Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” – Luke 10:23-24

Nope, Jesus is not talking about your eyes being blessed because you set your eyes on iPhone 14 plus nor are your ears blessed because you sound tested the most expensive head phones in the world, the Focal Utopia Tournaire priced at a whopping $132,732 USD and customized and hand-crafted by jeweler’s. So why are my eyes and ears blessed this Advent?

In the Gospel, Jesus delights in the return of the 70 disciples. They have come back joyful after having shared in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus is no solo artist though he could have chosen to been one! Think about it, he did not need Peter’s boat or Andrew’s help to feed the five thousand. Yet he steps into Peter’s boat to preach rather than walk on water and dazzle the crowd and he first asks Andrew what he had to give to the crowds rather than magically wave his hand and become the magician people would have loved him to be. Jesus shares his ministry with us and then rejoices in our partnership with him in bringing down Satan.

In today’s text, Jesus says that he has given us “great authority.” Think about how amazing that statement is. We have been given by Jesus, great authority! This is not some earthly power give to us but spiritual power to combat “all the power of the enemy.” Yet our true glory is not so much in the fact that we partner with Jesus to bring down satan as much as it is that we are acknowledged in heaven. That is our blessing for sharing in his blessedness. The servants of God should always remember that their greatest cause for praise is not what they have done for God, but what God has done for them (Luke 10:17-20).

Ironically, we take our faith so lightly. The great power and knowledge that was given to us at Baptism is either rejected or watered down. We don’t acknowledge the blessedness of our faith; the privilege to see and touch him in Holy Communion and to hear him speak to us in the Gospel. We demand to “see” more evidence before believing in Him and this diminishes our blessedness. One of our great weaknesses as Christians is not appreciating the spiritual blessings that we have been given by God. This is the chief reason for our restlessness and dissatisfaction. Advent is the time to rejoice in the blessedness we have just sharing in his calling.

The apostles, like us, were common people who were given an incredible blessing. They were blessed to be able to see God’s ultimate promise fulfilled and embodied in Jesus and in the time that God had chosen for them to be blessed with his presence. The reason so many people miss out on their blessing is because they decide to settle for a microwave dinner instead of waiting on the feast God has for them. This advent do not rush your blessing rather participate in it and even more, be a blessing.