Dancing Between Hope, Possibility, and Wonder

Advent is almost over. Christmas is just a few days away. Over this past week, I’ve been intensively focused on work, with a number of projects nearing conclusions or significant milestones. At the same time, I’ve been seeking to stay connected somehow to the season, as well as the fears and concerns of those around me. As I’ve done that, I’ve found myself pondering the differences between hope, possibility, and wonder.

Hope is one of the four words that have become associated with the four candles lit during the four weeks of Advent: hope, peace, joy, and love. I see hope as having a focus and an agenda. We tend to hope for something specific. We might hope for peace, joy, and love to prevail in the world. We might hope for Jesus to return or that a loved one will be healed. Hope tends to be driven by our agendas.

In contrast, possibility invites us to wonder and ask questions rather than make assumptions or articulate needs and desires. When we focus on possibility, we open ourselves to the unknown, to what has not yet been revealed. We wonder about what’s in the packages under the Christmas tree, but also the possibilities for a child who’s learning to draw or applying to colleges. We imagine the possibilities that come with a new year, a new job, a new relationship.

I sense that we’ve lost touch with the idea of possibility in Advent, because we all presume we know what the season is about and what we’re waiting for. But what if we could borrow the unknowing wonder of Mary and Joseph? They had the basic outline of an idea from the Angel Gabriel, but they had no sense of how that would all play out. They could, however, ponder the possibilities.

Today and tomorrow, I invite you to ponder the possibilities that come with this impending Incarnation. What does it mean for you today, and for us as a society, that God chose to become human? What are the possibilities?