This episode looks at Advent through a different lens—by placing the birth of Christ alongside the way empires measure worth. Throughout history, powers like Rome and later Nazi Germany elevated strength, perfection, and public spectacle. Those who fell outside their ideals were treated as expendable.
Against that backdrop, the 2016 Paralympic ceremony in Rio becomes a powerful counter-image. A Paralympian carried a flame once used for propaganda in 1936, turning it into a witness of human dignity. That moment helps illuminate the heart of Christmas: God entering the world without protection or privilege, choosing vulnerability rather than force.
The conversation explores how the Incarnation confronts every system that defines people by usefulness. It shows a kingdom built not on dominance but on patient, restorative presence. Advent invites us to see glory in the places the world ignores—and to recognize how Christ dignifies the fragile, heals what is broken, and reshapes our understanding of strength.
