Christmas is my favourite time of the year. Contemplating the breaking in of God into our world by coming humbly as a baby is so important for us each year. While we take time during the Easter season to contemplate the ultimate showing of love by His death and sacrifice, Christmas helps our hearts anticipate that importance later in the year.

Jesus' ministry was all-embracing, including the broken-hearted, the sick, the poor, the outcast alike with incredible grace and love. Out of all of them, I do have a favourite verse found in Luke 8:43-48 (NASB).

⁴³And a woman who had suffered a chronic flow of blood for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, ⁴⁴came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You."  ⁴⁶But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had left Me." 
⁴⁷Now when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and admitted in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."

Jesus was bust. He was on His way to heal a girl for an arguably "more important person," a synagogue official. On His way the crowd was pressing in as they were fighting to get through. Incredulously, Jesus stops everyone and asks, "Who touched Me?!"

I have always wondered what it felt like in that moment to be her. In preparing a youth devotional talk on this passage, I was curious about what kind of treatment she would have experienced for healing in this, and it was awful. To finally have healing, to finally no longer be an outcast, to be allowed back into worship of God, must have been an incredible experience, but then to hear Jesus say, "Who touched Me?"

I could well imagine a flood of emotions of fear, dread, shame because an unclean person touched a famous well-known teacher. Would Jesus take away her healing? No, He does the most beautiful thing, He calls her daughter and tells her to go in peace. Only Jesus and this woman knew what exactly had happened in her and between. He didn't "out" her, revealing her shame. His action of stopping everyone and identifying her was to see her, recognize her, affirm her. For what was likely the first time in 12 years she experienced love, affection, healing and hope. She was seen as a whole person by the One who made her, and made her whole. And she was affirmed before everyone, affirming her place in of good relationship in society.

So, this Christmas season, we pray that you recognize that you are seen by the Saviour, find wholeness and recognition in Him, and that you "may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:18-19 NASB).

Advent reflections shared by David Ritz, a Mission Canada SERVE Campus worker.