THERE IS MUCH anticipation in the air. During Advent, we eagerly await the Christ child among us and all the blessings and transformations this infant brings. Our readings during this season remind us of the Christ child’s vision for our world — and of God’s power to upend existing political orders. This is the child whose mother proclaims that he will “cast down the mighty,” “lift up the lowly,” and change the course of history for God’s people. We welcome the arrival of new life in Christ, imbued with hope and reminders that life is never fully defeated by empire’s death-dealing designs.
But this Christ child comes in many guises. This child appears as an unhoused person, a racial other, an incarcerated person, a foreigner. Will we receive every child of God as we receive the Christ child and honor their hopes and full potential? Will we give to all of God’s children the gifts of our time, energy, joy, and relationship so that our communities become hospitable places for the Christ child and every child?
Indian artist Jyoti Sahi has a beautiful painting called “Incarnation within the Anthill.” In the image, Sahi sets a tightly curled Mary and infant Jesus inside a tall insect mound. In some parts of India, these mounds are called the “ears of the earth.” As numerous, tiny, and insignificant as ants may seem, they are sacred and have inherent value, just as the mother and her newborn child have. It requires deep listening to nurture this Christ-consciousness. May the Advent season remind us that every child is sacred and that honoring God’s image in the tiniest ones can bring down empires.
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