"Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."
- Isaiah 7
If we took the Christmas story accurately, we would read about the conception of Christ, about now. And indeed, in the liturgical calendar, we do!
Just as Easter concludes, comes the Anunciation of Mary, when the Angel appears and tells her she is to give birth to the Son of God. Yes, about nine months prior to Christmas.
Whether Christ'a actual birth took place in December, or more likely in the summer; and whether or not we should actually celebrate it as a special day; still it is good to keep in mind that the openings chapters of the New Testament did not all occur in a compact four weeks called "Advent." Rather, they take up at last a nine month period. That's three quarters of the year.
This leaves a quarter of the year to contemplate the final months, and then week, of the Life of Christ, that time when He began to look, with resolve, to the Cross, and make His progress towards it.
We can spend an entire year on three topics: the birth, the death, and the resurrection of Christ, and be doing our Christian walk a good service.
Today we recognize the announcement to Mary . . . and then the waiting really begins.
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