Our Place in God’s Story
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
—John 15:11 (NIV)
The Advent season is filled with precious promises: a great light shining in the darkness, justice, righteousness, peace, deliverance. Every year we begin by reading Messianic texts from the Old Testament describing dire situations and desperate people, highlighting the fact that, yes, the world needs salvation. As the weeks progress, we revisit New Testament readings reminding us of surprising encounters and intriguing conversations between angels and ordinary people, miraculous pregnancies, celestial spectacles, and we close the celebration by singing along with the angelic choir, “Gloria in excelsis Deo!”
But when we turn our eyes from the Advent wreath and take a look around, we may notice a strong resemblance between the “people walking in darkness” and our own contemporary reality. The warnings, appeals, and lamentations of ancient prophets are just as pertinent today, while “no obvious angels sing through the night skies,” to quote another (less known) hymn text.
It is precisely this tension between celebration and hope, remembrance and anticipation, which marks the essence of Advent. The season invites us to consider the grand narrative of God’s redemptive story and, through faith, to find our place in it. Jesus himself offers us a helpful metaphor:
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing ... 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:5, 9-11)
That is it! This is our place in the story: bonded to Jesus through obedience, love, and joy, his joy making our joy complete. All the while steeped in God’s boundless love. So, this year, as we arrange the Advent wreath, read ancient promises, revisit Nazareth and Bethlehem, and listen to the voices of the angels, may we be mindful of this profound truth. And let us not keep this good news of great joy to ourselves, for Christ has come for all.
Guided Reflection:
How does Jesus’ promise —“that my joy may be in you”— challenge and/or comfort us today?
What can Advent teach us about embracing joy even in seasons of waiting, uncertainty, or darkness?
About the Author
Maria Monteiro, Ph.D.
Lecturer in Church Music, Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies
Originally from Recife, Brazil, Dr. Maria Monteiro serves as Lecturer in Church Music at Baylor University, and as music director at Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana (First Mexican Baptist Church), in San Antonio. Before joining the Baylor faculty in 2020, she taught for seventeen years at Baptist University of the Américas, also in San Antonio.
Dr. Monteiro is interested in the important connection between academic perspectives in church music—past and present, local and global—and the musical life of present-day congregations. She prizes the challenges and rewards of working in higher education and in music ministry.
She holds Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in Music History and Literature, from Baylor University, a certificate of graduate studies in Musicology from Duke University, and a Ph.D. in Church Music from Baylor.