May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable to you Oh Holy One, our strength and example.
So here we are at the 3rd Sunday of Advent! The Sunday we light the pink candle, the Candle of Joy. Apparently one minister asked the children “Why do we have a pink candle for the Third Sunday of Advent?” A bright young lady sitting at the minister’s feet had the answer…” We were hoping for a girl.”
I always think of it as the Sunday that we hear Mary’s song. And pink is a joyful colour!
The Isaiah reading tells us of the glorious things God will do; Mary tells us of the marvelous things God has done and Jesus says, “Look at what I am doing.” We live in a time when Jesus has already come, and wait eagerly for Jesus to come again, but I think we also need to be looking for the “Risen Christ” in our everyday lives.
Advent is a waiting time; we wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We wait for the baby story! It is a good thing to do. It is a busy time, a very commercial time. But this Sunday we are doing what Jesus called us to do…to care for others. As Jesus said to John’s followers: “Go tell John what you hear and see; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”
Another time Jesus said that what we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to him. If we truly believe that all Humanity was created in God’s image, then we should be able to see “That which is of God” in each person we meet. Not easy at times, but I know that it can becomes obvious in the most unusual situations.
A few years ago, just outside Shoppers there was a man standing with a sign saying, “Not homeless, but hungry.”
As I came out of the store, I stopped to give him a little bit of money. He said “Thank you”…and then looked at me and said, “I love the story of the Prodigal Son.” I have no idea why he said that except maybe I do look like a White Christian woman, and he was not Anglo Saxon and maybe not of the Christian Faith.
I smiled and said and what about Prodigal Daughters? He smiled and said, Hmmmm and then “Bless you!” I patted him on the shoulder said “And Bless You” and left to get into my car. As I was driving past I saw he was watching me with a smile and I suddenly thought! Well now, I think I just met the Risen Christ in someone! It was such a surprise revelation and a warm feeling and I had to laugh and say “Thank you God!”.
I never saw him again, but heard from others that he had been told about the food bank and drop-in and the other places to get meals in town, but he was not comfortable going to them. I can understand how he felt, there was a time when I also found it hard to be with a lot of people in an enclosed room. I often think of him and pray that he is well. And when I think about this little interaction, I am reminded that I should be looking for this more often!
In the Gospel this morning Jesus also asked what the crowd had expected to see when they went out to see John. He certainly wasn’t what a lot of them expected.
What do we look for when we think about seeing God, the Holy Spirit, the Risen Christ, or Jesus or even Prophets in our little bit of the world? Are there people, events that we miss seeing, really seeing what is there? And what about seeing God in all of Creation. Is the joy that we feel when we see something beautiful in nature an example of God in Creation, God in our midst?
There is so much sadness, violence and hate in our world that we can become overwhelmed with all we see and hear.
Sometimes I think we need to step back from all of it before it makes us too depressed. I try to remember what Mr. Rogers (of the neighbourhood) said his mother always told him “When you see bad things happening…look for the helpers!”
And it is true. There are always those who are helping others; First responders, people who run food banks and drop-ins, people who provide warm meals for the homeless. Those collecting things to send to the Ukraine; everywhere you look there are helpers. What we do for those who need help, we are doing it also to the Risen Christ, for God, for Jesus. A little of what we are doing this morning is all part of it. It may seem small in the whole scheme of things, but there is always a ripple effect to every action.
That I think is the Joy of this 3rd Sunday of Advent. The joy of doing what we each can do for others who like us, carry “That which is of God” within them.
Amen
