[Propertalk] 3 Advent a 2016 - Part 2

[Robert P Morrison]

Part 2

	This is the Messiah – the “long-expected One”, as we sing in
the hymn. This is the Messiah of whom Isaiah spoke, the One whom the
wild places, the supposedly barren places in the world; the One who
would be welcomed by all of creation. Despite the Glory and the
Majesty, however, we’re told not to fear. You might think that fear
is exactly what our response would be when faced with God in our
midst. Yet the prophet took great pains to reassure all those who were
struggling that God’s coming would NOT be a further burden which
would be imposed on them to grind them further into despair and
hopelessness.

	This idea of the inability to find relief from all the pressures in
life is something with which we can identify. None of us wants to be
stressed. We don’t need another difficult medical diagnosis. We
don’t need someone telling us about some financial downturn. We
don’t want a storm to come through and put a tree through the roof
of our house, or smash our car. Yet still we live with anxiety, we and
more than half the world.

	What Isaiah describes, what John preached about, what Jesus told
John’s disciples – it may sound incredible. To see, after vision
has faded; to hear after silence has settled as a blanket; to find
hope when everything else talks of horrendously grey clouds and strong
winds seem to beat on our lives: this is God’s promise, and we know
that it will come. When, we’re not sure. How, we don’t know. Who
will make it possible, is unknown. Yet faith teaches that Advent is
NOT a mockery, not something which whitewashes over hurts, bruises,
anger and pain. Our faith, bolstered by that of those who have gone on
this pilgrimage of life on earth, assures us that when we’re in
difficult straights; when we’re seemingly imprisoned, like John the
Baptist; when some one person or people, or some institution or
organism tries to squeeze life out of us, somehow we’re asked to
look to see the signs around us.

	That’s what makes Jesus’ response so helpful to me. He didn’t
beat John over the head, or shake him for questioning the value of his
life and ministry. He didn’t say, “Oh well, it can’t be
helped.”

	Jesus said, “Even from whatever is imprisoning and restricting you,
and making your life so tough; even from there, look to see what’s
there in the most mundane events. Look beyond the headlines on the
newspaper’s front page; or the mind-numbing twenty-five-hour-a-day
news on TV. There ARE things happening. Just ask the dogs of Mytilene.
Just ask the folk who’ve been watching the café owner. For that
matter, ask those who’ve read that report and have been touched by
it.

	The dogs have been brought in, have been sheltered, have been
guaranteed possibly twelve hours a day when they won’t be chased,
won’t be harassed, won’t be frustrated. They’ll be able to relax
among friends.

	And if it can happen with dogs – just think!

	If it can happen with dogs, just think how we apply this to those
threatened, those who’re harassed, those who’re cold, and wet.
Just think how this becomes part of the fulfilment of Isaiah’s
prophecy. If to dogs, then why not to humans? Why not through us? We
don’t have to own much. We don’t even need to have a café,
although that would be nice.

	What do we come to church to hear? Whom do we come to meet? What do
we hope to see? The same questions Jesus put to the crowds around Him,
He puts to us this morning, and not just in this room, but in our
cars, in our homes, at our parties, in our rest-time. 

	Are we serious about coming to hear about people’s physical,
emotional and spiritual lives turned around? Are we serious enough to
come to ask that our own lives be turned around? Do we treat Advent as
more than merely a pre-amble to several nice dinners sandwiched
between all those things that seem to make us frantic about not having
enough time, or money, and so on?

	The article that told of the café in Mytilene ended with a
remarkable tag.

	 “HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY: All life is precious. Take a note from the
people of Lesbos and know that ordinary people just like you are
striving to make the world a better place.”

	 How did the owner of that café know what he or she was starting?
How did the writer of the article know what he was spreading? 

	 Back up a bit. How did Isaiah, staring down the ruins of society in
Judah; how did John the Baptist, six hundred years later, facing a
society which was crumbling for lack of vision about the state of
human life; how did Jesus, responding to the pleas of John’s
disciples, know that we would hear all these words come together on
this, the third Sunday of Advent, two weeks away from one of the two
primary Festivals of our faith?

	 To all those who struggle – with depression, with grief, with a
loss of confidence in themselves and others – to ALL who struggle in
Albany and beyond, this Advent message is a spark, a sign of hope,
that there IS compassion. There IS healing. There ARE people who WILL
make a difference, in God’s name, for us and for the world. How this
will appear; how this will come about, is not totally clear. But it is
happening! All SHALL be well!

	 “HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY: All life is precious.” You heard it from
Jesus!

	NOTE:

	[1] _“Instead Of Chasing Them Away, This Coffee Shop Opens Its
Doors to Stray Dogs Each Night”_ by Josh Starling. Dec 28, 2015
HTTP://WWW.INSPIREMORE.COM/GREEK-COFFEE-SHOP-OPEN-DOORS-TO-STRAY-DOGS/
[1]

	 

Links:
------
[1]
http://mail2.charter.net/HTTP://WWW.INSPIREMORE.COM/GREEK-COFFEE-SHOP-OPEN-DOORS-TO-STRAY-DOGS/

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