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Scripture tells us that certain people were filled with great expectation when Jesus was about to be born. Both Mary and Joseph knew this child was very special. Anna and Simeon were in the Temple, waiting eagerly for the Messiah. Zechariah and Elizabeth and the baby John were excited about the coming birth of Jesus as well as their own role in this amazing act of God. Each of these people in their own way had a sense that God was about to do something very important.
None of these people wanted to miss what God was going to do. Rather, they wanted to be part of it. So to prepare themselves, they gave the Holy Spirit the freedom to work in their hearts and minds—and they were rewarded richly for it. When Jesus was born, they all saw the glory of the Lord, even though Jesus was nothing but a little baby.
How could this be? How could they possibly recognize that this infant was born of God? How could they tell that he was their long-awaited Messiah? Because they all had their spiritual eyes opened by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Every year during Advent, God invites us to prepare our hearts, just as Anna and Simeon, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and Joseph and Mary did. He wants to fill us with expectation. He wants…
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