ORIGINAL BEAUTY

Advent season is a call to prepare the way for the Lord. He comes to us to restore our original identity and dignity. We are created in the likeness and image of God. That is our original beauty. However, because of sin that original beauty is lost. But that is not the end of the story. the good news is that Jesus restores all things to Him. There is a connection between the words, call and beauty in Greek. Call in Greek is kaleo and beauty is kallos. We are always drawn to beauty. We have this irresistible attraction towards beauty. God is beauty. He comes to us so that we make Him shine in our lives. Jesus is the beauty of God made flesh. He is the definitive revelation of God’s glory and beauty. God’s glory is revealed by Jesus on the Cross because the Cross is God’s extravagant, total, sacrificial, mysterious love for us. God’s glory and beauty is His Agape love. It is His desire to work for our well being. That is why, Jesus calls us to follow Him, to become like Him and to share His life for us  to that we become partakers of God’s life. John the Baptist is called the precursor and forerunner of the Lord. He calls us to prepare the way for the Messiah. He is not the light but he points to the Light, that is Jesus. He said that he baptizes with water but the Messiah will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Baptism of the Holy Spirit is transformation, rebirth and restoration. He recreates and restores us to our original beauty  so that we become truly sons and daughters of the Father. That is why, the first word of John and Jesus when they started their ministry is repent. Repentance is turn around, radical change of mind and heart. Therefore, the real beauty of Advent and Christmas is not the pretty decorations outside of our lives but the radical call to give our lives to God who alone can make us beautiful inside and outside.