Theotokos – A Womb for the World’s Redeemer:
The God-Bearer’s Journey in Word and Wonder
This Advent we journey with Mary — Theotokos, the God-bearer — whose faithful
“yes” opened the way for God’s “Word made flesh.” Through Scripture and poetry,
we trace her path from annunciation to incarnation, from the angel’s greeting to the
foot of the Cross, and on to the promise of Emmanuel, God with us.
In this year’s Advent Carol Service, the story unfolds through a tapestry of Bible
readings and the poetry of Malcolm Guite, whose work gives voice to the wonder and
humanity of Mary’s calling. Guite, a poet-priest known for his sonnet sequences
inspired by Scripture and the Christian year, draws us into the mystery of divine grace
received in human form.
As we listen to words ancient and new, and as music and silence weave between
them, we are invited to contemplate Mary not only as the mother of Jesus but as the
first disciple — the one who bears Christ into the world and teaches us how to receive
him ourselves.
May this journey in word and wonder deepen our longing for the coming of the
world’s Redeemer, and awaken within us a readiness to bear his light into the
darkness of our time.