Name: Michael Birch
Which Service do you attend: Sundays, 9 a.m.
Word: Assumptions
Scripture: Luke 1:34: “Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
When I think of Advent, my mind drifts to the hush of winter darkness, to finely dressed churchgoers gathering in warm sanctuaries, to choirs that seemed to reach heaven itself. My mother’s angelic soprano always soared above the rest. I can still hear her voice in the hymns of that season—clear, strong, and full of reverence. The memory of those moments has a way of wrapping itself around my heart when the candles are lit and the air fills with “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” After years away, I attended a Christmas Eve service and was caught off guard by God’s presence. As the congregation sang the same hymns my mother once sang, tears welled up—tears of loss, yes, but also of comfort. In that moment, I felt the grace of God move through the music, through memory, through me. He was reminding me: I am still here. You are still loved.
For a long time, I had assumed I was lost—adrift and searching for purpose. But God, in His mercy, interrupted my assumptions. He brought my now wife, Judy, into my life. At first, she seemed simply like a fun, vibrant woman whose company I enjoyed. But as time passed, I realized she was also God’s messenger—someone who spoke truth with love and gave me the right ultimatums to draw me back to Him. Through her faith and example, I began to reach out to God again, not with assumptions, but with surrender. When we assume we know how God works, we quietly place ourselves in charge. But Advent calls us to humility. Just as Elizabeth stood in awe before Mary, realizing that God had done the unimaginable, we too are invited to let go of control and bow in wonder. The coming of Christ shattered every human assumption about how salvation should look. And His promised return calls us to live with diligence, honesty, and faithfulness—because His timing, like His grace, will always surprise us.
This Advent, may we open our hearts to the unexpected ways God appears—through music, through memory, through the people He sends. May our assumptions give way to awe, and our waiting be filled with worship.
Prayer: Gracious God, in this season of waiting and wonder, teach us to lay down our assumptions and open our hearts to Your surprises. Help us to see You in familiar songs, in cherished memories, and in the people You place along our path. Thank You for Your mercy that finds us even when we feel lost. In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord, we pray. Amen.
Action: Listen to some Christian songs that remind you of God’s love sending His son Jesus to be born in a manger
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