Scripture Sunday: Fourth Sunday of Advent: Creation

Luke 1:39-45
1:39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."
Hebrews 10:5-10
10:5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7 Then I said, 'See, I have come to do your will, O God' (in the scroll of the book it is written of me)."
8 When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10 And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The Bible begins with God creating, giving birth to an abundance of new life. Out of love, through the Word, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, God said, “Let there be light,” and light burst forth. From the waters to the land, from plants to animals, God brought forth the cosmos in vibrant harmony. After creating God rested, not in absence but in attentive care, nurturing and sustaining creation as a mother lovingly tends her child. This beginning sets the foundation of our story, reminding us that God not only loves creation but continues to sustain and renew it.


The earth reflects God’s maternal care, sustaining us daily. Like a mother ensuring her children have all they need, the earth offers her resources—food, water, air, and shelter—to sustain life. And yet, this care demands reciprocal love. As we marvel at the created world, we are called to honor and protect it, recognizing that it is both a gift and a responsibility.

Advent gives us a second creation story: the story of God becoming human. In Luke’s Gospel, we meet Mary, a young woman called to participate in a miraculous act of creation. Out of love, by the power of the Holy Spirit, she conceives Jesus. Mary, blessed among women, becomes the mother of the Lord. Her body becomes a vessel of life, sustaining and nurturing God-made-flesh. She nurses Jesus, teaches Him, and loves Him not only as her son but as the Son of God.


Mary’s journey, seen in her visit to Elizabeth, is one of faith and joy. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaims the blessing of Mary’s belief: “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” (Luke 1:45). In her willingness to say “yes” to God’s call, Mary becomes a model of faithful creation and care. Her body bears life for the world, echoing the self-giving love of creation itself.


The letter to the Hebrews reminds us of the purpose of Christ’s coming: not to uphold the old system of sacrifices but to fulfill God’s will through His own body (Hebrews 10:5-10). Christ’s self-offering sanctifies and redeems creation, restoring its purpose and dignity. In the same way, Mary’s body, broken in childbirth, her blood spilled, mirrors the sacrificial love of Christ. Both give of themselves so that others may live.


Creation, too, offers us this sacrificial picture. The soil breaks to yield crops; forests fall to make way for new growth. Even in its groaning under sin’s weight (Romans 8:22), the created world participates in God’s redemptive plan, giving of itself for the life of the world. During Advent, we are invited to reflect on this interwoven story of God  and creation. Mary’s labor to bring forth Christ parallels creation’s labor to sustain life and Christ’s labor to bring salvation.

​In the Incarnation, God not only affirms the goodness of creation but enters into it. The Word becomes flesh, reminding us that creation itself is sacred. It was not unbefitting for God to become human, but the perfect expression of his character. As we celebrate Emmanuel, God with us, we are called to mirror God’s nurturing, sustaining love in our care for the earth and all its inhabitants. Just as Mary gave her body for the life of the world, and the world gives herself to us,  so too must we offer ourselves in loving reciprocity. We are called to reflect the image God first gave us: out of love, through the Word, by the power of the Holy Spirit creating new life through sacrifice. 

Caroline Hiler is a Seminary Intern at Creation Justice Ministries