Cities You Did Not Build
A young woman steps into sudden fame and shows us what Advent really looks like
Source: The Great British Bake Off
Eager Anticipation
This week, I listened to an Advent podcast released by Bishop Robert Barron and Father Mike Schmitz. If you don’t know who either of these men are, they are both some of the best communicators of the Catholic faith of their generation. As you may know, I am not Catholic, but I enjoy listening to a variety of Christian content and found the podcast (linked here) to be a great reminder of what Advent is all about.
Father Mike and Bishop Barron describe the season of Advent as:
“Advent is a season of preparation, a season of waiting—attentive waiting, looking for something or looking for someone—I’m expecting, I’m hoping, I’m attending, I’m intending—it’s a very active process—all of life is Advent, the four weeks of Advent name something that is true of all of life. Think of how the Bible ends, basically with, ‘Come Lord Jesus,’ as a church waiting for the Lord, and now for the last 2,000 years we’ve been in that same stance.”
During Advent, it can be easier than usual to harken back to the promises of God and all that he has done for us. As we eagerly await the Lord’s coming, we think about everything that Jesus’ birth would precipitate for us and the world. As Bishop Barron and Father Mike attest, this anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s promises must be a lifelong remembrance.
For one British woman, overnight fame and immense pressure haven’t dimmed the lifelong Advent posture we are called to, instead showcasing her reliance on God and her remembrance of His promises and His goodness.
Remembering What Matters
My brother visited my family recently, and we decided to watch the latest season of The Great British Bake Off. If you haven’t seen it, the show is a lighthearted and fun baking competition structured as a weekly elimination tournament. My brother described it as:
“Like a warm hug of a TV show.”
Throughout the ten-episode season, one baker, Jasmine Mitchell, a 23-year-old medical student from London, dominated the competition. I found her charming, articulate, and extraordinarily talented.
Many recent articles have focused on Jasmine’s Bake Off win, as well as her alopecia, which caused her to lose her hair at the age of 12. In one article for The Times, she described the liberating feeling of going without her wig for the first time while traveling in Vietnam. Shortly thereafter, she was “Selected as a model for the same St Andrews fashion show in which, years earlier, Prince William spotted Kate Middleton for the first time.” The fashion show helped her gain confidence in herself, she attested:
“It’s been such a journey of learning for me, of having to relearn what beauty is. And I think I have realised that beauty isn’t just looking like everyone else. It’s actually a lot more about being authentically you. Being authentically yourself is so much more beautiful, showing that vulnerability is so much more beautiful than trying to fit in, trying to be what the world would say is societally acceptable.”
As you might be able to tell, Jasmine is easy to root for. In American terms, she’s intelligent, elegant, and feminine. In British terms, she’s been described as ‘posh’.
To my surprise, Jasmine’s ability to perform well week in and week out, combined with her penchant for traditional bakes and flavors, has earned her the ire of people who see her as less entertaining than some of the other contestants. I think her humility and wisdom stem from the fact that she is a devout Christian who was in constant prayer throughout the production of the show, a fact that was unbeknownst to the audience until filming ended.
Remember the Lord
Last week at the church I attend, a passage of scripture from Deuteronomy struck me. Deuteronomy 6: 10-12 reads:
When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
In this Advent season, and in all of our lives, we must remember the blessings we have been given. In our successes and our failures, we should remember Him, eagerly waiting for the second coming, Heaven, and the resurrection. We should think about how the good and bad parts of our lives are pieces of a larger story, far beyond our wildest imagination, that is being sewn together for God’s purposes.
Like Jasmine, what if you achieved fame and fortune in an instant? Would you think of all that God had done for you? Wouldn’t it be easy to give ourselves all of the credit and forget to glorify God? That isn’t to say that our individual efforts aren’t important and meaningful, but rather that without God, nothing would matter in the first place.
For Jasmine Mitchell, this hypothetical became a reality, she recalled in an interview with MSN:
“My Christian faith was central for me throughout my whole Bake Off journey. I really could not have done it in my own strength—I think I prayed more during the competition than I have ever before in my life. When I felt stressed, exhausted or inadequate, I would pause, and send up a quick prayer—At the start of each week, I would look at my to do list and feel completely overwhelmed. I feel that I was grounded by God and given such peace during the whole process.”
In interviews across the whole of the US and Britain, her story has been the same. There was no way for her to succeed without God, without prayer, and without remembering her place in His bigger story. Instead of using the spotlight for her own glory, she gives it to God.
As Bishop Barron would comment in the Advent podcast with Father Mike:
“The test of real spiritual maturity is falling in love, not with the benefits of God, but with God—God is the summun bonum [highest good], not the benefits of God—it does redound to your greater joy when you love the will of God for its own sake, even when it looks like no benefits for you.”
You and I may not be taking the stage on an internationally popular television show, but in whatever we endeavour to do, we should keep God at the forefront of our minds and give him all of the immense credit He is due.
Questions for Reflection
In your successes, what is your first thought—it’s time for champagne and a night out on the town? Or do you quietly thank God for what He has given you?
What habits and practices are you practicing during this season of waiting?
Do you circle the 24th and 25th on the calendar, or is the entire Advent season a priority for you?
Looking back over the last year, where do you see God writing a better story than the one you would have written for yourself?
Question #4 is a challenging question! Thank you!