bring into our lives.

Rev. Dr. Jennie A. Harrop